Ephesians 4:17-32. Remember, this is written to believers within the church of Ephesus. It could just as well be addressed to us. We must not live as we used to live. There should be a difference in our lives now that we have become believers. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit has the power to change our human tendencies. The transformation should be real and discernible. Also, we shouldn't judge those living in the same way we used to. Darkness doesn't know any better. Darkness is just being darkness. But we should be examples of what can happen by the power of God-our faith, building a testimony. It's a miracle that our Savior has provided us the Way to heaven, but that isn't the end of the story. He wants to see His image reflected in our lives and impact the world around us. The impossible can be possible through Him. And we have to be honest about this process that doesn't happen overnight. There is still a place for forgiveness. That must mean we continue to do things that need forgiven! We need to truly understand and practice forgiveness. It is good for us. So, when we get angry, or whatever other thing that might lead to bad decisions, we need to take care of it quickly and not let the devil get his foot in the door to destroy our fellowship with the Lord or each other. The defense includes stopping doing certain things (or fleeing) and starting (or pursuing) to do the things that please the Lord. We should notice a difference in our words. We now have the ability to build each other up instead of tear each other down. We have a chance to live out the word of God. That is how we avoid grieving the Holy Spirit. One of the main jobs of the Holy Spirit is to point to or illuminate Christ. Oh, how we should hope he proudly points out Christ as evident in our lives.
We need to be strong in living a different life than before we were saved. We should be strong in Godly thoughts, words, and actions. We should be strong in forgiveness.
