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Dying Daily, A Life-giving Process
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Posted by: Barrett
(This is an article I wrote a little while ago and just wanted to share it here. I hope it blesses everyone who reads it.)
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)
We have been made alive by His Spirit, yet we’ve been paralyzed. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead has likewise raised us from spiritual death, but after we were reborn we just laid there! It’s time to get up! You weren’t born again just to waste away. God has a purpose for you. Stand up in His Spirit and start walking in it! God is not immobile! He does not like inactivity! He is not returning for a bride who cannot stand. The Holy Spirit is not meant to act merely as life support for us while we yet remain on this earth. Having been empowered with the Spirit of God, let us not only live, but begin to walk in the Spirit.
The verse previous to the one quoted above states simply this: “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” (verse 24) You see, to live in God’s kingdom, you must die.
Say what? How does that make sense? Listen carefully. We are spiritual beings
who are temporarily being stored in an earthly body. That earthly body is resistant to God and what He wants for you, therefore it urges you to do things that grieve God’s Spirit. So, knowing this, we must crucify our flesh and deny ourselves, putting aside our fleshly affections and lusts. In so doing, your spirit lives as the Holy Spirit takes up residence in you. Hence, to live, you must die.
Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:31: “I die daily.” Now, it is quite possible to have an intellectual understanding of this, but once you get the revelation you’ll see it in quite a different light. It is one thing to understand and agree that this is necessary, it is quite another matter to actually engage in the process. I no longer take this instruction so lightly.
Recently I put a standard upon myself that if I am not broken every day I have failed the Lord and failed myself. My logic in this is that when you are broken, God can build you back up the way you were originally intended to be. Therefore, if I have gone one day without breaking, I have not grown more Christ-like and thus failed for that day. As I began to practice this standard and seek brokenness every day, the Lord revealed to me that this is what it means to die daily. It was this that Paul referred to in his statement above.
Through this process of humility before the Lord, my heart is broken because of the sins I have borne against Him. This causes the subsequent death of your carnal nature as you deny your own will and pleasures and surrender your life unto the Lord. When I began to do this regularly I noticed a profound change in my character. A fresh love and joy filled my soul and I had a whole new appreciation for people. I could actually feel Jesus living in me and through me. A true vessel of God. One of my friends even commented to me that I’d changed a lot recently.
Now, being human, there have been days where I failed to die completely to myself and submit wholly to the Lord. On these days I also noticed a profound difference in my character. A negative difference. The old self had risen again and taken charge of my spirit. (This is always a devastating state to be in.) I was frustrated with others and frustrated with myself. On days like this I’d usually go to bed in a foul mood which is not a wise thing to do, never let the sun set on your anger. Following a day such as this one, however, my brokenness is usually quite extensive as I repent for all the sin and carnality I walked in the previous day.
The more you practice this standard, the easier it gets. Dying daily is not a fun process, but it is absolutely crucial to living a Holy life and it brings about a refreshing purity never before experienced which actually becomes quite addicting. Without doing this you cannot possibly be an adequate ambassador for the King of kings. Christ is worthy of far more than we have given Him. Let us, therefore, make a covenant with Him that we will daily die to ourselves and commit to live according to His will, walking in His Spirit. For when we do not die daily, we lay stagnant in His Spirit which causes Him much grief. We are a people made to walk and be active in His kingdom. Do not grieve Him any longer and hold back His blessings for you. Die today, that He may live in you!
Posted by: JesusFreakCK
Barrett you really have a gift with words. This is truly some food for thought. I think it is something that people read and don't take seriously. So thank you for the food for thought. I pray the Lord continues to show you things to share and teach other people, and continues to use you in the many ways that he already does and will continue to use you for even more! Your Awesome! Take care and God Bless.
~Christina
Posted by: Lorica Lass
Something to think about and pray about alright.