“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Over the past several years, the Lord has really been reworking my heart! It has been a slow, deliberate, and often times, painful transformation. The process is not finished nor will it be until I met my Savior face-to-face but God is graciously revealing glimpses of my new heart along the way. This “reconstruction surgery” has not been limited to one area of my life but rather has encompassed my entire person. I am learning that I have never had a “right view” of God.
Now, please understand; I am not saying that I was not exposed to the Truth as I grew up. I am simply saying that my heart was not ready to receive Truth and I continually rebelled against the Lord during most of my youth and early adulthood years. You see, I knew God’s Word, I could answer most Bible questions correctly, I shared the Gospel with others, and I knew there was a God but I did not believe His Word applied directly to my life. I was rebellious, stubborn, and determined to “run my own life.” I did pray but those prayers were self-serving, unrighteous, and usually accompanied situations in which I needed help. And by “help” I mean I had gotten myself into a situation and I was trying to avoid further consequences. My view of God was formulated by my immature, limited rationale and understanding. I did not seek to know God through the pages of His Word.
Several years ago, God drew me to Himself and gave me a passion to study His Word and to get to know who HE says HE is through Scripture. God has been (and continues) teaching me that His Word is absolute! HE is God and I am not! “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer; the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). “I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images” (Isaiah 42:8). My entire life I have tried to be my own god. Praise be to the Most High that HE did not allow me to continue in that bondage of sin. HE rescued me from my sin and myself and reconciled me to Himself through the finished work of Christ on the cross!! Scripture says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
My Friend, God is the Author and Finisher of our faith. HE offers eternal hope, complete freedom, and a new life for all who believe. There is no sin too great for His blood to cleanse, remove, and forgive!! Through Him, we are able to “live no longer for (ourselves), but for Him who died for (us) and rose again” (see 2 Corinthians 5:15). We are able to die to self and live for Christ when we surrender ourselves to Him and apply His Word to our daily lives. Yesterday, one of my mentors handed me a slip of paper that contained a powerful explanation of what it means to biblically die to self. May the Lord create in each of us a desire to die to ourselves and live a life completely surrendered to Him alone!
Dying to Self
When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at nought, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ,
That is dying to self.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence.
That is dying to self.
When you are content with any food, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruptions by the will of God,
That is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation, when you truly love to be unknown,
That is dying to self.
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances,
That is dying to self.
When you can receive correction and reproof from someone of less stature than yourself, and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no resentment or rebellion rising up in your heart,
That is dying to self.
(Author unknown)
