DYING TO SELF

God’s Antidote to the World System: Death to Self

Pastor Vincent – Feb 21, 2021

We are dealing with a formidable opponent using a strong, well-schemed system, and remembering that God is on our side to help us overcome the odds against us, God has given us an antidote to the system, and thus, the enemy.

Renew your mind – you think differently and become a non-conformist. You don’t become a non-conformist by will power.

Rev 12:11 – the saints ceased loving their lives, even unto death.

The result of renewing your mind is that you die to self – you are at peace because the war ceases and you disentangle from the need for self preservation (when you’re dead, many things don’t matter).

Examples where people got driven by self, and how they died to self:

• Gen 25:21-28 inquired of the Lord and God promised that he would deliver two nations through her in Esau and Jacob – each with a different destiny. Rebecca knew God’s promise to make the younger (Jacob) superior, and was determined (due to self reasons) to have Jacob be the one to receive their father’s blessing. But using human mechanisms (per Gen 27). _Helping God fulfil His plans?

As a consequence, Jacob had a long feud with his brother, toiled for Laban for many years to get his wives and property, which he was stripped of in their eventual meeting with Saul. It was in this instance of desperate vulnerability that he met (and wrestled) God, and became REALLY blessed – renamed to Israel.

• Exo 2:1- 12 Moses, when Hebrew babies were being murdered, was saved, and raised (and trained on the truth of his roots and destiny) by his own mother. That’s how he started defending the Hebrews (killed an Egyptian) before he was brought to his senses by the Israelite who asked him, “who made you our judge?” In truth, it’s his own/self indoctrination that he was using, rather than God actually sending him.

-Moses then went from his position of power in Egypt as a prince into the desert and worked for Jethro as a shepherd for 40 years, until God ACTUALLY called him.

• Acts 7:58, 8:1- 4, 9:1 The story of the stoning of Stephen, masterminded by Saul, who was persecuting followers of Christ ‘in the name of God’ – He was a well educated, senior Pharisee. He continued massively leading the persecution. He thought he was doing this for God – in his self.

-Saul met Jesus, was struck with blindness and in his vulnerability, is when his real destiny was revealed to him. As Paul

The Lord orchestrates events (some of which are very tough) to separate His people from the control of the soul, to shift them to the Spirit.

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Luke 3:15-16 John explained that Jesus’s baptism would by the Holy Spirit and Fire.

This fire is uncomfortable. It is suffering. It exposes man to his vulnerability, to cease self preservation, to realize how feeble he is, to shift from logic to revelation, from the soul to the spirit. To the point where you surrender/yield and let God take over totally.

Remember Jonah and the circumstances of his mission – turbulent waters, getting thrown overboard, getting swallowed by a fish and staying in its belly hungry. He was being processed and set up for the mission to Nineveh.

God sets you up for His purpose. And it may be an uncomfortable season where the body, the soul and the spirit get purged from each other.

God processes you by bringing you to the end of yourself, to a point where your soul/self yields, and dies. That’s when your next stage in your walk with God begins. When you die to self.

May God refine you. You will come out much better, like fine gold.