SELF IS A HUCKSTER

“Self” is the carnal fleshly nature all human kind are born with, enslaved to sin and lustful of all the glitter the world can offer. Here are a few references from the 129 New Testament scriptures about Self, our fleshly nature:

Scripture states that Self… our flesh, is “weak” and full of “sinful passions”, that “nothing good dwells” in our flesh. Those who “live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh” and “cannot please God”: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” We are in a war for control of our heart, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another … And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Hear the Apostle Paul speak about his personal regime change: “I (Self) have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I (Self) who live, but Christ lives in me.” We must deliver Self to death “for Christ’s sake … abstaining from fleshly lusts which war against the soul … that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal body.” We are commanded to “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ … cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh … and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts … For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh (Self), the lust of the eyes (Self), and the pride of life (Self) -- is not of the Father but is of the world.” Well… that’s pretty clear. We must put Self to death “by the Spirit” if we want eternal life. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to help us drag Self to the Cross of Christ thereby replacing Self with Christ as the reigning monarch on the throne of our heart, and releasing His nature within.

We cannot change ourSelves... at least not in any significant way. Our Self efforts at transformation are cosmetic at best, sprucing up what we reveal to the world while eliciting love in return. See what is at work here: Concern for what the world esteems is an indictment against our mindset, revealing a wrongly directed heart. The only significant change in life is change that moves us Godward… change that establishes God’s Kingdom within… change that establishes God’s throne in our heart. Our real enemy, Self, will even masquerade as religious to maintain control -- whispering sweet nothings in our ear that God is pleased with us – while steadily moving our heart toward the world. Self is a huckster… a shyster, unscrupulously selling man’s religion as godliness while promoting himSelf as the king of our heart.   Anything short of crucifixion -- Self must die -- and passionate all out submission to the Lordship of Jesus is... well, simply not good enough. No, we cannot change our Selves... we can only surrender to the power that “yearns jealously” to will and work in us of His good pleasure... the only power that can make us Christlike. This is why Jesus sent us “another comforter … the Spirit of Truth”!

WE CANNOT CHANGE OUR SELF

(Rom. 6:19,7:5,18, 8:5,8,13,13:14; 2 Cor. 7:1, 4:11; Gal. 2;20,5:17,24; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Jn. 2:16; James 4:5;Phil. 2:13; Jn. 16:13)