Self Expression or "In the Flesh"

To Die to Self

You cannot die to something that you don't know you have. "My people will be destroyed for
lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6 We have no revelation from the Lord, no knowledge of truth.
We are blinded, hidden behind that which we have built up to defend ourselves. In ignorance,
we cannot relate to our environment in the realm of truth and life. Our ignorant self is confused,
frustrated, blaming, and striving for love and acceptance in a conditional world ruled by Satan.
This self will go to great lengths to survive.

There were two trees in the garden. The tree of life represents life lived out of the Spirit with our
dependency on God. The tree of knowledge of good and evil, represents life lived out of our
soul, separate from God. We live "as gods", by making our own decisions based on what we
think is good and evil. Genesis 3:5 When Adam ate from this tree, man fell into judgment. It's
a life of independence relying on our accumulated knowledge and feelings. Isaiah 47:10
describes this well. "For you have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, 'No one sees me';
your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; and you have said in your heart, 'I am, and
there is no one else besides me." Satan, the accuser, is our source and we seek our
significance by striving for love and acceptance.

Upon being born again, Christ enters our spirit, bringing it to life. The Spirit of Christ in us brings
us into all truth and puts to death the self-life lived out of our soul (if we allow Him). As Paul
says in Philippians 3:14, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus." This is our goal, all of Him and none of me. We want life!

Let us expose the expression of self to the light. We can identify three practical, concrete
expressions of self: settled judgment or opinion, reasoning, and subjectivity.

When we judge, we insulate ourselves from the object of our judgment. We will either exalt or
put down our brethren. When we exalt pastors, friends or movie stars, we judge ourselves
inferior. When we view ourselves more spiritually fit, gifted or better educated, we judge
ourselves superior. We may argue, "But I need to be able to discern." Absolutely, but to
objectively discern our environment says, "I can tell what is what." When we add judgment to
what we discern, we shift out of the spirit and into self, which kills organic life and causes
division. This was evident in the church of Corinth. "I am of Paul" or "I am of Apollos" or I am of
Cephas" or I am of Christ" 1Cor.1:12. Division existed among the believers due to their
opinions of the superiority of certain brothers. Whenever we hear the word "should" or "could",
we can know we are operating in judgment. "You should have..." or "I could have done it
differently." No! No! No! Stop! Halleluiah for forgiveness!

Reasoning, a function of the mind, seeks to justify and defend. Self justification is expression of
self in defense. Our hearts are hard and in stubborn rebellion toward both God and each other.
We are trying to gain the upper hand. So wrapped up in man's approval, we fear humiliation if
found wrong. We lean on our own understanding as we reason. Proverbs 3:4-6 NKJV "Christ
then becomes of no effect unto you, whosoever of you claim justification by the law; ye are
fallen from grace." Galatians 5:4

Ezekiel 15:52 "Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters.
Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than you. So then, be
ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous." The
Still Life Retreat
www.spiritual-love-inn.com
519-369-3663
 2
repentance that brings freedom comes when we will allow the Holy Spirit to reveal our true
condition, and we become willing to own it and surrender. Simultaneous is the transition from
death to resurrection as Jesus justifies us. "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was
raised to life for our justification." Romans 4:25

Subjectivity is the direct opposite to objectivity and causes us to merge with demons and their
suggestions. James says "But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your
heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not
God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic." James 3:14-15 NLT
Considering our own feeling and thoughts, our subjective self is introspective, into ourselves,
self-centered and self-seeking, easily hurt, prone to deception and condemnation, fearful and
suspicious, outwardly focused and shallow. A subjective person will also be an opinionated,
reasoning person. Let's face it, we all have some degree of subjectivity in us.

In our subjective state, we cannot know ourselves in God's light. When we are in the realm of
the Spirit, however, we can take an objective look at ourselves in our fallen state. We discover
there is nothing good in us, admit it, confess it, humble ourselves and repent with ease. I call it
no-sweat repentance. It is painless and joyful.

To recognize the face of "self" is a big step toward experientially dying to self, and surrendering
to be resurrected in Christ. So when we catch ourselves operating out of self, we can put a stop
to it and bring it to the cross. We renounce the faith we've had in ourselves. We no longer put
our trust in self.

Another way the Lord deals with the self is by having someone get involved in our situation with
light and life. The Epistles written to the churches were simply brothers getting into the lives of
the saints with light and life, ministering the truth in a transparent way.

To have a proper Christian life we need to be able to relate to each other in truth. The truth tells
us we are one body: that there is no division; that we have an organic relationship with each
other in life as the Body of Christ. For this we need the renewing of our minds through God's
word. We need the Holy Spirit in us to transition us out of the soul-life into the life led by the
Spirit.

Still Life Retreat

www.spiritual-love-inn.com
519-369-3663