Barb Wrishko, our good friend and faithful follower of DWOD, raised a very important question after reading yesterday’s revelation: “Patch-It or Hatchet?”

“How do you take a hatchet to the old self?”

Let me take a “stab” at answering this question.

To be more precise, let me share with you all what the Holy Spirit told me when I asked Him the same question. He simply asked: “How do you kill a plant, Jeeva?”

Obviously, He had seen the entry in the Book of Life beside my name: “Notorious for serial horticultural homicide.” Lol!

I knew the answer right away. My most successful strategy for killing plants was to ignore them and starve them. Worked like a charm every time!

I would walk right by the plants and do absolutely nothing. Go away for a few days without arranging someone to care for them. No water. No food. No good!

Our “old self” can only continue to live if we allow it to. When it demands attention with lies, doubts, old patterns of coping with reality, lustful desires, evil thoughts, etc., we simply ignore it.

Giving it our time and attention only encourages the old self to keep on living and keep on growing in stature and size.

Because the truth of the matter is simply this: “What we nourish will flourish. What we famish will vanish.”

What we give attention to will gain life…be it the old self or the new self. What we withdraw attention from will die…be it the old self or the new self.

This is why the apostle Paul follows up the injunction to “put to death the old self” with one to “put on the new self.” (v.10)

I would highly recommend y’all read Colossians 3:1-17 a few times with the plant analogy in mind and you will begin to see those verses in a new light!

So, that’s how you kill the old self, Barb! You ignore the sucker, starve her/him and commit the spiritual equivalent of serial horticultural homicide 🙂

Your thoughts?