Dying To Self
If you made a New Year’s resolution, how’s it going so far? Studies suggest that about 25% of resolutions fail within the first week, and nearly 80% never survive the year. Some people have even jokingly renamed these resolutions: New Year’s Delusions.
We set goals like:
- I’ll read the entire Bible this year.
- I’ll keep my opinions to myself (unless they’re really important).
- My treadmill will be used for exercise instead of a laundry rack.
- I won’t fall asleep during the pastor’s sermon (unless it goes past noon).
- I’ll stop blaming the dry cleaners for my clothes not fitting.
Many of our failed resolutions point to a deeper issue: we love ourselves a little too much. Like a spoiled child, we often make decisions based on what we want rather than what we need.
Scripture reminds us of this internal battle:
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh…” Galatians 5:17
Too often, the same struggles repeat year after year because certain habits and attitudes haven’t been surrendered to the Lord. Think back to the mistakes you made last year. Now ask yourself honestly: “What steps am I taking to avoid repeating them this year?”
We love the saying, “Your future is spotless”, which sounds comforting and almost effortless. As if time alone can repair what is broken in our lives.
But a spotless future doesn’t happen by accident. It requires breaking the habits that stained our past. It means allowing God to deal honestly with what keeps resurfacing — the patterns, reactions, and attitudes that quietly shape who we become. God doesn’t ignore what’s out of place and simply cover our flaws with a coat of paint. Instead, He transforms us by taking away what doesn’t belong in our lives.
God the Sculptor
Dying to self is a process, much like sculpting. Michelangelo once explained how he created his famous statue of King David:
“I simply chip away anything that doesn’t look like David.”
If we truly want to become more like Christ, we must allow God to take His hammer and chisel to our lives. That means letting Him remove anger, pride, bitterness, stubbornness, and selfishness. Anything that doesn’t look like Jesus must be removed, and this spiritual chiseling is painful to the flesh.
Too often, we try to avoid this self-pain by playing the role of sculptor ourselves. We judge, correct, and “fix” others, which ends up causing more harm than good. Imagine how much peace we’d find if we put down the hammer and let the Lord do His work inside of us.
That reminds me of a story:
An elderly man worried that his wife, Ethel, was going deaf. The doctor told him to test her hearing by standing across the room and asking what she was cooking for breakfast — moving closer each time she didn’t respond.
The next morning, he called from the doorway: “Ethel, what’s for breakfast?”
No answer.
He stepped closer: “Ethel… what’s for breakfast?”
Still nothing, so He moved directly behind her and shouted: “ETHEL! WHAT’S FOR BREAKFAST?”
She turned around and snapped, “George! For the third time, HAM AND EGGS!”
Aren’t we all guilty of placing blame on someone else when it could be us who has the problem?
Less Complaining, More Praying
People often say, “I’d be closer to the Lord if I had a different pastor… a different teacher… a different job… etc.” But here’s a truth worth remembering: The more time you spend praying, the less time you’ll spend complaining.
In those quiet places with God, we should ask Him to refine our hearts, not just point out the flaws in others. This month, let’s commit to a resolution that actually lasts: to die to self daily.
In 1 Corinthians 15:31, Paul wrote: “I die daily.”
The amazing truth is this: the more we die to self, the more alive we become in Christ.
A Missionary’s Perspective
When missionary James Calvert set out for the cannibalistic Fiji Islands, the ship’s captain warned him,
“You will lose your life if you go among such savages.” To this, Calvert calmly replied,
“We died before we came here.”
Friends, when we surrender ourselves fully to Christ and give him the chisel, we stop clinging to our own desires and start living fully for His purpose. That’s a New Year’s resolution worth keeping!