I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. (1 Cor. 15:31)

In order for a rose to share its most precious fragrance, it must die. In order for a seed to give its life giving qualities, it must first die. In order for us to be alive in Christ, we must first die to ourselves.

One of the most difficult things in life is to crucify the flesh. It goes against human nature and it just plain hurts! Jesus demonstrated for us how we ought to live our lives and the greatest demonstration He showed was dying. We are not necessarily called to physical death but we are absolutely called to dying to our fleshly appetites and desires. He desires every part of us. He is jealous for our love and attention because of His great love for us.

All things work together for the good! What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul? We must get to the point where we know Him in the fellowship of His suffering. It is so wonderful to be alive to Christ and dead to the world. Such peace and joy that He gives and the authority that is ours to fight the enemy. 

Death to ourselves is a process, not a one time event. When we die to our fleshly desires, we truly live. The trials that Job went through at the hand of Satan were ultimately allowed by God. If God would have never given Satan permission to inflict Job with the multitude of his trials, then Job’s blessings would have been minuscule instead of huge. Job would have never realized the devotion and relationship that he had with God had he never been tested.

So many can not grasp that God could allow sorrows and pain on one of His own. The understanding of this comes through deep relationship with Him. It is when we are weak that He is made strong. Look at those who were beheaded and dropped in boiling oil because of their relationship with God. Could God have stopped their way of exit from this earth into heavenly bliss? Certainly, but He saw something better for them in eternity as Hebrews 11:35 tells us that they will have a better resurrection.

Stay in tune with God and bow to His will. In His will is safety. When we die to our own ways for Him, we live forever.

There is life in death if we know Him.

The Teaching Ministry of Michael Cannatello

TMMC