| Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” Matthew 16:24 Prompted by Oswald Chamber’s Dec 11 reading from My Utmost For His Highest and tweaked by merlin. Consider that our ‘Individuality’ is the hard outer layer surrounding our inner spiritual life that too often shoves others aside, separating and isolating people. We see it as the primary characteristic of a child, and rightly so. If and when we confuse individuality with the spiritual life, we remain isolated. This shell of individuality is God’s created natural covering designed to protect the spiritual life. But to flourish spiritually, our individuality must be yielded to God so that our spiritual life may be brought forth into fellowship with Him. Stated Premise: Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love. Understand God designed human nature for Himself, but individuality corrupts that human nature for its own purposes. The characteristics of individuality are independence and self–will. We will hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality. For example, if you say, “I can’t believe,” it is because your individuality is blocking the way; individuality can never believe. But our spirit cannot help believing. I suggest you watch yourself closely when the Spirit of God is at work in you. He pushes you to the limits of your individuality where a choice must be made. The choice is either to say, “I will not surrender,” OR “to simply surrender,” thereby breaking the hard shell of individuality, which then allows the spiritual life to emerge. The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing (see Matthew 5:23–24). It is your individuality that refuses to “be reconciled to your brother” ( Matthew 5:24). God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself, He cannot. “…let him deny himself…”— deny his independent right to himself. Then the real life–the spiritual life–is allowed the opportunity to grow. |
| Consider this WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS: The truth is we Christ-Followers (CF’s) have nothing to fear and nothing to overcome because He is all in all and we are more than conquerors through Him. HOWEVER, the recognition of this truth is not flattering to the CF’s sense of heroics, BUT, it is amazingly glorifying to the work of Christ. |