Living Not As Others Live.

Eph 4:17  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind

Yes, I'm still stuck on this verse and the following verses- this passage in Ephesians.

We are NOT to live as others live.

What does that mean exactly?

The other day as I was enjoying my evening relaxing, crocheting, checking on FB, looking at various news sites online and so on and so forth- a typical evening in my life all the while the tv is on and I caught a glimpse of an ad for a new television show coming out this Fall. The name of the show-  Evil.

Instantly I know I don't want to watch it and so I say something to my husband to that affect (he handles the tv schedule - which I gladly let him, with me watching shows he doesn't like (but schedules for me to be recorded) during the day as I can fit it in my schedule.) I know TMI, get to the point. I say something to him about not wanting to watch that new series and to keep it in mind as he's recording things for us to watch together. Of course he asks why I don't want to watch it, and I reply it's not something I want to see, even from its name, I have enough evil in my life.  And he's taken aback just a bit and asks, you have evil in your life? And I answer, yes, it's all around me all the time, it's a fight, constantly.  He gives me a look that is clearly skeptical but shrugs it off and most likely chalks it up to my many eccentricities.  Now, for all I know it could be a silly drama like so many are- a crime show or something where evil is being fought against and defeated over and over. Yet, I really don't want to watch it no matter what it's about- stupid of me? Maybe, but it just goes against something inside me because purposefully watching something called Evil just seems wrong, it seems evil.

What is my point to telling you all that? Walking in the vanity of our minds, in the moral decaying nothingness of our minds isn't something I want to do. I want to walk with a renewed spirit in my mind. I do NOT want to accept the commonly accepted evils of my day and age. I do NOT want to embrace my own past evils and tout their acceptableness now, when they weren't acceptable before and shouldn't be now. I have not lived a life walking in a Spirit renewed mind, but quite often I've embraced the 'times' we live in and gone along with the moral decay. I'm guilty and only by the grace of God can I be forgiven for my past evil. Believe me, I've sought forgiveness and keep seeking forgiveness for my far from stellar walk in life.

There are so many movies and tv shows out there that glorify the evil in the world. I find myself questioning my own self when there I sit rooting for the bad guys to outwit the good guys, simply because the show has twisted things around so that our sympathies lie with the bad guys. A recent show we watched called The Americans- was about Russian spies back in the 80's I believe, infiltrating America to get information for Russia. Notice, I didn't say it was a show about the American government rooting out Russian spies. The focus was on the spies and their lives and how hard it was to be spies with a family etc. etc. it made you sympathize with the 'bad guys'.   That is only one show out of a lot of them out there doing the same thing. I remember remarking to my husband that I feel so conflicted watching this show. They are Russian spies, we are not supposed to like them and want them to get the upper hand on our government.  We should be wanting our FBI agents to capture them and stop them.

The way Satan works is through deception, lying and twisting things so that we do call evil good and then turn around and call good evil.  Satan wants us to embrace moral decay as often as possible. Satan wants to keep us from walking in a Spirit led renewed mind.

Eph 4:17  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind

Eph 4:18  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart

I don't want my understanding darkened. I don't want to be alienated from the life of God through my ignorance, through a blindness in my heart. I do NOT want to live in the vanity of my mind!

Eph 4:19  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 

I don't want to be past feeling. I don't want to give myself over to the self-centered lusts of my life. I don't want to live a life of greediness, always seeking self-centered ways.

Eph 4:20  But ye have not so learned Christ; 

Christ lived a life of example for us, and His life was one of self-sacrifice.

Eph 4:21  If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus

I  want to be TAUGHT by Jesus, taught the truth in Him.

Eph 4:22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts

I want my old self gone! My old corrupted deceitful lusting self-centered self- I want it gone!

Eph 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind

I want the spirit of my mind RENEWED!

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 

I want to be a new person created in God's likeness, in His righteousness and His holiness. I do not want to live with the chaos of the vanity in my mind.

Eph 4:25  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 

I don't want to lie! I want to speak truth with everyone.

Eph 4:26  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath

I want my anger to be only the anger that is righteous indignation, not the anger of self-denied gratifications of any sort! I do not want the sun to set while I'm filled with wrath, harboring an anger that only hurts and is not of God.

Eph 4:27  Neither give place to the devil. 

I DO NOT WANT TO GIVE PLACE TO THE DEVIL! I don't want to give him access to me in any way! I do not want to say one tiny pinprick of evil is okay, not one tiny bit!

Eph 4:28  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 

I want to work the work I am called to and live the way God would have me live, giving to others as He directs me. Never, ever stealing.

Eph 4:29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

This is a hard one because it is so easy to speak things that are not edifying, things that minister no grace at all.  Please, Lord, please keep the door to my lips and control my tongue, help me to speak things that do minister grace to those that listen to me.

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 

I do not ever want to grieve the Holy Spirit of God! Not ever! I long to be sealed as Christ by the Holy Spirit of God until the day of redemption! Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Eph 4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice

Please, oh, please my Lord, my God, please… let any bitterness in me, any wrath, any anger, any clamoring, any evil speaking be put away from me, and no malice be found in me at all. PLEASE, this is my prayer, this is my hope to live with a Spirit renewed mind and not with my vain, moral decayed self.

Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. 

Help me to be kind to all, tenderhearted to all, forgiving to all--- because God, for the sake of Christ Jesus forgives me!!! Please…. Please….

Thank you.