Training · Growth Tools
Put Off / Put On
Name three things to put off, what goes in their place, and the truth that answers the lie behind each one
Put Off / Put On is a one page tool for changing something specific. Three things to put off, three to put on, and the truth that answers the lie behind each one.
Work through it with your dinner group.
Why it is built this way
When we step into a relationship with Christ we are made new from the inside out. It begins with being born again and receiving a new heart. It continues through a process scripture calls putting off and putting on.
Colossians 3 teaches it. Verse 5 calls us to “put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature.” Verse 10 says to “put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”
All of us carry destructive actions and lies that should be put off and replaced with goodness and truth.
Part of how that happens is the transformation of our minds. Romans 12:2 says it like this: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
So the tool has two halves. The action, and the lie sitting under the action.
How to use it
- Ask God in prayer to reveal the top three things to put off. Actions, emotions, habits, hurts. Write them down with the lie behind each one.
- Write down what God teaches us to put on in place of those actions, and the truth that confronts each lie.
- Review it weekly.
Tie the truth to scripture, not opinion. Then carry those verses into your Experience Plan as memory verses.
An example
The booklet includes a completed sheet. This is that example, not a template. For every person the actions and the lies will be different. Notice two things. Each thing put on counteracts the thing put off, and every truth is a verse.
| Put off | Put on | The lie | The truth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anger | Kindness and gentleness | I have to say what comes to mind. I have to be real with the people around me. | Be slow to speak and quick to listen. James 1:19 |
| Profanity | Language that builds people up | It does not really matter. My words do not affect people. | Your tongue is a powerful tool to destroy or to build up. Ephesians 4:29 |
| Being drunk | Self control | I am not putting myself in danger by being drunk. | Drunkenness leads to destruction in my life. Ephesians 5:18 |
Your turn
What are the top three actions, emotions, habits, or hurts God is asking you to put off?
What is the lie underneath each one?
What goes in its place, and what verse confronts the lie?
TODO(nick): This is a two column worksheet people write on. Do you want the Put Off / Put On PDF
posted so leaders can print it for a group night?