IT'S NOT WORTH IT: DIE TO SELF

Hello my beloved brethren, I welcome you in the name of the Lord to the month of April. I hope you are increasing in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? I will like to admonish you on what I titled “DIE TO SELF.”

The concept of dying to self is found throughout the Bible. It expresses the essence of Christian life. Dying to self is something that Christians find very hard to do, especially in the world where there is pressure in all sides to replace the love of God for something lesser. Essentially, the Christian life is an ongoing process of dying to self and living for Christ, seeking His will and kingdom and righteousness, rather than our own.

To die to self means in every moment of life to say “NO” to self and to say “YES” to God. To die to self means to “dethrone” self and “enthrone” God. As a believer you must submit yourself and your will to the will of God, because the spiritual growth and maturity of the child of God is solely dependent on how much extent you are ready to submit to God’s will by dying to self.

Luke 9;23-24 says, “And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” If anyone is to follow Jesus, he or she must do three (3) things; deny himself; he must take up his cross daily and must follow Him. The cross Jesus was speaking about was the cross each one of us would have to carry on our own shoulders. Jesus died for sinners by taking up His own cross but when we take up our own cross it means that we must die to ourselves, which means that we must put God the Father’s will ahead of our own, Just as Jesus did and prayed, “nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”(Luke 22:42b). Mind you there is never going to be taking up of any cross except firstly there be a denial of self. Taking your attention away from yourself and setting it totally on God.

Believers today crave for so great a change in their lives but partly holding on to God but refusing to die to self. If a tree must emerge, a seed must die. There has never been a tree with fruits without a seed that first died. God understood this principle of greatness that to attain the redemption process there must be a dying. Hence John 12:24 says, “Verily verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” Take a look carefully at the above rendering, “…but if it die.” It then means that dying is essential for the resurrection of a new life and of fruit production. It also means dying is a choice. It is a choice that has to be made by a Christian if only he will see newness and fruit in his or her life. Not until we die the death of self, we can never see the fullness of God’s manifestation in our lives.

The apostle Paul lived in this manner, in Galatians 2:20 (NIV), “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” He is a good example of the attitude the Christian must have towards self. You must lose yourself and your will in Christ.

I will like you to understand that dying to yourself is never portrayed in scriptures as something optional in the Christian life. It is the reality of the new birth; no one comes to Christ unless he is willing to see his old life crucified with Christ and begin to live anew in obedience to Him. Jesus described lukewarm followers who try to live partly in the old life and partly in the new as those whom He will spit out of his mouth (Revelations 3:15-16). That lukewarm condition characterized the Church at Laodicea as well as many churches today. Being lukewarm is a symptom of unwillingness to die to yourself and live for Christ. Death to self is not an option for Christians; it is a choice that leads to eternal life.

The main reason there is great shortfall of obedience to God in Christendom is because of our unwillingness to die to ourselves. Take a close look at James 1:22 which says, “But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Not doing the word of God is a great deception of self which is a result of your unwillingness to die to yourself. He or she is not doing the word of God, not because he can’t but because he is still considering himself instead of considering God.

Most of what we are going through today as Christians is not because of the devil, but 90% of it is our indecision to die to self.

HOW DO I DIE TO SELF? 

I will like you to know that there are two entities trying to limit you. 

1. The devil
2. Your flesh

In Colossians 2:15 the Bible says, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Also in 1st John 3:8b , scriptures says, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” I will like you to know that the devil and his work is not an issue to a believer anymore because he (the devil) has been defeated. But there is a fight between the flesh and the Spirit (Galatians 5:17). To walk in the flesh(self) is death but to walk in the spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6). To victoriously die to self we must consciously and deliberately decide to walk in the spirit and you will no longer fulfill the lust of self (flesh). Walking in the spirit is actually walking in your newly found life in the word of God through the renewing of your mind and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. As you give yourself (the inner man) in obedience to the word of God, you will discover that the flesh (self) starts dying.

I urge you brethren, a fulfilled life lived is not one lived to gratify yourself but God. Turn your attention away from yourself and turn it to God and His will. The way “UP” is “DOWN”. Die to self and see God arise in you.

May God bless you. See you next month.