Are you living the “I, Me, My and Mine” aka self-life?
Please examine yourself now!
Truly, we live in the last days, and the perilous times have come (2Tim 3:1-4). The denial of God and the love of the self now dominate the affairs of the life of many men.
For the secular world, this is expected. But when a person styles himself as being a Christian and the love of self dominates his life, it is a disaster to say the least and his ultimate ruin is only awaiting the Day of Judgment as then he would be found to be an impostor.
The following are some of the features and manifestations of the self-life. This is the life of “I, Me, My and Mine” that dominates and rules in the life of the ungodly. This lifestyle is supposed to be foreign to the true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
But before you say “amen, am in the kingdom of God for I belong to the Lord” please read this piece meditatively following up the Scripture references.
Don’t be outside the kingdom of God
This is because there are men who are outside the kingdom of God and do not belong to the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. These outsiders, because of long association with true believers have become so thoroughly deceived that they now think they are believers simply because they carry the bible, attend Christian meetings and events, speak the language and make the gestures and many even have what they call the mannerisms of believers whatever that is.
Remember, we are still in the time of grace: it is the Lord appealing to you through His ambassadors of reconciliation as if begging you to be reconciled to God for your own good(2Cor 5:20).
However, when this period of grace is over, and if you have allowed this opportunity to be reconciled with God through the precious blood of Jesus Christ to pass away without availing yourself of it, it will be you entreating God. However by that time even your bitter cries will avail for nothing for it will be time for judgment.
The Holy Spirit alone can interpret and apply this to your individual case.
As you read, examine yourself in the very presence of God. The real character of a person is hidden in (and is the hidden man of) the heart but manifests outwardly in their conduct. Hence most of what is to be examined are hidden and may only be known by you through the help of the Holy Spirit, our helper.
Remember that you may mean well and be sincere and still be wrong. So please take this self-examination seriously.
I do pray that my language will not be so offensive to you that you will neglect this all important exercise.
This may happen especially if you are a scorner and hate to be reproved (Pr. 13:1; 14:6).
Start the examination NOW!
Do you by any chance habour any of these?
1. A secret spirit of pride?(Pro 16:18; 20:6; 25:14; Rom 12:3; Jam 4:6).
- Or an exalted feeling in view of your success or position:
- Because of your
- good training or appearance;
- race or colour;
- natural gifts and abilities;
- a self-important, independent spirit.
2. Love of human praise? (John 5:44; 12:42-43; 1Cor 4:6, 13:4).
- A secret fondness to be noticed;
- Love of supremacy, drawing attention to self in conversation;
- A swelling out of self when you have had a special open door in speaking or praying?
3. Anger and impatience? (Ps 37:8; Pro 14:29; Ecc.7:9; Luke 21:19; Eph. 4:26; Jam 1:19-20).
- The stirrings of this anger and impatient, to worsen the situation, you call nervousness or holy indignation;
- A touchy, sensitive spirit;
- A disposition to resent and retaliate when disapproved of or contradicted;
- A desire to throw sharp, harsh, heated remarks at another.
4. Self-will? (Deut. 1:43, 28:15; Mal 2:2; Jam 3:17; 2Pet 2:10, 20, 3:3; Jude 8, 16).
- A stubborn, unteachable spirit;
- An arguing, talkative spirit;
- Harsh, sarcastic expressions;
- An unyielding, headstrong disposition;
- A driving, commanding spirit;
- A critical spirit;
- A disposition to criticize and pick flaws when set aside and unnoticed;
- A peevish, fretful spirit;
- A disposition that loves to be coaxed and humoured.
5. Carnal fear? (Gen 12:12, 26:7; 1Sam 15:24; Pro 29:25; Luke 12:4; Rom 8:15; Gal 2:12; 1John 4:18).
- A man-fearing spirit;
- A shrinking from reproach and duty;
- Reasoning around your cross;
- A shrinking-from-doing-your-whole-duty to those of wealth or position;
- A fearfulness that someone will offend and drive some prominent person away;
- A compromising spirit.
6. A jealous disposition? (Gen 26:12-16; 1Sam 18:8-9; Pro 6:34, 14:30, 27:4; Mat 21:15; Rom 12:9-10).
- A secret of envy shut up in your heart;
- An unpleasant sensation in view of the great prosperity and success of another;
- A disposition to speak of the faults and failings, rather than the gifts and virtues of those more talented and appreciated than yourself.
7. A dishonest, deceitful disposition? (Ps 15:2-3, 44:21; Isa 29:13; Jer. 17:9; Mat 23:28; Luke 22:48; Acts 5:2-3; Rom 16:18; Eph. 4:19; Col 3:9; 1Tim 4:2).
- The evading and covering of the truth;
- The covering up of your real faults;
- Leaving a better impression of yourself than is strictly true;
- False humility;
- Exaggeration;
- Straining or economising the truth.
8. Unbelief? (Ps 37:5; Isa 7:9; Luke 12:28-30; Rom 8:5-7; 1Cor 1:18, 2:14; Heb. 11:6, 13:5; 1Pet 5:7; Jude 19).
- A spirit of discouragement in times of pressure and opposition;
- Lack of quietness and confidence in God;
- Lack of faith and trust in God;
- A disposition to worry and complain in the midst of pain, poverty, or at the dispensations of Divine Providence;
- An overanxious feeling whether everything will come out all right.
9. Hypocritical spirit? (Mat 6:2; 7:5; 15:7-8; 23:13).
- Holier than thou attitude;
- Obstacle in the way of others
- Great pretender, imitating the character of others with intent to deceive
- Doing things for show;
- Love the limelight and crave the praise of men;
- Expert in externality of religion;
- Deceitful disposition
10. Formality and deadness? (Mat 15:14; 1Tim 6:5; 2Tim 3:5; Rev 2:4; 3:1).
- Lack of concern for lost souls;
- Dryness and indifference;
- Lack of power with God.
11. Selfishness? (Ps 52:7; Jer. 17:11; Amos 6:1-6; Luke 12:19-21; 1Tim. 5:6, 6:10-11; Jam 5:5).
- Love of ease;
- Love of money.
This list is by no means exhaustive and you can and should indeed add numerous others. However, these are some of the traits, which generally dominate in the unbelieving heart, the carnal heart that is enmity to God (Rom 8:6-7).
Please, do not get me wrong: I am not saying that all these or even a large portion must be present in every situation. However, some will be present in various combinations. Whatever the case may be, remember that it takes only one sin to damn the soul.
Start with these. By prayer, hold your heart open to the searchlight of God until you see the very insides thereof.
Let your sincere and fervent heart-cry to God be: “Search me, 0 God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me.” (Ps 139:23-24).
Why would you continue to be at enmity to the God you claim you serve and who has done many good things for you?
The Holy Spirit will enable you, by confession and faith, to bring your “I, Me, My and Mine” aka self-life to the death. Do not patch over, but go to the very bottom and clean out all the dross.
Yes, as you discover anything that is sinful, repent and forsake them and ask the Lord for a new heart, to restore the joy of His salvation to you and lead you in the way of everlasting life (Ps 51:10-12; 139:24).
This alone is what is right and the way to go.
Perhaps I have been presumptuous in my assumption that you even have come in contact with Christianity not to think that you may already have known the Lord but are in a backslidden state.
Please, pardon my ignorance if you have never known the Lord Jesus Christ and the Biblical Christian Faith.
However, it is not too late for you to know the Lord.
Everyone knows that death ends the existence on this earth. But it is frightening if your destination is uncertain. Many push resolving this issue out of the mind until too late. Surely you are wiser than that.
Reading this piece thus far tells me that you probably are seeking the truth about what life is all about.
Permit me to ask you this question: “If you die before you finish reading this note, do you have the assurance that you would be in heaven?”
Put another way: “Are you prepared to meet God, your creator if He were to ask for your life NOW?”
Please, think. This may be the last opportunity to make things right before it is too late.
The BIBLE TALKS of three things a person must know and of one step that must be taken to be reconciled to God and go to heaven:
- “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).
This means that in God’s opinion, we fall short of His standard. All were created by God and belong to God. God alone sets the standard for all and in everything.
2. “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23).
- “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezek. 18:4).
- “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” (Ezek. 18:20).
- “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Rom 5:12).
Sin has a very serious consequence: death. Our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in Hell.
3. “But God commendeth His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).
- Even in our sin, God continued to show us His love and demonstrated this love by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. He thus gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16).
- The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to die for our sins. He has paid the price that no sinner could pay:
- “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” (Rom 3:24-25).
- “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1John 2:2).
- “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1John 4:10).
All that the sinner needs to do now is to accept the sacrifice that Christ has made on his behalf and appropriate it as his own.
4. One step that must be taken: 1. Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Saviour and your Lord NOW.
- “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom 10:9-10).
- “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).
- And remember the Lord Jesus Christ’s personal invitation to you:
- “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mat 11:28-30).
All that appropriate the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him.
- Ask Him to be your Saviour by praying to Him NOW. Yes, arise and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to become your Saviour and your Lord NOW by praying to Him from your heart meaning everything you say to Him. Don’t know what to pray?
- Here is a sample prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I now know and accept that I am a sinner. I deserve to pay the penalty for my sins, but realize that I don’t have the means to pay. I agree and accept that You came to the world and died in my place and thus paid for my sins. From this moment, I want You to be my Saviour and my Lord. I will Trust, Depend and Obey You in everything for the rest of my life. Thank you for saving me my Saviour and my Lord. Amen.
Please, remember that this is just the beginning of a life-long journey with the Lord.
5. To continue earnestly on your spiritual journey, start along with the following:
- Look for a bible-believing church around you to be attending.
- Fellowship with other believers as you have opportunity
- Pray daily for others and yourself.
- Read your bible daily asking for the Holy Spirit to explain the word of God to you.
- Witness to others about Jesus Christ
May our God guide and uphold you in Jesus’ name, Amen.