I was able to pet a python this past week. It was exciting. A lady in the group thought it felt like a handbag but I wouldn’t go that far. It felt more like a fabric made of very soft nails. Anyhow, I learned that in order to allow continual growth, snakes need to shed their skins regularly. This got me thinking. Should we shed our spiritual skin in order to ensure continual spiritual growth?

This analogy might sound really weird. Nobody wants to be called a snake, right? But if you take a minute, you might find some very much needed truth in here. You might be called into renewal through repentance. You might be encouraged to seek spiritual growth with a renewed purpose.

You see, a snake will never stop shedding its skin until death. Shouldn’t we then keep shedding our spiritual skin or die? And what could that mean? How could you shed your spiritual skin? The letter to Ephesians answers this way:

Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; ²³ And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], ²⁴ And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph. 4:22-24, AMP,*)

We need to shed the old spiritual skin and put on the new skin created in God’s image. Not only once in a lifetime but daily. We need to be constantly renewed by the Holy Spirit to become more Christlike and what God created us to be.

Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. (Col.3:9-10, MSG,*)

Did you know that snakes sometimes have trouble shedding their skins? If they live in the wild, it can be fatal. The sheds keep accumulating and the snake is feeling worse and worse. It might even lead to blindness and that usually leads into death. Spiritual blindness leads eventually into death too.

But if the snake lives in captivity, the help is near. The owner can help the pet snake to complete the shedding by soaking or misting the snake. In most cases, problematic sheds are due to a lack of moisture and/or dehydration. It’s the same way with our spiritual shedding too. If we live with God, we can get help to shed our spiritual skin. Living water will do the trick every time.

In order to keep growing we need to keep shedding our spiritual skin. God has new things in store for us. We need to strip ourselves of everything that is not Godlike. Over and over again. And if we have any trouble with shedding, we just need to ask for help. God has amazing spiritual growth planned for all of us. Let’s keep – by God’s grace – shedding our spiritual skin to receive all God has for us in this life and the next.

 

Heavenly Father,
You are so good to us.
You provide everything we need for us
to ensure our spiritual growth.
Help us to accept your help.
Pour out grace upon grace
according to our needs and
your plan for us.
Help us to become all you created us to be.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: Do you resist spiritual growth? What does help you to grow?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you constantly shed your spiritual skin!

* [As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses to Biblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.]

Image courtesy of Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Linking up today with Faith-filled Fridays and Faith Barista.