Just the other day, I was thinking about God and what keeps me from seeking Him more in my life. One word came to my mind: SELF. Self and its priorities can become way too important, even more important than God.
Yep, self (me, myself and I) is the biggest roadblock to allowing God to have His complete freedom in my life. I get in the way. Self is a powerful force in humans. We learn from an early age to get our needs satisfied. As we get older, we learn to control ourselves, fight for ourselves, defend ourselves, take care of ourselves, and protect ourselves.
What would it look like for you to be no longer concerned with your own will and happiness? What would it look like for you NOT to be the center of your own little universe?
I’ve gotta’ admit, it’s in my nature to want things to go my way. How about you? How do you handle the following situations?
- When things don’t go as planned
- When someone says something hurtful to you
- When difficulties and circumstances overwhelm you
- When you get turned down for a promotion
- When you don’t get what you worked so hard to acquire
- When you’re left with a void that shakes you to the core
So, what is our human response on these circumstances? Frankly, when these things happen to me, it bothers me. It rubs me the wrong way. I go over and over them in my head and it can even make me angry! Self has far too much power and we often don’t know what else to do! Thankfully, God gives us a different way to live.
In the Scriptures, Jesus described the “dying to self” process. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24) He then went on to say that “dying to self” is actually a positive, not a negative practice: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25) Our own natural self freaks out at the idea of dying to self. Yet, as we learn to practice this, we literally get to experience the abundant life Christ came to bring. You see, when we die to self we set aside our own wants and desires and instead focus on loving and obeying God and valuing others as more important than ourselves. (Philippians 2:3-4)
Just think...... As you start the year, your greatest life could take place as you give up focusing on you and your own interests. I admit, it goes against our natural tendencies, but God has a different way and He will help you live your best life ever!
“Self is the most treacherous enemy, and the most insinuating deceiver in the world. Of all other vices, it is both the hardest to find out, and the hardest to cure. “ Richard Baxter
“Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him.” Ignatius
“Let God have your life; He can do more with it than you can.” D. L. Moody
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
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