When we allow wrong thoughts into our mind, we might be tempted to excuse them by saying, ‘What harm will it do?’ The truth is, it can do a lot of harm. The Bible says, ‘Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires…put on the new self, created to be like God…Put off falsehood and speak truthfully…Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up…Do not grieve the Holy Spirit…Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you’ (Ephesians 4:22-32 NIV). We might not want to admit we’re still wearing some of those ‘old’ clothes (attitudes, pastimes, and practices), but the truth is, until we ‘take off’ our old attitudes and habits, we can’t ‘put on’ our new, more Christlike ones. It might take us a while to completely put aside our old ways of thinking, but what we can do is refuse to dwell on those thoughts when they come to mind, and instead focus on the Christlike nature that God’s developing in us.
