We need to stop trying and start dying!!

T

tinluke Jun 8, 2005

Have you ever heard someone say "I'm trying to quit smoking or I'm trying to forgive that person who hurt me". I can hear the Lord saying "stop trying and start dying"!! This is what is means to pick up your cross and follow Him daily. Take that sin nail it to the cross and leave it there!!When we say to the Lord "I'm trying" what we are really saying is "I can control this thing". We like our sin too much to hand it over to Him. Here is an example; Before I was saved I drank way too much. When I came to the Lord I stopped drinking heavily, but would have a few here and there. In my heart I wanted to drink the whole bottle, but would stop myself at 2 or 3 drinks. Whenever I would pray and ask the Lord to show me my sin. I would hear that still small voice saying "lay down the drinking" Immediatly I would start making excuses for my drinking by saying "oh I can handle it, I only have a few now and then" and eventually I excused His voice away as just my guilty conscience. I thank God that He didn't leave me there!! One day He just brought my drinking front and center. It was right in front of my face, I couldn't ingore Him any longer. I allowed Him to take my sin that day and I've been free ever since!! That's the amazing thing about dying...I can't take any credit for it!!! Jesus died on the cross and broke the bondage of sin in our lives! When He sets us free, we are free indeed!The only thing we can do is to choose to die to Him daily!!

M

moreofHim Jun 8, 2005

Tina,I knew just from the title of this post that i was going to "amen" it :)It is such a good expression to remember:We need to stop trying and start dying!Praise God for what He has done in your heart! :) and you're right, we can't take any credit for it.In His love, Chanin

Y

Yodi Jun 8, 2005

Thanks for sharing a bit of your testimony in this topic. That is a very good saying. One of the pastors at our church preaches in a park in town on Saturday mornings, and several times he's preached to all the people to "STOP TRYING". It's nice to know that other people think the same way, and have the same convictions across the country, and even across the world.Dying is hard... I hope to think about this more later today, when I can get alone with the Lord, and pray about it. I know I'm probably not dying in all the areas of my life that I could. This is a good challenge... a good word. Thanks again for sharing.

J

Joshua99 Jun 8, 2005

Well said Tinluke, It is just what your saying, the problems we have in our lives and churches is alot of folks don't know the reality of "dead to sin". If we did there would be a lot of Love, unity and holiness in our lives. :-)

D

disciplejosh Jun 9, 2005

"I'm trying, bro. I really am trying!""That's your problem. You're trying. And you and I both know that things get messy and more complicated when you or I get our hands all over because we're 'trying'."God wants us to stop trying...and just give up. Or as Brother tinluke put it, stop trying and start dying.Just quit. Knock it off. Get out of the way and let the Spirit of God empower you to do the impossible in you and through you.*(This in no way negates our personal responsibility in our walks with Him...just thought I'd throw that in here, too)

D

deltadom Jun 21, 2005

Amen!!

Z

ZekeO Jun 21, 2005

"stop trying and start dying"!! The only thing we can do is to choose to die to Him daily!!How do I not try do it? :-) pointers..?

sermonindex Jun 21, 2005

You do not have to try to die, it is an established fact!!Your job is to completely rest in this fact!!Rom. 6:1-11 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Don’t you know, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 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. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he lives, he lives unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."Go to http://www.victoryoversin.com/wnbelieve.htm to read Why Do You Not Believe? by Andrew Murray

sermonindex Jun 21, 2005

You do not have to try to die, it is an established fact!!Still, one has to embrace the meaning of that death in practical living. Realistically, God sets the agenda over which issues He is going to raise with us first, next and so on. It is more important to go with His agenda in the Spirit, than to try to work out solutions in our own strength, as the latter ends up being a type of legalism which has no more power to 'save', than the Law has; that is, any works or legalism will fail.

D

deltadom Jun 23, 2005

i want to die more so christ can live through me more I do not want to pander to my flesh life!!! I want god to make me his !!! and conquer everything from lust to pride in my system !!!

T

tinluke Jun 23, 2005

Glory be to God!! That's what it all about deltadom, It's all about us dying so that HE can be glorified through us!!!! This is the only way we can truly honor the KING! All glory and honor belong to the HIM!!! AMEN

D

dann Jun 23, 2005

Corrie Ten Boom tells a revealing little story about the pick pocket turned Christian who boasts in his testimony something like, "When I was a theif I would steal 50 watches a day! Now that I have come to the Lord, I only steal five a day..."Her fictional story makes a good point - we often look to our old life as the "plumb line" instead of the life of Jesus Christ. We say, "I am doing better than I used to" rather than saying, "I am still very much alive in the flesh"It can take years for a Christian to understand his or her experience so that he or she appreciates that "relatively better" will not satisfy the hunger in their soul. The wages of sin has never been "relative improvement" :-)Dan/\\/\\/\\

A

andres Jun 23, 2005

you guys are right on, taking up the cross means dying to self. and that means everthing the good the bad and the ugly. that is the only way christ will live fully in us