What does it mean to “Die to Yourself”? This is a question that a dear member of my church family asked me one Sunday morning when she mentioned that this would be a good topic to write about for my Blog, and she was correct! This is an excellent topic because although I had an idea of what it means, I’m not completely sure that I could have put it into words at that time if somebody asked me.
So, I prayed about it a few times over the course of about a week, asking God to give me the answer, but it did not come right away. I did my best to remain patient, although I will admit that I did ask God to speed it along just a little bit, because I really wanted to write about this topic, and then just a couple days ago, He gave it to me.
God showed me the answer to this question as I was scrolling through Facebook one afternoon, and I came across a post that said, “If the bible calls it a sin, your opinion doesn’t matter.” This post caught my eye, but what really caught my attention was the name of the page that shared it and that was, “Women Made for His Glory.” So, I clicked on the page to check it out a little further, and it was there that God showed me the answer that I had prayed about. This is what I read:
Do you know who you are in Christ?
You are forgiven.
You are chosen.
You are whole.
You are redeemed.
You are a new creation.
You are worth more than many sparrows.
You are set free from bondage.
You are God's workmanship.
You are an overcomer.
You are a child of God.
You are an heiress to the Kingdom.
You are wonderfully and fearfully made.
You are written on the palm of His hand.
You are a vessel of honor.
You are a crown of splendor.
You are worth more than rubies.
You are dead to sin.
You are alive in Christ.
You are the salt and the light.
You are a temple of the Holy Spirit and living God.
You are more than a conqueror.
You are healed by His stripes.
You are fearless and powerful.
You are more than your past.
You are more than what you wear.
You are more than who people say you are.
You are HIS.
You are MADE FOR HIS GLORY!
How is this the answer you might ask? Well, I believe that this is the answer because to truly “Die to Yourself”, you must recognize and believe ALL of these things. You ARE whole. You ARE chosen. You ARE more than your past, and if you know God well enough, then you know that He will use your past for a purpose. He will use your past to strengthen you and to give you a deeper understanding of people so that you can connect with them on a more personal level.
I think dying to yourself means letting go of your ego. It means that when people need help, we need to stop saying, “What’s in it for me?”, and just help them, and then give God ALL of the glory.
I think dying to yourself also means seeing yourself through God’s eyes instead of the worlds. He is our Father, our Abba, and He is so proud of you so you should be proud of yourself too. How do I know that He is proud of you? Because I know that He sees us in complete perfection through His Son Jesus Christ. After all, that is why He sent Him to die for us. In other words, God’s word in Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
And in John 3:30, God’s word says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
So, my advice to you dear friends is to increase your opportunities to spend more time with God. Schedule a time in your day that is just for Him. Study His word and seek to understand it through prayer, research, and asking questions. Join a small group, attend worship services, praise Him often, and serve those in your community, in Jesus name, for His glory, not yours. This my friends is how you “die to yourself”, by seeking Him first and trusting in Him more, and by opening yourself up so that He can work through you to meet the needs of others.” We are His vessels, and once we recognize this, then we have truly “died to ourselves.”
Prayer:
Thank You for creating in us a new heart Oh God. Thank You for reminding us that we must “die to ourselves” every single day, due to our own ego, our own self-righteousness, and our pride. Abba Your word in Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Help us to remember this Abba. Help us to increase our opportunities to be with You and to move closer to You so that we can hear You when You speak. And when You speak, help us to be ready to listen and to follow. Help us to model our lives after Jesus and to be ready to do the work that You have set out for us to do. Help us to surrender to Your will so that we can “die to ourselves” daily and serve the community in Your name; without hesitation, without fear, and without our own agendas.
We ask all of these things in Jesus beautiful name,
Amen.