The New Self - Some Dos and Don'ts

Ephesians 4:25-32

• Control your tongue by refusing to lie or speak destructive words (v. 25,29).
  

• Slander: thinking something bad about a person and sharing it with others Psalm 101:5

• Suggested hints: arousing a bad impression about someone Exodus 23:1
  

• Gossip or rumor: spreading the evil news that one has heard or imagined 1 Timothy 5:13; Proverbs 26:20; Proverbs 11:13

• Deception: defrauding oneself and others by accepting bad news as true when the truth is really not known Proverbs 24:28; Acts 20:29-31

• Flattery and exaggeration: excessively praising someone Proverbs 26:28; 1 Thessalonians 2:5-6

• Control your tongue by choosing to be truthful and speak only words that build up others (v. 25,29). Proverbs 16:24; Galatians 5:15; Galatians 6:1-2
• “The church is the only army that shoots its wounded.”

• Control your emotions by refusing to stay angry. John 2:13-17; Mark 3:1-5

• Unjustified anger is selfish and holds others in contempt. Proverbs 21:24
• Justified anger is motivated by righteousness.
• All anger is to be dealt with promptly. Genesis 4:3-8
  

• Deal with your anger so the devil cannot use you for his evil purposes. 1 Peter 5:8-9; Proverbs 16:32; Ecclesiastes 7:9

• Control your greed by earning an honest living and giving generously. Proverbs 30:8-9
• Giving generously is a primary purpose for your material gain. 1 Timothy 6:18
• Stay sensitive to God’s Holy Spirit, rejecting conduct that saddens Him.
• He is the Holy Spirit so anything that is not holy is distasteful to Him.
• He is the Holy Spirit of God so it is God Himself that we sadden.
• He is the one who seals us for the final day of God’s redemption. Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 3:18
• Treat others with kindness, tenderheartedness and forgiveness. 1 Corinthians 13
• Kindness – an unselfish concern for the welfare of others, and a desire to be helpful even at great personal sacrifice 1 Peter 2:2; 1Peter 3:8
• Tenderhearted: a sympathetic, affectionate, and compassionate interest in others, and a willingness to bear their burden. Matthew 18:21ff; Colossians 3:13
• Forgiveness: A readiness to pardon offenses, to overlook personal wrongs against oneself, and to harbor no desire for retaliation