It’s a wonderful day to be a child of God. Have you ever found yourself warring between your will and the will of God? Although you know God is able and faithful, you still find yourself battling his perfect will versus your selfish will. Although you know God would never lead you wrong, you still find yourself questioning. Although you know God would never withhold any good thing from you, within you still wonder what you will misis out on if you submit. Although you know God’s ‘yes’ means ‘yes’ and His ‘no’ means ‘no’, you still find yourself trying to negotiate with the Lord. Have you ever been there before? Are you there now? At the point in your life when you are seriously considering disobeying the Lord. At the point in your life when you ask others to intercede on your behalf about a certain matter, although you know and heard what the Lord has said.
This morning, I have been commissioned to come and minister to you. My friend, everyday we must Die To Self! Each day we must allow the Holy Spirit to crucify our flesh. No matter how sanctified you proclaim you are, we all have experienced a time in our walk with the Lord where we heard His voice clearly and still did not obey. Even now, there are some of you reading this devotional knowing you are operating in rebellion toward God’s will. Child of God, I am not saying it is easy. It is a challenge to deny yourself of things you really want. However, I would rather deny myself of desires that will potentially cause me pain, than to deny myself of God’s bountiful blessings that will forever be there in my life. The Bible declares in 1 Samuel 15:22-23 – … Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry...
My brother, my sister, whatever the Lord says, DO IT! Beloved, Die To Self! Allow me to close this devotional with an excerpt from the book Healing, Spirit, Soul and Body by Betty Miller: “When you are purposely set aside, rejected, forgotten, and hurt with the insult of oversight — but your spirit sings because you are being counted worthy to suffer for Christ, that is “Dying to Self.” When your advice is disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and all manner of evil is spoken against you, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all with patient, loving silence, that is “dying to self.” When you do not allow any disorder, irregularity or arrogance to come against your peace, when you are face to face with filth, waste, stupidity or spiritual pride, and endure it as Jesus endured it, that is “dying to self.” When you are content with the location you live, the climate, the society, the solitude of the “backside of the desert,” and are willing to have your plans changed or interrupted by the will of God at any moment, that is “dying to self.” When you never care to have others know of your good works, and never refer to yourself in conversation, or even care to have anyone commend you, when you truly love to be the unknown, that is “dying to self.” When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in the Spirit, and feel no envy, nor question God as to why your own needs are not being met, that is “dying to self.” When you can receive correction and reproof, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up in your heart, that is “dying to self.”
Scripture Reading for Today: Romans 6:11
May God Bless you at Your point of need!
Pastor Darrick D. McGhee, Sr.