You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

I had to rise very early one morning to catch a flight. There were a lot of important things happening at home and I’d be gone for a whole week. I felt anxious!  My old pattern of coping has been to try to control everything and everyone. But I didn’t want to go back to that; I’d worked hard to move away from this unhealthy way of handling life without Jesus.

And yet, the urge was strong. I knew what I needed to do; I owned up to my weakness and anxiety, and sent a quick text to a friend, asking for prayer.

Her reply was so encouraging: “I’m praying for complete healing for you from that old pattern,” she texted. “Put it off and put on His peaceful robes. Thank you, Lord, that you have all these issues. You know best what is needed. You know how to address old wounds and patterns of protection. Heal us of those behaviors that no longer serve us well and breathe new life and hope so strong that the old, binding thought patterns are destroyed. Replace these with grounded trust and rest in You.”

Do you need to pray that prayer for yourself or someone else today?  Put off your old pattern and put on the peaceful robes of the One who said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27).

 

Resource reading: Galatians 6:1-3