You may have
heard the phrase “dying to oneself”. And
you may have a pretty good grasp on what it means. I believe this concept is one of the most
vital disciplines in a Christian’s life and perhaps one that is least
exercised.
In simple
terms, dying to self is surrendering to the will of God. It is allowing God to control and guide our
decisions. However, I believe it goes
deeper than this to cover every aspect of our being. Our thoughts, feelings, actions and attitudes
should all be under the reign of the Holy Spirit. In effect, all the things that “self” is
comprised of in our being should yield to the lordship of Christ.
The act of
dying to self is as simple as asking the Holy Spirit to invade one’s life. I like to think of my heart as having a
throne. The throne represents the seat,
or ruling place, of all that I am. In
the natural man, self occupies the throne. By requesting the Holy Spirit to sit upon the heart’s throne, the act of
dying to self is commenced and we become Spirit-filled. However, it is paramount to realize that the
Holy Spirit will not take a seat on the throne unless He is given
permission.
Once the Holy
Spirit is on the throne, He is able to influence our thoughts. When the Holy Spirit is reigning in our
lives, the still small voice and gentle whisper of God becomes clearer. First, we must recognize God’s voice and
then, we can be obedient to His voice. Distinguishing God’s voice from among all the chatter of the world takes
practice. However, it is much easier to
obey when we know it is God talking.
Dying to self
is to become more Christ-like. By
allowing the Holy Spirit to reign in our hearts, He is able to transform and
conform us to be more like Christ. The
way we think, act, talk and feel will reflect more of what God wants us to
be. Being changed on the inside is truly
an act of the Holy Spirit. Our
willingness to submit to the process is vital in making this happen.
Perhaps the
least understood aspect of dying to self is that it is to be a daily
occurrence. It is not a one-time
act. Try as we might, self will crawl
back upon the throne of the heart. We
have to die to self each and every day. This is the essence of Luke 9:23 (NTL), which says, “ Then he said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants
to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your
cross daily, and follow me.’” While
dying to self becomes easier with continued practice, I’m not sure we will ever
escape the daily execution.
Dying to self
is also an act of love. Jesus’ words in
John 15:13 (NTL) read, “And here is how to measure it -- the greatest love is
shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.” This verse can be understood as laying down
one’s physical life for the benefit of others.
However, I offer that it can also mean dying to self in order to show
our love to God Almighty. There is no
greater demonstration of our love of Jesus, than to die to self and welcome His
Lordship.
Today, let us practice
the “daily death”. Give the Holy Spirit
permission to reign in our hearts. Listen to and obey the voice of God. Allow the Spirit to transform us. In doing so, we will demonstrate our love for God.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to
give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind he
will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to
ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs
of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way
you think. Then you will know what God
wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will
really is.”
Ro. 12:1-2 (NLT)