Overturn Every Reasoning That Is Against the Knowledge of God! - "BE MADE NEW IN YOUR DOMINANT ATTITUDE

Is it possible to change our basic inclinations or who we really are inside?  God's Word answers: "You should continue to be made new in your dominant attitude, and should put on the new personality that was created according to God's will in true righteousness and loyalty." (Ephesians 4:23, 24)  Yes, it is possible to change what we are inside,but it is not easy to do.  We need to do more than just suppress wrong desires and actions.  We need to change our "dominant attitude."  That involves changing our desires, our tendencies, and our motivations.  This requires continuous action.

 Let us consider the example of a brother who had a violent background. After he stopped drinking and fighting, he qualified for baptism, giving wonderful witness in the small community where he lived. But one evening, shortly after his baptism, he faced an unexpected test. A drunk man came to his home  and challenged him to a fight.  Initially our brother resisted his urge to fight.  But when the man eventually blasphemed Jehovah's name, it was too much for our new brother. He went out and beat up the man. What was the problem?  Although is study of the Bible had helped him to suppress his violent tendencies, he had not yet been able to change his dominant mental attitude. In other words, he had not changed who he really was inside.

However, this brother did not give up. (Proverbs 24:16) With the help of the elders, he continued to make good progress. He eventually qualified to be an elder.  Then one evening, right outside of the Kingdom Hall, he came face-to-face with a challenge similar to the one he had confronted years earlier. A drunk man was about to beat up one of the elders.  What did our brother do?  In a calm, humble manner, he reasoned with the drunk man, eased the tension, and helped the staggering man to get home. What had happened?  Our brother had changed his dominant attitude. Deep within, he had been transformed into a peaceable, humble person-all to Jehovah's praise!

These changes do not take place overnight, nor do they occur automatically. We may need to exert "earnest effort" over a period of years.  (2 Peter 1:5)  It is not as if being "in the truth" for a certain length of time were enough.  We need to do our utmost to change our inner self.  A number of basic steps will help us to make this change.  Let us examine some of these.

Next time: Overturn Every Reasoning That Is Against the Knowledge of God! - HOW TO CHANGE OUR DOMINANT MENTAL ATTITUDE

From the jw.org publications