The Trap—Our Sinful Nature

Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Ephesians 4:22-23 NLT

I love this scripture. It helps me realize that I need to shake off my former attitudes about so many things: Eating and exercising, spending and managing money, foul language, offensive jokes, all those uncontrolled behaviours that are really a deceptive way of living, a corrupted way of living. It is hard because that’s what my nature wants me to do; it is what I “know” best, how I spent many years of my life, and what I feel most comfortable doing. But it is not what God intended for me and is truly not the most effective and glorious way to live.

It often seems more natural and easier to live this former way, but it will make our lives more difficult and painful in reality. If I don’t eat right and exercise, I don’t feel good and will be in much pain and disease as I age. If I don’t manage money well, I will be burdened with the stress of worrying about how I will survive.

Escaping our Sinful Nature

Our sinful nature is such a trap! We must escape to live our best lives. The only way to get free is to receive the rescue Christ provided for us on the cross. His sacrifice opened the door for us to put on our new nature and ask the Holy Spirit to renew our minds. The Holy Spirit only came after Christ’s death.

“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. (John 16:5-7 NLT)

If Jesus had not sacrificed Himself to release the Holy Spirit, we would have no ability to free ourselves from our sinful nature. Let’s not waste this amazing opportunity God has given us by sacrificing His son!

Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. (Ephesians 4:17-18 NLT)

As I read over Ephesians 4 today to write my blog post, these verses jumped out for me. I’ve found it to be so true that when I lose sight of the Holy Spirit and start falling into my sinful nature patterns, I feel confused and lost. Even though acting according to my sinful nature is more familiar to me and easy to slip into mentally, it feels darker and more confusing compared to my mental state when I’m operating within God’s will for my life. A heaviness is lifted; it’s as if there’s a dark heavy blanket covering me, but when I allow the Holy Spirit to lead, the darkness and heaviness are removed from me.

Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice, which brings light and truth to my life.  Thank you for conquering darkness and defeating the enemy of our souls.  Help us to truly grab hold of the lives You died to give us.