The Last Barrier Of Self-life

In the Old Testament, the word “humble” is used synonymously with subdue and bring low. So, the admonishment to humble yourself before YAHWEH means to bring yourself under permanent subjection to the authority of GOD to the degree that you disable any further resistance to His commands. In other words, will you totally submit yourself under His dominion, or rulership. Now that can sound harsh and restrictive, or it can bring great relief depending on what you know about YAHWEH who himself is life and the giver of life.

It is evident that many see humbling themselves before GOD as too restrictive because they are still living according to their own standards instead of submitting to His rule. Many of those who resist GOD’s dominance in their lives still consider themselves part of GOD’s kingdom. You can’t resist the dominion of the King of kings and still profess to be under His rule. To whomever this contradiction applies, know that you have been deceived, either by an external force like the Slanderer or by your own selfish pride. I am sharing the truth, which is the word of life, and it is worthy of consideration to make sure you are in the Way.

²⁵ For whoever wants to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 16:25 CJB)

The KJV says, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it.” That word “lose” in this text means to destroy or do away with. When GOD draws us from the world for salvation, we go to Him as disastrous DIY projects. In our efforts to build and sustain our own lives, we have taken advice and instruction from many flawed sources. We have also gauged and measured our progress horizontally by other disastrous DIY projects resulting in a false perception of accomplishments. In order to feel good about themselves, people will often build relationships with those that make them feel good about their disastrous DIY project. Again, in all you do in your own strength, wisdom, and judgment to save your life you in effect destroy it. When YESHUA teaches that blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see GOD, He is speaking of a heart that is focused upon Him alone for instruction on how to live and be. The Apostle John writes that YESHUA is the Word of GOD that made all things, so as the Creator of all things He doesn’t need our input or anyone else’s on making us who we were meant to be in order to live the life we were meant to live.

This is why the journey with Christ unto salvation begins at the cross, the destruction of your life. You must do away with your own ideas of who you are, what you are, what you need, what life is, what death is, what is good, what is bad and any other element of you that isn’t subject totally to His rule alone. That is the only way to rescue or save your life.   Are you a Baptist, a Pentecostal, a republican, a democrat, a socialist, a capitalist, an American, an African, a heterosexual, a homosexual, a male or a female, whatever you think you are, if you haven’t given GOD the sole right to decide it, then you haven’t taken up your cross and therefore are still standing at the gate of salvation not fully entered in, and whether you think so or not, your life in GOD’s eyes is still a disaster.

 ¹⁶ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. ¹⁷ Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: ¹⁸ I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. ¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:16-19 KJV)

Trust the whole of your life in the loving and capable hands of Christ. His desire is to give you life in abundance. As your Savior, submit to His decrees expressed in the holy scriptures as affirmed by His Holy Spirit, evident in the world by the unadulterated things He has made. You’ll never see the way until you accept that you are totally lost in darkness without the light of His truth. Cease from your own works and enter the rest of total reliance on GOD, through Christ the Savior. In the times of old GOD sent His prophets unto the people saying,

¹⁶ Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. ¹⁷ Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. ¹⁸ Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. ¹⁹ Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. (Jeremiah 6:16-19 KJV)

Now, in these last times, GOD has come to us Himself in the flesh saying,

²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 KJV)

The Apostle Paul, a converted persecutor of Christians, bares testimony of these things,

¹⁸ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20 NKJV)

GOD has torn down all the barriers between you and Him except for one. The last barrier is for you to destroy, and it is the unsustainable structure of your self-life. Humble yourself in the presence of GOD and He will lift you up into true life.