Ephesians 4:20-24: But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, 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. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

It’s simple (by faith) to become a born-again child of God, but it’s very challenging—to say the least—for a Christian to become Christ-like. Whenever Jesus taught the people of His day, He would use physical things and human problems to communicate to people who were carnal thinkers so that they could comprehend His spiritual concepts.

When a woman gives birth to her baby, she realizes the infant is going to act and speak as an infant. It’s the parents’ responsibility to nurture and train that child up in the way that he or she should go. When you look at a new-born baby or an infant, you don’t always know if they’re a girl or boy. It takes time and development for a baby to take on characteristics that distinguish its identity.

If we don’t understand that a Christian has to be renewed in the spirit of their mind in order to be Christ-like, we might have a tendency to judge their actions and say they’re not really saved. Just because a person believes in Jesus for their soul’s salvation doesn’t mean that they have allowed the Word to change their heart.

Spiritual immaturity is manifested in our actions. If we haven’t taken the time to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into the truth, then we will remain carnally minded, and our actions won’t always align with our beliefs. When this occurs, it causes others to question the authenticity of our faith. Paul definitely understood the transformation process as one of being changed from a carnal-minded person into a spiritual-minded disciple of Christ. He had to undergo such a transformation in his own walk and life.

The Bible is our moral compass. It teaches us how we should behave, vote, conduct business, and how to settle disputes within the body of Christ. Therefore, Christians are to show their love for the Lord by keeping His commands. Until the Word of God is revealed to our hearts, it’s possible for a Christian to walk in carnality or in the ways of the world.

If your actions contradict the Word of God and people see the contradictions, then your witness of Christ is made ineffective. In other words, there will be no fruit in your life. Jesus said that we should live in such a way that men will see our good works, therefore, causing them to glorify the Father because they know our works are of Him. Let me challenge you today to realign any area of your new life that doesn’t agree with the Word of God. As a Christian, our conversations are to be holy and not filled with gossip and filth. Jesus asked how sweet water and bitter water can flow from the same fountain. It was in this context that He taught about doing His will, not just being religious, that He spoke about this fountain in us. He doesn’t want us to have a “form” of godliness. He wants us to be clothed in humility and godliness as the children of God. To seek change means that you must first seek God, and He will cause the change you seek to take place.  —submitted by Pastor Asa Dockery, US