I have a question for you. When you wake up in the morning, do you already have your clothes on you plan to wear that day or do you have to take off your pajamas and put on new clothes? My guess is that 99% of you reading this have to get dressed for the day. You have to dress for success.
The same way this is true naturally, this is also true spiritually. Let me explain. Look at Ephesians 4:
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
The Apostle Paul tells us to take off the old man. This man has sinful habits, lustful thoughts, and thinks in depression and defeat. Taking off the old man is an in intentional action we do just like taking off our pajamas in the morning. Paul goes on to tell us to change how we think and then put on the new man, which was created in righteousness and true holiness. We put on the new man just like we put on new clothes in the morning. It doesn’t just happen. The same way we intentionally put new clothes on, we have to intentionally put on the new man.
I bring this up because many people say, “I don’t feel holy, I don’t feel righteous,” or “I just don’t feel victorious, so I can’t do that. I’d be a hypocrite.” My response to that is, “You also don’t feel like a pair of blue jeans, but you put them on in the morning.” How we feel doesn’t matter, we have to put on that which we possess in order to get dressed! Faith is a choice, not a feeling!
This also brings up another point we all need to understand in order to apply this truth. Once we get saved, we aren’t trying to become anything. The fulness of the kingdom of God moved in us when we give our life to Jesus and according to Colossians 2:10, we are complete in Him. The part of us that is born again is our spirit man. Our born again spirit has been recreated to be just like Jesus and according to 1 Corinthians 6:17 is joined to the Holy Spirit. Our spirit is righteous, it is holy, it has peace, patience, love, kindness, self control, and whole bunch of other great stuff.
Once we knew what we have in the spirit, we are to take that out and put it on the same way we take our clothes out of the drawers and put them on each day. This means we put on righteousness, holiness, love, patience, etc. We do this by reminding ourself of who we are and declaring it over ourselves, and then acting accordingly. We aren’t faking it until we make it, we are putting on our true identity! This is how we dress for success!
I hope this article has both enlightened and encouraged you. If you’d like to learn more, check out this message I recently taught on the subject at Grace Life Church! I really believe it will bless you!
