Die to Self to Live for Christ!

Die to Self to Live for Christ!

        Have you died to yourself to become fully renewed in Christ? If we're being honest a lot of us still hold onto ourselves rather than letting go and letting God take the reigns. We get caught up in living life by our own will that we drown out God. We do this because we don't trust God to give us the life we want, except it's not about that. God isn't going to give you the perfect life because it's not his will. We also need to die to ourselves because we're stuck in the ways that don't honor the Lord. If we're not allowing Christ to live within us we're robbing him of blessing us with his presence. 

         When we die to our flesh we allow spirit to take over us. When we are stuck in the flesh we can't experience God to the full extent. God can't guide us if we're stuck in the flesh. The flesh is the raw part of us, the sinful part, the brokenness, and more. The spirit is full of renewal, Christ, Salvation, redemption,  strength, overcoming, and more. The spirit has so much more for us than the flesh. When we die to our old habits and pick up Christ-like habits in place of it then we become restored. We can't sit in the patterns of following our passions because it's not what Christ has for you. 

        We need to take up our crosses and live as if Christ is a burning fire in our hearts. Have you taken up your cross? Have you died to give yourself a new life? Or are you still struggling that Christ took the cross to redeem you, have you accepted it? There are many questions we ask ourselves when we think of how we chose to live for Christ but still haven't died to self-nature. Would you deny Christ so that you can live or would you wholeheartedly believe in him and shout his name if it means dying for him? Christ died for you whether you deserved it or not, he knew his children needed to be saved and shown his passionate love. Christ risked God turning his face away from him so that you could know his father and be redeemed by his blood. That alone should be enough for you to want to reach for the Lord. 

         In John 3:30 its says "He must increase, but I must decrease." This verse to me means that we must silence ourselves entirely to hear Christ and live in his presence. If our minds are distracted, our lives are not set down, then we can't hear God's booming whispers. When we place our feet on the rock(Christ) we will not be swept over by the evils of the world. If Christ is the solid rock in which you stand then you will never be shaken. When all else in the world has gone wrong, God will never forsake you. So we need to trust in the Lord more than the desires in our world. We are designed to long for Christ and thirst for our flesh to be broken to become one with him. When we become one with Christ we are unbreakable, unstoppable, and unchanging like Christ is. 

          When we have God in our hearts we have a powerful fire in us. We passionately live in the ways of the Lord and the fruits of the spirit. Our desires fade because we realize that God's desires are greater and more fulfilling. We die to ourselves because we want to live a life that's not full of shame, bitterness, unforgiveness, hatred, pride, selfishness, and more. We have all these things inside of us that distract for God but we need to let it all go and take him in. Let Christ be the reason you wake up and live life. If you have no inspiration to get up then nothing will motivate you to make it through the day. When we allow Christ to be the reason we live, he becomes the reason to shout his name on the rooftops. He becomes the reason we keep going forward and keep walking towards the light. He becomes the reason we want to dive into his words. 

        We focus on ourselves by natural human fallen nature. I don't think its wrong to focus on yourself but when we focus on ourselves more than we do Christ that's the problem. We allow ourselves to be the focus because we want to improve ourselves. Well wanting to improve yourself is fine as long as it goes along with Christ-likeness. Like fixing the pieces of you that have fallen away from Christ and giving them to Christ is great. Fixing yourself to fit into the world's standards is not great. Improving yourself in Christ is laying down your old ways to open your heart to the ways of the Lord. Breaking the walls that trap you in your own sinful habits, and releasing the habits. 

          It's not easy to give all you are and all you thought you were to Christ, so he can piece together a Godly version of you. It's not easy but it is so worth it. It's such a more purposeful way to live. We need to live in the purpose of Glorifying God even in the tragedies he cleanses us with. The bible talks all about those who didn't obey God and God let them know he was in control not them. Although God hates when we step away from him, he's still there to open his arms back up to us when we chose to come back. God gives you a choice to follow him, he's still there no matter what but you won't know it until you reach out and cry out to him. God wants us to live a life of surrender, we need to embrace that he's in control and knows what he's doing. 

          God wants you to know that even though we mess up he still loves us like he did when we were made by him. In scripture, it talks about how powerful following Christ. keep pressing into his word. Keep praying the prayer of surrender and letting go. Don't give up on yourself, take in what Christ says about you. Keep asking God what is still needing to change in you to full seek him. Give yourself Grace because God gives you grace! Keep putting hope in the Lord that your desires be heard but if it's not his will God leads you away from them. Find Godly people to rejoice in the Lord with. People that are open to living for Christ!