Isaiah - Verse By Verse

Thought:  To me, it is very important to stop and think before you speak! 

Question:  Do I build others up with my words?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:29 (NIV):  "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Paul continues with practical behaviors that will facilitate unity.  What we say to fellow brethren is of utmost importance.  Our words are influential.  Unwholesome talk only pulls another down into it.  We see from this verse that our mere words can potentially "build others up."  Do we know what an impact our words have?  Also I see here the return of the necessity to focus on others, not self.  How can we speak helpful words to another's benefit unless we have become aware of their needs?  If we are commanded to build others up "according to their needs", we have to know all about those needs.  We have to ask.  We have to listen.  Then we have so speak helpful things to their benefit.

Prayer:  Lord, set a guard by my lips, that I may not hurt another with my words.  Give me words that build people up.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, stealing is a much more serious crime than we make it out to be today.

Question:  Do I Steal?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:28 (NIV):  "He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need."

Tracing the theme of unity among believers, we have seen three things that threaten that unity:  1) lying 2) anger not resolved, and, 3) giving Satan ground.  Now we add a fourth, stealing.  These are all sins that hurt others.  Stealing obviously hurts another, because in order to acquire what you want, you must hurt someone else by stripping him of his possession.  That is why the command here is firm to stop!  "Steal no longer"!  Stop hurting another immediately!  Then, after the hurt is eliminated, begin a program of activity that will provide that one who stole with another way to acquire what he wants.  What is that other way?  Work; good, honest, hard work.  Idle hands are the devil's playground, as we have heard someone say.  Very true.  But notice something:  Paul says the former thief who is now working should work to help needy people.  This will illustrate to him what real needs are vs. his own wants.  It will also remove the focus from self and put it on others.  This is where the Christian focus should always be:  on others.  Hands that once injured the others are now "doing something useful", being productive toward others' needs.  Taking from them is replaced with giving to them.  This is the way of Christ.

Prayer:  Great God Who knows all things, I bow and ask that You would help me not to hurt others by stealing:  things, time, money, power, or honor due.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, we are quite often completely unaware that we have given God's enemy ground to stand on.

Question:  Is there any toe-hold the enemy may have in my life right now?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:27 (NIV):  "and do not give the devil a foothold."

Now we have 3 things Paul advises us to look at and do--3 things that all tear down unity.  1)  falsehood--put it off and speak truth  2)  anger--do not let it progress into sin.  The third here is "the devil."  Satan is the author of the lie and he loves confusion.  Confusion opposes the order and unity that Christ is working to achieve.  Whenever we allow the enemy to stand for a moment in our lives, we have given him "a foothold."  What then?  Well, a lot can be accomplished by someone who has a good "foothold."  Since Satan wants confusion, his foothold will immediately begin to work confusion in the body to the destruction of unity.  Some precept or principle will be assaulted by the enemy as he rests his foot long enough in our lives.  We must not give him this inch or he will immediately begin to take a foot:  tearing down a larger truth, hacking away at what is right, making the person break vital commands of God, some larger area of Christian virtue.  That larger area will, no doubt, involve many other beloved saints of God.  Other people's lives will be confused and hurt and damaged when we give Satan a foothold.  The unity of the body is again threatened.

Prayer:  Loving Father, please cause me to be more and more aware of how and when I may be yielding up "ground" to Satan.  Deliver me from his hold over me--for my own well-being and for the family of God!  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, anger that runs uncontrolled is a real problem in our society today.

Question:  Do I understand when anger becomes sin?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:26 (NIV):  "'In your anger do not sin':  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,"

This first half is a quote of Psalm 4:4:  "In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent."  The second half seems to be a paraphrase of the verse in Psalms, a rewording of Paul's.  To me this implies that a sin will occur when you hang onto anger too long.  Anger doesn't seem to be sinful of itself.  Only when it is taken in, absorbed and allowed to fester, does it become "sin."

Anger is usually involving another person.  If we do not resolve things with that other person, we have sinned.  Why?  Because the unity of the body has been damaged if they are of the body, and the influence of our testimony has been damaged if they are not of the body of Christ.

Prayer:  Father, help me to prevent my anger from hurting myself or others--help me to turn it over to You quickly.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, there is a crying need for truthfulness and honesty between people in our world today.

Question:  Do I speak truth to all those near at hand --"neighbors"?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:25 (NIV):  "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body."

The theme in this chapter is the unity of believers.  We've seen how that unity will also be enhanced by the putting off of the old, sinful nature and the putting on of the new, Christ-like nature.  Our unity is made possible by Christ and is perfected by drawing closer to Christ all the time.

Here we see that the new man, the Christ-like nature, is characterized by truth and truthful speaking.  (We saw this also in verse 21).  Now Paul says that because of all these things we as believers "must put off falsehood".  To me, this means more than simply telling the truth when asked.  To me it means living with nothing to hide.  They say that true character is what we are when we're all alone.  What would others see if they could watch us when we're all alone?  Are we hiding anything?  To me, anything that must be hidden is something of "falsehood" and needs to be done away with.  To live before others covering up the way we were when alone is deceitful and a demonstration of insincerety.  Those to whom we relate, our "neighbors", must not be lived with in insincerety or falsehood.  We must be open and honest, truthful and non-secretive to those we have relationship with.  Why?  Because we are "all members of one body."  To lie or live a lie is against the body and its unity:  it works to tear the body apart.

"Speak truthfully" tells us to use our lips correctly, to tell the truth when asked, yes; but to me it also means to admit my own sins and weaknesses humbly, rather than lie to cover them and appear good.

Notice that falsehood needs to be "put off".  Apparently it exists with us naturally and is right there automatically.  We need, however, to put it off.  To put something off means I need to recognize it exists first of all, then agree that it ought to be removed from me, then follow through with that separation.

Prayer:  Father, I long to be a truthful child:  to You and to all others at hand.  Help me by Your Spirit to put away falsehood.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, it is a supreme privilege to be able to "put on" the new self of Christ.

Question:  Have I "put on" the new self which leads to holiness?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:24 (NIV):  "and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Here is the end of the process of the weight of influence of a new attitude upon the life of a believer.  He becomes a "new self."  This stands in complete opposition to the former self, the "old self."  We "put off" one self and "put on" another.  Like wearing a garment, we decide on which one to put on.  It is an act of the will.  It is our choice.  This "new self" is "like God."  Isn't this amazing?!  Now, through Christ, through our acquisition of the "new self" Christ brings, we can actually fulfill the desire Eve had in Eden!  Now we can be like God!  Satan could never deliver this, only God has, "in Christ."  And Christ brings us "true righteousness and holiness", also things Satan could never deliver.  The "new self" is characterized by rightness and holiness, and they will not be a false sham or attempt, they will be "true."  Why?  Because they will be of Christ's power inside of us--God living in us--they will not be our rightnesses or our effort at being holy.  The life of the "new self" is God's life lived through our body--total God-identificatioin, imputed God-life given to us.

Though God imputes His life into us, He never strips us of free will.  Thus Paul's necessary commands:  it's up to us to "put off" and "put on."

Prayer:  Lord, thank You for giving us a new self when we yield up our own, old self.  Help me to truly and fully put on this new life which is true, righteous and holy.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, it is a good thing to be "brain-washed" by Christ and His Word.

Question:  Do I have the new, godly attitude God desires me to have?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:23 (NIV):  "to be made new in the attitude of your minds;"

The putting off of the old nature causes us, or allows us, to discover a "new" attitude of mind.  The passive voice of this verb "to be made" tells us it is done by someone else.  We cannot make our attitude new, or spiritual, by ourselves.  Christ does it.  Christ's presence, by spirit, and the application of His Word to our minds, washes our brain and gives us a new attitude.  We see the spiritual realm.  We can bring our wills into line with this realm thus adjusting our attitude about life, God and what is really true.  This new attitude makes us all new.  We are "new creatures in Christ."

Prayer:  Almighty God, make my attitude new in You.  May my mind be totally influenced by You every day in every way.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, we need to realize the end-result of pursuing "the flesh."

Question:  Do I have, clearly, a "former deceitful way of life" that has been done away with?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:22 (NIV):  "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;"

Among the true teachings which came with Jesus, which are in Jesus, is that "your old self" needs to be "put off."  The sensual way of living must be shunned.  Paul says we must "no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking,"  (verse 17).  Jesus taught us this not only by word, but by the revealing of the truth in Him and through His life.  We saw that He was not sensual; He approached life on a constant spiritual, eternally-oriented level.  So must we.

Why put off the old self?  If flesh exists, why do away with its influence?  Because God has said that the flesh wars against the spirit.  The flesh opposes God's way.  Apparently when Adam and Eve fell, they acquired the nature of flesh that would ever oppose God; they obtained the knowledge of good and evil--spiritual and sensual.  Through Christ only can we have the victory in this war, that is if we want victory over sensuality and carnality.  We have to find out what we want.  In a way we have to learn to want Christ, to hunger for spiritual things.  We have to grow weary and disatisfied with the emptiness of the flesh and its lies.  This takes time.  Processes of learning have to continually go on.  We have to learn first of all that the flesh is always corrupting, dying, and that the life it seems to offer is really a way down into death.  The desires of the flesh are "deceitful."  They call us to do this or that, but the call is a lie, the goal is a lie.  Satan told Eve she'd be like God.  She desired this vey much but it did not come true.

If we can grasp these ideas regarding the lying flesh, we will be quite ready to shun it next time it calls out to us.  We will want to "put off your old self" knowing it only ends in death.  That's all Adam and Eve got, wasn't it?  They lost their glorious immortality--they gained nothing.

As long as we indulge the flesh, it will increasingly corrupt.  The dying process will be aided more and more if we choose to follow carnality.  It will be an ongoing, downward, spiral as the "old self...is being corrupted" day after day.

Prayer:  Holy God, help me put off my "old self" entirely.  Show me plainly, Father, whenever it rears its ugly head and strengthen me to set it aside.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, more people need to remember that Jesus said He was "truth"!

Question:  Have I believed and accepted truth as found in Jesus Christ? 

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:21 (NIV):  "Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus."

Christ was not made known to us on an emotional or sensual level.  He was proclaimed to us spiritually.  We heard of Him through spiritual preaching, we were taught about Him "in accordance with...truth."  The five senses do not always deal with us in accordance with truth.  Sometimes sense-inputs get warped along the way.  The five senses are gateways to the brain.  The brain, or mind, is a very powerful force.  It can take the sensual input and magnify it, twist it, alter it to what we want, what we will it all to be.  Sensuality is really a shroud of lies!  But Christ was brought to us full of truth and we were taught of Him "in accordance with...truth."  Spirituality is based upon and steeped in truth.  Jesus said He was the embodiment of truth.  When Jesus came to us, truth came to us.

Prayer:  Father of Christ, thank You that Your Son is truth!  Help me to embrace Him totally!  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, it is good, and often necessary, to meditate on the difference Christ should be making in our lives.

Question:  Have I "come to know Christ" in this biblical way?

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:20 (NIV):  "You, however, did not come to know Christ that way."

What way?  The way described in the previous verse:  given over to sensuality, indulging every kind of impurity, continually lusting.   

The Ephesian believers never found Christ anywhere along the pathway of physical sensualities, that's for sure.  Christ was learned via spiritual sensitivities; through the heart responding to God's invisible drawing.  God's workings are largely invisible and certainly non-sensual.  If feelings do become a part of our experience with God, that is o.k., but faith functions just fine without feelings.  If feelings (sensualities) are included, it is because God saves the whole person, and the whole person He created has emotion.

Prayer:  Lord, cause me to learn of You in Spirit and in truth, and not through some fleshy experience alone.  Amen. 

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