5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.[b] 7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life.[c] 8 But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive[d] language from your mouth. Colossians 3:5-8 (NRSV)
Since our actions are controlled by our thought patterns, the only way to get rid of these actions is to get rid of the thoughts and ideas. Jesus said that thinking these things is as sinful as doing them. The world bombards us daily with wrong thinking; illicit sex is okay, partying all night is ok, mistreating others for your own good is okay. Not true! We have to change our ways and to accomplish that requires a change of attitude and habits. Those kind of changes only come when we allow God’s Holy Spirit to lead us. We need to practice “right” thinking.
Post 12/06