Revelation of Selfishness

'If in the disposition which Christ displayed in relation to His cross we are willing to take up ours, then we shall find that the power of His cross abides in us and enables us to lose our natural life. Each time the cross is taken up, each time does the soul life suffer loss. Each time the cross is circumvented, each time is the soul life fed and preserved.

The Lord Jesus does not imply that dealing with our natural inclinations is a once for all matter. We find in Luke the word “daily” is added to our Lord’s call to take up the cross. Cross-bearing is continuous.

The cross which condemned sin to death is an accomplished fact: all which remains for us to do is to acknowledge and receive it. But the cross through which we forfeit our soul life is different.

Self-denial is not a matter already and completely accomplished; this we must experience daily.

Now this does not mean that the soul life will never be lost or only be lost slowly. It simply bespeaks the fact that the cross which deals with the soul life operates differently from that which deals with sin. And the reason?

Because death towards sin is accomplished for us by Christ: when He died, we died with Him. But the denial of the soul life is not an accomplished matter.

We are required to take up our own cross daily by the power of the cross of Christ and determine daily to deny self—until it is lost.

Renunciation of our natural life is not something which is done once and forever.

As for sin, we only need take the ground of the cross (Rom. 6.6)

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 

and immediately we are freed from its power and our servitude to it. In a moment this can be experienced with a full and perfect victory. But the self life must be overcome step by step.

The deeper the Word of God penetrates (Heb. 4.12),

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

the deeper works the cross and the further the Holy Spirit completes the union of the life of our spirit with the Lord Jesus. How can believers deny the self when it is yet unknown to them? They can deny only that part of the soul life which they already recognize. God’s Word must lay bare more and more of our natural life so that the work of the cross can probe deeper and deeper. That is why the cross must be borne daily. To know more of God’s will and to know more of the self- furnishes the cross increased ground to operate.' The Spiritual Man- by Watchman Nee

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Jesus revealed to Peter (we read about it in yesterday's study) that his desire for Jesus to be spared suffering and the cross was of Satan. Why? Because Peter would have HIS own will done, not the WILL of God. In Peter's desire he did not want this man he was coming to know as His Savior to disappear, he didn't want Him to suffer anything, he loved Him.  Peter was shown that this WANT of his was of Satan, it wasn't a good thing at all.  Peter was shown the soul-self in Himself that had to be denied. Peter had to LOOK at himself, he had to examine himself and comprehend why Jesus would call Him Satan and tell him what he said wasn't of God. You can just imagine how taken aback Peter had to have been.  Called to take stock of himself, of his motive, of his reasoning, Peter needed to comprehend the truth and that truth did not include any selfish motive, not a single one.

God's will, not ours.

We must not presume to know better than God knows.

We have to commit our lives and all its aspects to God and know that whatever is taking place that He is in control.

Truly, the cross we bear consists of daily revelations of selfishness, of self-focus.  When we are shown our particular soul-self ways we are shown in order for us to comprehend their nature and in comprehension determine to DENY self.  We aren't show the horrors of our soul-self just for the fun of it. We are shown for a purpose.  Satan would use it to lead us to despair while Christ uses it to teach us, to reveal to us just how desperately we need Him working in our lives.