Death to the Flesh

I am wondering if someone could provide their own experience. I feel the Lord saying "Your flesh must die" and I know that he is doing that thing in my heart. He must increase but I must decrease as John the Baptist said.Here's the question. How does one know when the flesh is crucified? I know that the process is a life-long one but it's so painful know. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be. If so, I can survive by God's grace but it's so painful.Thanks for any responses.Ed

Hi Ed,I have always found Watchman Nee's The Normal Christian Life very helpful in this area of spiritual experience.Note that according to the apostle Paul, your flesh is already crucified with Christ (cf. Rom 6; Gal 2). The question is whether you rest in this fact by faith and how you appropriate it into your life.

Thank you for your comments. Appropriating that into my life is what I need to do. I understand it. What I want is simply whatever God wants for my life. I haven't articulated this very well but I want to die to any desires in my own life and surrender those to Him.I never realized how selfish I am without God. It's got to be an all or nothing relationship.Why did it take me so many years to realize this? Probably because I'm foolish, stubborn, and rebellious. Thanks for your post. I'll get a copy of the book.

Gideon wrote:Here's the question. How does one know when the flesh is crucified? I know that the process is a life-long one but it's so painful know. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be. If so, I can survive by God's grace but it's so painful.Soon after I committed my life to Jesus I began to hear the same words you do. I can remember the burden that those words painted in my mind. I have been growing in the Lord for 7 years now. There were times in my life where dying to self has been the focus of my attention. When the Lord called me into ministry, I began to count the cost. I have worked at Ucla for 24 years. I have a good job which supports my family. Yet, I am beginning to hate this job. I am looking forward to working for Him full time. In my flesh, I began to work out how I might afford to quit my job and still support my family. I was counting the cost. But the Lord, in the depth of my struggle, gave me these two verses. "A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray." Isaiah 35:8 Also, "Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." Isaiah 2:3What I learned that day was this. There will be times when we struggle in our flesh to crucify the flesh. This is a time for counting the costs. And I have learned that there is a more perfect way. He has shown me to not look to the future and how I must crucify the flesh. But what I must do is look to Him daily for my bread. Day after day He works to change my heart. There are times when I stop to consider my ways. And I look at what is filling my life this day. I see that He has been faithful to me. He is changing the desires of my heart without my struggling in the flesh to accomplish His work. Don't worry about tomorrow, today is the day of salvation. Read the word of God and obey. He will do the work as you follow Him. His burden is light. He who takes My yoke upon him and learns from me will learn to follow My path. He will increase in your life, and you will from time to time reflect on what now fills your life. Keep walkin brother.In ChristJeff

Wow.. The Lord began to speak that to me around a month ago too. He probably wanted to speak to me about it sooner but I was blinded by self if you know what I mean. I began to do a study about the Cost of Following Jesus and the denying self and death to the flesh is what stood out the most. The Lord really really broke me on this. And Galatians 2:20 has taken on a fresh meaning to me. I can say sincerely now that "I am crucified with Christ!" and oh how blessed I am now becuase Christ is moving in my life and reigning in me again. God has really refreshened me and has been wanting to for awhile but I wasn't really surrendering. I'd say " I surrender" with my mouth but in my heart I was holding on. I'm not trying to boast about this. Just sharing so others can be blessed too if they so desire to. But what really helped was that I began to fast and do away with all my listening to conservative radio, playing video games, and pretty much all my little innocent hobbies. I replaced that time with prayer and reading the Word of God. And then the Lord confirmed this by bringing to remembrance 2 Corinthians 10:5 to bring every thought under the obedience of Christ.that is what I was missing from my walk with the Lord. and then He showed me:Galatians 5:13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.I had allowed (once again) my liberty to distract me from the Lord and His desires. Romans 8 clearly speaks on how when we die to our flesh, it allows the Spirit to move in our lives. Oh and in answer to your question. I believe the Lord will confirm it in your heart when you have truly died to your flesh. Because His Spirit willbegin to move in your life and show you things in His Word and lead you to people to minister in ways you never could have done on your own. and most of all, your prayer time(communion with Him) will be so sweet!!I better get back to work, Ed, but I hope this blessed you and anyone else reading this.

A.W. Tozer - Pursuit of God chapter 2

God bless you brother. I understand your heart. I've been blinded by pride and all manner of sin. Yet God has given us this wonderful gift of repentance. God will be with you. Here's a verse that I believe God wants to make happen in our hearts. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you (Hosea 10:12).And yet another thing I saw that Greg had posted today: March 24th - Decreasing For His PurposeHe must increase, but I must decrease John 3:30When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don't try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ.God is so gracious to us! God bless you brother. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."-Psalm 30:5EdJCGarc55 wrote:Wow.. The Lord began to speak that to me around a month ago too. He probably wanted to speak to me about it sooner but I was blinded by self if you know what I mean. I began to do a study about the Cost of Following Jesus and the denying self and death to the flesh is what stood out the most. The Lord really really broke me on this. And Galatians 2:20 has taken on a fresh meaning to me. I can say sincerely now that "I am crucified with Christ!" and oh how blessed I am now becuase Christ is moving in my life and reigning in me again. God has really refreshened me and has been wanting to for awhile but I wasn't really surrendering. I'd say " I surrender" with my mouth but in my heart I was holding on. I'm not trying to boast about this. Just sharing so others can be blessed too if they so desire to. But what really helped was that I began to fast and do away with all my listening to conservative radio, playing video games, and pretty much all my little innocent hobbies. I replaced that time with prayer and reading the Word of God. And then the Lord confirmed this by bringing to remembrance 2 Corinthians 10:5 to bring every thought under the obedience of Christ.that is what I was missing from my walk with the Lord. and then He showed me:Galatians 5:13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.I had allowed (once again) my liberty to distract me from the Lord and His desires. Romans 8 clearly speaks on how when we die to our flesh, it allows the Spirit to move in our lives. Oh and in answer to your question. I believe the Lord will confirm it in your heart when you have truly died to your flesh. Because His Spirit willbegin to move in your life and show you things in His Word and lead you to people to minister in ways you never could have done on your own. and most of all, your prayer time(communion with Him) will be so sweet!!I better get back to work, Ed, but I hope this blessed you and anyone else reading this.

God is so gracious to us! God bless you brother. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."-Psalm 30:5Amen. Great subject and thanks for sharing.