Deny Yourself

[RETIREDFAN1]

Deny Yourself

By: Jim Crews

 

We always see advertisements for self improvement books or self improvement classes. People are constantly looking for a way to make themselves better. Better in most people’s minds, means happiness. Ingrid Law captured this idea when she wrote, “You can’t get rid of a part that makes you, you, and be happy”.

 

Compare that, though, to what Jesus said.
Matthew 16: 24 - 27

 

To gain Heaven, you have to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. You can gain the whole world and it isn’t as valuable as your own soul. Man, in his spiritual pride, has exchanged God’s method of self-denial for Satan’s plan of self-improvement. What is self-denial?

 

Self denial is not simply deciding to give up something. Catholics practice what they call self-denial every spring when they give up something for Lent. Priests in their false denomination have given up marriage, despite the statement from Paul.

I Timothy 4: 1 - 3

 

Monks give up contact with the world, despite what Jesus said.

John 17: 15

 

Each one of these is a denial of something from self, but each one is a self imposed denial.

Colossians 2: 20 - 23

 

You have a denial of worldliness, a denial of pride, or a denial of physical needs. It sounds good, but the problem is that man makes the demands, not God. God’s word teaches us to be self controlled, upright, and godly.

Titus 2: 11 - 12

 

This is the same word that taught us salvation.

I Timothy 2: 4

 

This is the same grace that appears to everyone.

Luke 3: 6

 

God’s word teaches us. This means that it trains us, corrects us, or chastises us. This teaching includes the hard things in life.

Hebrews 12: 6 -7

Revelation 3: 19

 

It’s God’s word that teaches us to deny ungodliness. We must find out what God wants.

Ephesians 5: 8 - 10

 

When we do this, we realize that true self denial is living for God.

I Peter 4: 2

 

Self denial is a focus on doing the will of someone higher and greater.

II Timothy 2: 4

 

It is a denial of what I want or desire because what God wants is more important.

Romans 6: 19

 

Leonard Bernstein, the celebrated orchestra conductor, was asked, what is the hardest instrument to play. He replied without hesitation: "Second fiddle. I can always get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm or second French horn or second flute, now that's a problem. And yet if no one plays second, we have no harmony."

 

Being a Christian is choosing to be second fiddle to God.

God’s word teaches us to deny worldly lusts. The world is under Satan’s control.

I John 5: 19

 

We are surrounded by enticements and temptations every second of the day that we are in the world. To counter this, we are told not to love this world.

I John 2: 15 - 16

 

To counter this inundation with temptations and enticements, we are told not to conform to our former lusts.

I Peter 1: 14 - 15

 

Self denial is not following after the lusts we once chased before we became Christians.

Ephesians 2: 1 - 3

 

This is because God has called us to be holy.

I Thessalonians 4: 7

 

Like the Levitical priests we are studying about on Wednesday, we are to be separate from the world.

 

We are to put to death our fleshly lusts and desires.

Colossians 3: 5 - 7

 

Self denial, then, isn’t just giving up things. It is also conforming to the things God’s word teaches us.

Titus 2: 12

 

He teaches us to live soberly. This means having a sound mind, being prudent and sensible. This is service to ourselves. Ironically, self denial leads to serving yourself in a beneficial way, for both men and women.

Titus 2: 1 - 3

 

The best thing you can do for yourself is to keep your mind clear and reasonable. The best thing you can do for yourself is to live righteously and be just and fair to everyone around you. This is service to our neighbors. This is being upright with others.

I Thessalonians 2: 10

 

This is wronging no one.

II Corinthians 7: 2

 

This is being an example.

Titus 2: 7 - 8

 

To live godly means to fall before God out of awe and respect. This is service to God.

Hebrews 12: 28

 

So many of our problems come from an inability to deny ourselves. Many people continue in their sins because they have the false belief that, “God wants me to be happy.”.

 

This is the very reason that self control needs to be one of the first things we are taught.

Acts 24: 25

 

We must be willing to give up everything for Christ.

Matthew 19: 29

 

We must practice denying ourselves. We must learn self control over the lusts we had in our lives before becoming Christians. But will we always be perfect? Will we always be in control? No, we won’t, and God knows this. That is why we are told to live faithfully unto death, not perfectly. In fact, God knows it is so far beyond our ability to live perfectly, that He told us to even make such a claim is to be a liar.

I John 1: 8

 

When we do fall, and we will, we simply need to repent of our sin, confess it to God in prayer, and ask His forgiveness.

Acts 8: 22

I John 1: 9

 

He will forgive us every single time. So don’t let Satan deceive you into thinking you may as well just give up trying to please God. Remain faithful to God, repent of your sins and confess them to Him. He is able to deliver  you.