Self Abandonement & Christ

Self Abandonment, self denial.

It seems to me that every religion has some form of self-denial. A denial of your desires, a denial of your personality, a denial of material wealth. Some form of self-denial. There honestly aren't too many that promotes carnality and hedonism. But a good question is how far does self-denial go? And how should it be properly integrated into the Christian life?

I mean, I struggle with it, I fight with it, I rationalize with it, I object to it.

Bill Johnson says that every religion has a a form of self-denial. But the difference is ours have a resurrection. The scary thought is always following a person, a man proclaiming to be God to the ends of the earth and at the end of time realising that He is not who he claims to be. Self-Denial in its wake is a very scary thought.

I find self-denial in totality seems demented. God created us, as an individual, with our own personality, our own soul. We look different from each other, we act different, we are different.

Absolute self-denial is to assume we are robots or Golems. A de-humanization of who we are and be a slave. We are a number and not a person. Total rejection of our hopes and dreams, personality and what that defines who I am compared to who you are.

God created me different, I believe he loves variety. There is no one single person who is the same as me. Self-denial to me, therefore cannot be truth. How can Self-Denial assume freedom, but at the same time it is bondage because it demands total subjugated to the will of another? This question seems to go to the very root meaning of freedom and the expression of our individuality.

Yes, there are verses like Matthew 10:38 which talks about taking up our cross. And other verses to say "Follow Me" and even follow Jesus to the ends of the earth. But is that self-denial? What sort of relationship is the correct view in which we have to assume with Christ as our Lord and saviour?

Colossions Chapter 2 & 3
Ephesians Chapter 5

I don't think the Christian life is a life of self-denial. Jon Ngan, pointed out to me, that the Christian life is however a denial of the sinful nature and "The old man". But not a denial of self. Like in Colossions 2:23, pious self-denial has no power to conquer over sin. The problem is that religion tries to take a hold on our mind because that is only what we have always been thought to understand. That the Christian life is a denial of our sinful nature, therefore we put boundaries of regulations to keep the "Old Men" In jail. However that is not the power of Grace working out in our life.

What has then? What is the Christian life?

Walking in the Spirit. I am who I am, yet Christ is in Me, Changing me day to day to be more like Him. Will I eventually be Christ? No. You are still you. But you are to be more like Him.

I don't believe in self-denial. I believe in the relationship with Holy Spirit.

The thing is, we do not understand the implication of the relationship with Holy Spirit and of spiritual things. I believe that is why God gave the model of Marriage. Even then, we still mess it up. When God created Adam & then the Women. God never named the women Eve. God called them both Adam. They are both one person. One Flesh. Two different people with different desires, but God see's them both as one person. It was only after the fall, that Adam named the women Eve.

When we accept Christ, we become the Church, we are married to Christ. And at the same time we are given the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Most of us, do not recognize the implication and the spiritual definition of us. The bible says that the Holy Spirit is our inheritance? He will be with us forever.

Like if we take a wife. We are of one flesh. I am not only my own, and She/He is Mine. I belong to her and she belongs to me. Therefore the same with my spouse, my Life is not only my own, it is Holy Spirit's as well, and.... (here sounds a bit scary but its true) the Spirit of the almighty God, Holy Spirit is MINE. I am His and He is Mine.

Holy Spirit who dwells in me partakes in everything that I do. We are as if husband and wife joined in Spirit.

Hence the Christian life is NEVER a life of self-denial. It is a life of a relationship. When we are born-again, we are to crucify our old nature, our old desires, but also, we are to dream with Him. Like a husband and wife, when they get married, they dream together. No more thinking about the Lazy-Boy Couch, big screen and Playstation3 as being the centre of purchases and entertainment in the house. But honestly getting proper furniture to accommodate her and our future together. Both are each others, they plan their future together, the house, the kids, their destiny now is interlinked intertwined and they both with each other in hand pursue after it.

Do we do this together with Holy Spirit? I find some streams of pentacostalism, they treat God like a big judge, we come to him with our bible verses and demand prosperity, demand healing. Do we do that to our spouse? Honey! I demand you to do this for me. How do we talk to our life when we want something from her?

If we know that Holy Spirit is in Us, who can do "All things" as "nothing is possible", we don't demand, but rather we ask of each other? How is it there are great men and women of God who can do great signs, miracles and wonders. Like a husband and wife, they draw on each others strengths and desires, and release each others abilities to change the world. Shouldn't it be the same with Us? And the Holy Spirit?

I love Jesus because he is the perfect representation of what a Christian is. He has no sin, we who accept Christ now have no sin. Jesus can do nothing except what the Father says. Aren't we the same? Jesus is pure Human, and absolutely dependent on the Power of Holy Spirit to do great signs, miracles and wonders. Is our relationship dependent on Him as well?

Like in a marriage, Holy Spirit is the perfect gentleman. The perfect husband. But he also allows the wife to do as she pleases. Hence the bible says don't grieve him.

According to Ephesians,

Husbands Love your Wife.
Wife, Submit to your husbands.

We as the Wife, do we submit ourselves to Him? The Life of a Christian is not a life of self-denial. But it is a life of submission.

Submission is difficult to be honest. Just tell that to your wife. "Wife, submit to me". It is a command. But we don't have to look at it that way. Submission seems bad by itself, because there is an absence of communication and trust.

How can you submit to someone when you do not communicate with them and you do not trust them? Hence the importance of Prayer and Faith. To be honest, we don't pray enough. Jesus prays tons! He prays the whole night away, and prayer is simply communication with God. Do we pray enough? Do we talk to God? Do we tell Him about our desires, our dreams, our worries, our cares, or simply just talk to Him about our everyday goings in and out. Why do we talk so much to our spouse and friends and neglect the person who truly matters that can make a life-changing difference?

And then trust. Do we trust Him enough? That is the life of Faith. The way God works, is that he Is Perfect. His ways are perfect. But His Ways are not always known to us as his Logic is "Everything is Possible". We can't wrap our minds around that~! And even then, we don't understand what we ask for, and what He gives us.When we want a solution, he gives us a procedure! When we want instantaneous results, he cares more about the condition of our heart. We care so much more about the destination and when he is more interested in our journey. Jesus, God the Father and Holy Spirit is PERFECT. We are not. But we are to pray, we are to have Faith an We are to Submit.

If not. We just get stuck around the mountain. Just going round and round and round.

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Something a bit more practical to take back;

How do I know when it is God or when it is crazy thoughts in my head? I don't know. But Read your Bible, bring it to God in prayer and ask for a sign. Most people seem to do that in the bible. Lol. Then, Take risks, if its wrong, go back and talk to Him again. And You'll grow and become more like Christ. People assume when they get married, they'll go hand in hand and understand each other instantaneously. Like our girlfriend or boyfriend or even wife or husband. The longer we know them and be with them, their personality becomes part of ours. We are not ourselves anymore. We become more like Christ.

The Life of Christ is not self-denial or self abandonment. But it is a loving relationship. One that we continue to grow in, and we become more like Him. It is no more just "I" it is "Us" now.