Day 2 – Put Off the Old, Put On the New | Reconditioned: Think on Things Above

Colossians 3:9-10 (NIV) “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he shifts from how we should think to how we should live. 

A renewed mind must produce a renewed lifestyle. We cannot wear yesterday’s attitudes and expect tomorrow’s anointing to flow freely. 

What does this mean? The same way we change garments daily, our inner life must also be refreshed daily…truth be told sometimes several times a day.

Zacchaeus in Luke 19 shows this transformation in motion. 

He was a chief tax collector. He was wealthy, he was influential. But amidst all of that, Zacchaeus  was spiritually empty. 

His name means pure, yet his reputation was anything but pure. Still, something in him longed for more. 

The Bible says, in Luke 19:3-4 NIV, “He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not, so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him”.

That climb represented a shift in mindset. Prideful men didn’t run or climb trees in public, but Zacchaeus didn’t care how it looked. He was ready for change. 

Can we look at our lives right now and truthfully identify areas where we need to do things differently?

The moment Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” And everything changed from there.

When the presence of Christ fills our space, the old self begins to lose its grip. 

Zacchaeus didn’t need a sermon on integrity, conviction was born in his heart because of encounter. He stood up and declared, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody, I will pay back four times the amount.” 

That is renewal in action; not just emotion, but evidence.

Putting off the old self isn’t only about avoiding sin; it’s about shedding mindsets that no longer match your redeemed identity. 

Fear, pride, comparison, resentment are garments that don’t fit the new creation. The Holy Spirit doesn’t recycle our past; He replaces it with purpose.

Paul said in Ephesians 4:22-24 (NLT): “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God — truly righteous and holy.”

Notice the order, because the order matters: throw off before you put on. You can’t clothe your spirit in righteousness while still wearing the residue of regret. 

Many of us struggle spiritually because we’re layering, that is: mixing old patterns with new promises. But God wants us dressed entirely in truth, grace, and faith.

When Zacchaeus stood before Jesus, the crowd whispered about his past, but he spoke from his present. That’s what renewal does: it silences old labels. The same people who once called him a thief now had to witness his generosity.

Maybe today you’ve been defined by what you used to be — the mistake, the temper, the season you regret. 

There is good news. The moment Christ calls your name, my name, He calls us forward. Our new nature is not a theory; it’s a testimony. The past loses its authority when we walk in who we have become. I am glad about that!

To put off the old means we no longer feed the thoughts that fueled it. When self-doubt whispers, “You’ll never change,” answer with 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV): “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

That’s not poetic, it’s positional. 

We are no longer what or who we were. God’s renewal is not surface-level; it’s structural. He doesn’t repaint the walls of our heart; He rebuilds them with truth.

Let’s for a minute imagine, let’s make this practical. We “put off” the old every time we refuse to speak defeat. We “put on” the new every time we choose forgiveness over bitterness. We “put off” when we stop chasing approval. We “put on” when we rest in God’s acceptance. 

Renewal is not a moment at the altar; it’s a lifestyle of surrender.

Like Zacchaeus, we may have to climb out of comfort to see Jesus clearly and we may have to come down from pride to walk with Him closely. 

Either way, transformation costs something. And that’s why many of us fail sometimes to make that change.

But we ought to know by now that whatever we release, God replaces with something better: peace, purpose, and identity rooted in grace. Hallelujah.

Today, let us listen to hear Christ calling our names the way He called Zacchaeus. 

He’s saying, “Come down from what you used to be. I’m staying with you now.” Glory to God.

Let that truth settle deep within us going forward.

Old habits, old thinking, old reactions — they no longer fit the new you. Dress our mind in the fabric of faith, our heart in compassion, and our walk in humility. 

Guess what? The world may still remember our tree, but heaven celebrates our transformation.

So, step into this day renewed. Let us leave the old garments behind, and wear what grace has tailored for us — a brand-new self, created in the image of Christ.