HONOURABLE CONDUCT AMONG THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE

1. "as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
2. BUT AS HE WHO CALLED YOU IS HOLY, YOU ALSO BE HOLY IN ALL YOUR CONDUCT."
   1 Peter 1:14,15 (NKJV)

• The overall character of a Christian is expected to change, when he or she accepted Jesus as his or her Lord and Saviour.

• You should not live as you used to live when you were in ignorance, although the time of ignorance God has overlooked.

"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, BUT NOW COMMANDS ALL MEN EVERYWHERE TO REPENT."
Acts 17:30 (NKJV)

• A lot of believers still live like they used to live as an unbeliever—one cannot see any difference in their lives even after they claimed to have repented, accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

• You have the responsibility to put off your former conduct, your former way of life (Colossians 3:5; Romans 6:13).
• You deal with the old man, your old self, which is corrupted through desires—by lust and deception.

1. "THAT YOU PUT OFF, CONCERNING YOUR FORMER CONDUCT, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
2. and be renewed in the spirit of your mind."
   Ephesians 4:22,23 (NKJV)

• This can be done by being continually renewed in the spirit of your mind—that your thoughts and attitudes be changed by the word of God, through the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:2).
• When you give attention to the Word of God by reading it, studying it, and pondering or meditating on it, your thoughts will begin to change, you begin to see things in God's point of view (James 1:21).
• Renewal of mind is through the knowledge of the Word of God.
  IF a person's thought is changed or transformed, the person of that individual is changed and transformed.
• Thus there is a need to pay attention to the study of the Word regularly (Joshua 1:8).
• Some have said they read the Word of God but they could not comprehend it, they are bored, thus they stop reading it.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to tutor you, that is the essence of His presence on the inside of you as a believer—He was given to us to teach us all things and to remind us whatever we have been taught (John 14:26).

"But the Helper [Comforter], the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, HE WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."
John 14:26 (NKJV)

• In addition, for you to understand the Bible you have to be consistent in the reading of it, the more you read it, the more your understanding opens: read the version that you can understand the English, especially if English language is not your first language.
• Also, pray more in the language of the Spirit, if you have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues—by doing so, you empower your spirit, inward man, and decongest your mind of filthy thoughts (1 Corinthians 14:2,4; Jude 20).

• The onus of changing your former way of life does not lie with anybody else but you.

• You would have to put on the new self, regenerated and renewed nature, created to be like God.

"and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."
Ephesians 4:24 (NKJV)

• Nobody will do it for you.

• Holy Spirit is given to us to help in doing God's will; to help us in obeying God's Word and living our lives to please God (John 14:16,17,26; 16:13).
• Ask Him, the Holy Spirit, He will help you.

1. "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper [Comforter] that He may abide with you forever."
   John 14:16 (NKJV)

2. "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

3. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

4. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
   Romans 8:11-13 (NKJV)

• You should not give occasion to the unbelievers to speak against God through your conduct—your way of life (2 Samuel 12:14; Titus 2:7,8).

1. "HAVING YOUR CONDUCT HONOURABLE AMONG THE GENTILES, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
2. For this is the will of God, THAT BY DOING GOOD YOU MAY PUT TO SILENCE THE IGNORANCE OF FOOLISH MEN."
   1 Peter 2:12,15 (NKJV)

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!