Do
we really understand why we are told to "deny ourself" in
order to follow Jesus? Jesus would never ask us to refuse what is
"best" in order to choose what is "less."
SELF is
the "old man" corrupted by deceitful lusts. SELF has an
appetite for "baser" - "temporal" - "carnal"
pleasures that are appealing but are NOT PURE! Not all that pleases
is profitable.
Bait appeals to the senses of the animal we seek to
ensnare - "denying self" is a means to prevent our being
drawn away by our own deceitful lusts and ensnared.
Every good and
perfect gift comes from above, from our heavenly Father. He does not
asks us to deny any of His good gifts, but in His loving wisdom He
seeks to teach us by His grace to deny "wordly lusts" and
"sinful lusts" that WAR AGAINST our soul. His will is the
GOOD and PLEASING and PERFECT will FOR US. His BEST = OUR BEST - so
His grace seeks to teach us how to discern the things that are
excellent and most profitable. We are never asked to deny the better
for the worse.
"Denying ourself" is just a description of
refusing to follow the deceitful lusts of the carnal old man and
choosing by faith to follow the Holy Spirit sent to lead us into the
True Abundant Life found NOT IN THE FLESH - BUT IN THE SPIRIT OF
JESUS. By denying our self we partake of the divine nature and ESCAPE
THE CORRUPTION IN THE WORLD THROUGH LUSTS!
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