Gisela Yohannan: Put On The Lord Jesus Christ

By Gisela Yohannan

Jesus knows that in our own strength and with our own wisdom we are no match for the devil, regardless of how educated and experienced we might be. This is why Jesus told His disciples to watch and pray (Matthew 26:41) and to keep on the alert at all times (Luke 21:36).

Paul realized that the moment we drop our guard and make even a tiny compromise, we provide a crack in the door for Satan to come in and wound us. Because of this, Paul warned the believers in Romans 13:14, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” With this verse Paul means that we ourselves are responsible to make no provision, that is, to give no chance and no opportunity for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

The flesh represents my old unsaved nature, which is totally selfish, rebellious, undisciplined and unwilling to obey God. Its lusts are the lures and ways of fulfilling the desires of this nature, which manifests itself in greed, envy, pride, immorality, self-gratification at the expense of others, anger and so on.

Along the way, when you find yourself and your ministry suddenly affected by any of these symptoms, Paul declares that this does not happen to you by chance. According to Romans 13:14, somewhere in the past you gave a little room, a little secret thought to the flesh.

Do you remember when you felt jealous that your co-worker was honored above you by your leader? Do you remember when you pretended you were glad that this other brother got a vehicle and some extra money for his ministry? Do you remember when you allowed pride to take over, and you felt others should have given you more honor and respect for your position? All these were only thoughts and feelings not followed by drastic outward actions, and you entertained them only for a few brief moments or days before you laid them aside. You considered them not important enough to ask forgiveness or to confess them to the Lord to receive His cleansing. However, hell noticed and made a record of it on your wanted poster. These very incidents become the weak spots that give the enemy the opportunity, a few months or years later, to be successful in an attack on you.

Our responsibility to prevent this from happening is twofold:

First of all, we must walk in the light and immediately receive cleansing and forgiveness for even what seem to be insignificant failures and sins.

Second, the Bible instructs us that we must put on the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that I must consciously and deliberately put Him on like clothing, until all of me is covered by all of Him. This is how I will look:

His mind becomes mine and I will think the way He thinks. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5, kjv). . . .
His ears become mine and they hear what the Father speaks. “And the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world” (John 8:26).
His hands, His feet, His mouth will become mine and they will all cooperate to go, to preach and to bring freedom, deliverance and healing to others. “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give” (Matthew 10:7–8). “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation’ ” (Mark 16:15).
His will becomes mine and I desire nothing that He would not want. “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34).
His heart, with His kindness, love and compassion, will become mine. “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
His servanthood will become the way I serve. “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). “It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26–28).
His humility and gentleness will become part of my character. “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

It all starts with my deliberate decision to put on Jesus instead of making room for my flesh to have its own way. The Bible tells us that our flesh must be crucified: “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24).

Never expect this to happen automatically! My flesh does not crucify itself. I must do it. The Holy Spirit will direct and help me—but only as far as I am willing to go. Without crucifying the flesh, there is no way to put on Jesus. It is either one or the other.

If I put on Jesus to cover every part of my being, the devil will not find a single weak point, because now through Jesus my weakness has become my strength (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Remember, as long as you are a hindrance to Satan’s kingdom, you will remain on his “most wanted” list.

Excerpted from Gisela Yohannan, Consider Your Call (Carrollton, TX: gfa books, 1994).

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ