Mountaintop Musings: Conquering the Problem of Self

Looking at some of the people in my life I realize that we are often our biggest barrier to a satisfying life.

Most problems in my life have their beginning with the decisions Dave has made. Sure, some things come along that others bring into my life, and that means that person has created a problem that affects them, and me. The ripple-effect of sin courses through each of us. However, just because there are serious problems in life, doesn’t mean a person who has Jesus as their Savior need be controlled or defeated but those problems. Sin is real my friend, but victory in Jesus is possible for everyone who puts their faith in Him!

God has provided for each of His Jesus following children of faith all we need to give Him the glory (praise and honor) and the supremacy he deserves; notice I did not say we get the number one place. One of the great tragedies of sin is described in Romans chapter 1 verse 21: “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” The context is that man has ignored God and thus is under His wrath, v16. The more we exult ourselves and rebel, the more we are debased and devalued by our thoughts, and actions.

However, once a person is in fellowship with Christ, they have peace with God, Romans 5:1. It is then that one may truly follow Jesus in giving God the primacy in life and let Him rule on the throne of their heart. Jesus said in John 7: 17-18 “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Jesus is saying if one truly seeks God’s will for their life, they will find it, and by doing so they will seek to make God number one and not themselves. Jesus also said in John 8:50 he did not seek his own glory, but God’s. Now if that is true for Jesus, shouldn’t it be true for his followers? Yes!

In his earthly life Christ lived to do the will of his Father. He was a servant who learned obedience from the things he suffered, and he remained obedient unto death. A few verses supporting that are John 4:34, 6:38, Hebrews 5:8 and Philippians 2: 5-8. Many quote verses saying they can do all things through Christ, and they are more than conquerors in Christ, but the reality is those verses are meaningless without obedience. Without action our faith is dead (James 2:20) and our impact on others is not good.

So how does one become a conqueror in Christ? It starts with looking honestly at the errors we have learned and been taught concerning our “self-worth, assurance, love, assertiveness, confidence, esteem, righteousness and self-exaltation.” One of the great challenges we face today in submitting to the will of God is we want to have “self-worth”. Somehow, we have been led to believe we are worthy people; maybe more worthy and valuable than God since we often live by our own rules and not His. We are more valuable than the animals or earth (Matthew 6:26) and are intimately known by God (Psalm 139: 13-16) thus we are important to the Lord. But the fact is we still deserve death due to our sinful nature and acts (Romans 1: 18-, 5:12 and 6:23).

The good news is once adopted into God’s family through faith in Jesus we can praise and thank Him for the work he has done in forgiving our sin and giving us His Spirit. is what makes us worthy, having Jesus in our hearts/lives. God does show His towards us because even while man was and is a dreadful sinner, Christ died and rose again for our sins (Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthian 14: 3-4). To win the battle of “self” we first must surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ on all areas of our life. That is the starting point for victory! Thanks for reading this column and feel free to call me any time.

(Dave & Lisa Carroll are area missionaries with InFaith, America’s oldest Christian home mission agency. Source material for this article is from the Biblical Counseling Foundation. Contact Dave at 406.459.8935)