Daily Dying To Self

Here is something I read recently from Experiencing the Spirit, by Henry & Melvin Blackaby. It’s good stuff…

“You may have given your life to Christ, but have you understood that you must yield your life to the work of the Holy Spirit? There is no such thing as a once-for-all decision in the Christian life; it’s a daily dying to self—daily seeking Him and bowing to His lordship. That Spirit-led lifestyle must start somewhere; have you made the deliberate decision to allow the Holy Spirit to have complete access to your life? That question can be answered more easily by asking it another way: do you make decisions based upon your ability to achieve the results or upon the Spirit’s leading and equipping? Don’t determine your response to God by looking at your gifts. Look at your Lord and say, “Yes, Lord! I know your Spirit is present to enable me as I obey You. Thank You, Lord!”
Ouch! That is good…but at times it hurts! Daily dying to self…I didn’t need to hear that again. Not looking at my gifts to say yes to God…isn’t that where everyone looks? Surrendering to God totally and for the moment…sounds tough, too tough. Well the truth is if Jesus is Lord there’s no need to wrestle with the decision to obey…we just need to know what is it He wants of us and then we need to trust. That must have been what John Sammis was thinking when he penned these words, “what he says we will do, where he sends we will go; never fear, only trust and obey.”