Denying versus Eradicating Self
By Deborah Wittmier
When King David was praying for the people as they were preparing to build the temple, he said,
“I know, dear God, that you care nothing for the surface—you want us, our true selves—and so I have given from the heart, honestly and happily. And now see all these people doing the same, giving freely, willingly—what a joy! O God, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this generous spirit alive forever in these people always, keep their hearts set firmly in you.” (1Chron. 29:17-18, The Message)
This is my prayer for you, also. It is so true—God wants us, our true selves. David rejoiced to see that the people were giving so freely and willingly. He prayed that God would keep them in the spirit of generosity, which could only happen if their hearts were set firmly in God. David understood that when the people gave freely and willingly of their resources to the building of the temple, it was indicative of the giving of themselves to God. He recognized that God is not impressed with “the surface,”—the outward things, but rather He desires giving that springs freely and willingly from within. This kind of giving cannot be separated from the heart, for as the heart goes, so goes the giving. David was rejoicing to see the people give their hearts as represented by their resources!
I am currently teaching a series on identity—who we are individually and who we are ‘in Christ.’ More and more I am realizing that the more I give of myself—my inner person—to the Lord, the more He builds me up. That is so surprising to me, because religion has always taught me that self is so problematic that it needs to be wiped out—completely eradicated—in order to please God. God doesn’t want you “erased” in order to become spiritual. On the contrary, He wants you set free from the sin and shame that diminishes the real inner you and “erases” the beauty of the original person he created. When scripture tells us to ‘deny ourselves and take up our cross,’ it means that we are to deny the way of self-protection, self-centeredness, and self-indulgence, and prefer instead the sacrificial giving of ourselves to the Father, “that His will be done,” just as Jesus did on his cross. The beautiful part is that The Father’s will is that we be set free, built up, and set on a path of fulfillment and growth! The more we give up our selves to Him, the more we truly find our real selves. The scripture says it like this, “In order to find your life, you must lose it.”
So you see, denying self and eradicating self are two completely different things. Denying self for the sake of yielding to God brings the ultimate finding of self, while eradicating self is a form of self destruction and puts you in agreement with the enemy’s plan for you. You know that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. Self-eradication steals your personhood, kills the inner you, and destroys the life that God created and sent His Son to redeem. When we try to eradicate self in order to try to become spiritual, we are really trying to redeem ourselves by getting rid of the problem—self—with Satan’s tools—stealing, killing and destroying, and doing it all in the name of religion!
God, in His goodness, wants only to restore us—never to eradicate us. You can trust yourself to Him; He has only good for you! Remember what He says,
“For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace, and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” (Jeremiah 29:11, The Amplified Version)
Yes, we are a blessed people with more blessings than we can count—and we have much for which to be thankful. But the most important thing of all for which we must be thankful is the goodness of our God toward us. When we are truly grateful for His goodness (which never changes), then we can live in a consistent gratitude rather than have our attitude dependent on circumstances. Amen?
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