Prison Clothes - How do I take them off?!

As happens so often, several of us were talking after class about today's lesson. Amy asked the question that came to her while we were talking about dining at the King's table with prison clothes on (2 Kings 25:27-30). How do I put off these prison garments?

The word of God tells us in Isaiah 61:10a "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness." So as a child of God those prison clothes have been exchanged for salvation and righteousness. Yet our mindset (which controls our behavior) is that we have these prison garments on.

It is a issue of the mind - we have to walk in the truth of God's word, which tells us we have a new set of clothes. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ." Additionally, Ephesians 4:22-24 22 tells us, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." In other words, we must exchange this constant accusation from Satan (see Revelation 12:10) for the truth of God - we have a set of new clothes - the very righteousness of Christ.

Zechariah 3:1-5 gives us a great picture of how this looks in the spiritual realm.

"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?" Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you." Then I said, "Put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by. "