Get Your Pretense On!

90 • Get Your Pretense On!

old self with its deceit and falsehoods. That is the first step to forming a biblical, Christ-centered identity.

Step Two Disciple the Eagle in God’s Design for Eaglehood : Be Renewed in the Spirit of Your Mind

. . . and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds . . .

~ Ephesians 4.23

Forging identity demands, first of all, the putting off of the old self (identity), which includes monitoring our inner conversation and assumptions evaluated by the truth we have learned in Christ. Paul declares that the next important step is to “be renewed in the spirit of our minds,” i.e., affirming courageously and enthusiastically God’s declaration of who we are and what we possess as a result of our faith in Christ as our Lord and Savior. Actually, the putting off of the old self demands this constant, unbroken reprogramming of our minds through the Word of God ( the renewal in the spirit of our minds , v. 23). What is the nature of this renewal “in the spirit of our minds?” To begin with, this renewal involves a dual emphasis and activity. On the one hand, we must monitor our inner assumptions and judgments , the ongoing stream of thoughts that we tell ourselves throughout the day. And with this, we must also begin to test and weigh these assumptions over against what we know and believe as the truth in Christ in the Scriptures. This two-fold activity (becoming aware of our self-talk, and constantly weighing it according to what God’s Word declares) represents the core of what it means to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. This continuous effort of monitoring and interpreting is key to forging a new identity in Christ. At the core of this effort is our commitment to the truth, which must be continuously affirmed,