Dying To Self

 

Hello lovelies.

I know that I haven't blogged in a while and I guess you can can say, 'I was taking a breather'. Pressing the pause button, yet realizing that life can't be put on hold forever... At some point we have to push play and get going again. 

With all the changes that's occurred over the past year, I feel like I've stagnated a bit. I stayed put. I haven't been consistent in taking complete inventory of my heart, soul and mind. And I found myself guilty of not doing those regular check-ups. But the past few weeks have pushed me to re-evaluate my progress and I noticed that necessary changes are still needed. I can't continue making excuses and delaying things as a result of change of circumstances, because then, I am wasting valuable time, resources and missing the point if I want to grow... And I want to grow! 

The past year has kinda felt like things were slowly being undone, for me personally. But instead of wallowing in mediocrity or self-pity, it's time to move away from such stagnancy. For I now see the purpose of 'death to self' - death to my will, my way, pride and the flesh. In plain English, 'death to self' is a continuous act of denying yourself completely and taking up your cross. So you die to your sinful nature, the carnal-self, prideful-self, stubborn-self etc. Thus, you consider others more important than yourself as you submit to God and His will. And that's the path I'm on. 

When I speak of 'self', please note that I'm speaking of the flesh which is godless human nature. Things which we do that aren't pleasing to our Father, such as getting offended easily, holding onto anger, giving in into temptations and being selfish. A good example of this is in the Bible in 2 Timothy 3:2-4 (Amp). And it states, "For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane. [They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good. [They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God". 

What a mouthful! 

I look at this scripture and it's basically sums up what we witness daily in society. Without realizing it, people aren't grasping the fact that our thoughts and actions matter. They count for something, and they either glorify God or the devil. With that said, we need to be mindful of the things we put into our bodies emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. And we need to follow only that which is good, not evil (3 John 1:11). Remembering that those who do good prove that they are God's children and that those who do evil prove that they do not know God.

And as I comprehended the significance and importance of dying to oneself, I realized that I could no longer permit the following:

~ I couldn't continue to grant the enemy access into my mind and pretend it's acceptable, cause it's not.

~ I couldn't continue to water seeds of fear, doubt, confirmity and impossibilities and then expect favorable results.

~ And I couldn't possess pride as it serves and exalts "self" and separates me from God.

I found Galatians 2:20 in the Bible and the scripture paints a perfect picture of what it means when I say that I die to self, that "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".

So how do I 'die to self'?

Death to self should be progressive and continuous. EVERY SINGLE DAY make a conscious decision to deny onelf and take up one's cross. Romans 12:1 says that we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service and worship to Him. I personally want to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and perceive things in the spiritual dimension, at a deeper level. I don't want to be worldly-minded so, I am mindful of what I watch and listen to. I do this because I don't want to dilute my life with false teachings or half truths. And I make a decision to be more committed and willing to making sacrifices God asks of me, and keep my mind renewed (Romans 12:2). Therefore, thoughts not lined up with His, are taken captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). And I choose to focus on what's true and not lies, I choose honor instead of dishonor, I choose to do what right instead of what's wrong, I uphold purity and not impurity, I focus on what's lovely instead of the ugly etc. (Phillipians 4:8). In essence I am learning to abide by John 3:30 too which states that "He must increase, but I must decrease". And it is in my weakness that that His power is made perfect. 

A few helpful tips I use come from Guillermo Maldonado's book titled, Death to Self, the Path to Change and the Power of God:

    1. It's not about our will but God's will being done. Seek God's will even if it doesn't match your preferences. So we die to the things we want.  

    2.Always check your motives. 

    3.Submit to God. 

    4.Don't be easily offended. Offense keeps and holds us captive if we don't forgive offenders. Forgive more and forgive others quickly. 

    5.Not swayed by your emotions. 

    6.Stay under His authority. 

    7.Don't be defensive when criticized. Let God be your Defender.

I pray this helps you dear friends as you become less like the world and more like Jesus. Let God's Word take root and bear fruit in your life. And rest assured that your days have already been written in His book and when you go through a rough patch, don't stop on that page. Stay the course. Keep going! 

- Mel