Dying to Self

The Face or Flee post from a few days ago keeps stirring in my mind. The point of it was to center my thoughts around how we as believers can Face our fears or Flee our fears. Over the last few days, as I have let this concept stew in my mind, I realize that this Face or Flee concept can be applied much more abstractly than originally occurred to me. The issues of life require us to daily make choices to face or flee our circumstances. Fear may be one area but dying to self encompasses a much broader area of consideration.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." – Luke 9:23-24

The phrase "take up his cross daily" stood out to me. Over the last few days I've become sensitive to the fact the Lord would have me die to some things. These things have been around for a long time and quite frankly strike me at my core. I'll be honest, I don't know how to embrace a season of dying to self but I feel as if part of this month is designed to deal with some issues I have avoided for a long time. I can't run from them any longer…instead it's time to face some things.

Actually, it occurs to me that things have been building up to this moment. I believe He is leading me to the cross. I'm scared…I won't lie. I'm not very good at dying to those things which strike at the very core of who I am. I know it needs to happen, I know he wants to lead me to a better place through all of it.

Daily, throughout this month, I know I am to take up my cross and follow Him. Right now it seems as if taking up my cross means daily making the choice to consciously choose to align with truth and listen to the Spirit for as Romans 8:13 says "but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."

The idea of not knowing how to deal with something makes walking through a season like this very difficult for my personality type. Nonetheless some very conscious decisions must be made and must be followed out.

The concept of being one of the "sons of God" resurfaced this week and Romans 8:14 makes it clear that those who are led by the Spirit of God truly are the sons of God. I'm sure I'll be writing more on sonship here soon. What I need to remember now is that I "did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship."

I pray for mercy and grace during this month. I pray that God's strength be upon me. I've run from some things for a while. Maybe he is leading me to a place of facing some issues and dying to them so that it can truly be said of me that I am a trusted son of God who can be led by the Spirit of God.

The idea of dying to self truly frightens me. The fact today is Easter just heightens this call. The cross represented an atrocious weight to Christ but he submitted himself to it for me, my sins, and my life. Maybe this is an appointed time for me. The path I've been on over the last week leads me to conclude that it is time to face the things which I have been running from for a while. Seems appropriate doesn't it? I did just write an entry called Face or Flee.

RM