Day 9 Andrew Murray

Day 9 Andrew Murray

"Here is the path to the higher life: down, lower down! Just as water always seeks and fills the lowest place, so the moment God finds men abased and empty, His glory and power flow in to exalt and to bless."  Andrew Murray

"Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you."  Andrew Murray

You have been called to die.  Doesn’t that sound enticing Christian brothers and sisters?  If that makes you cringe, then you have not fully experienced this death.  The death I speak about is a most joyous, life giving death!  We must remember that we do not operate like the world’s system operates.  We live in a spiritual kingdom that cannot be seen with the naked eye, but must be known by faith.  If we want to go higher, we must go lower, we want more, we must be less, if we want to be seen by God, we must pray in secret.  Do you want to gain?  Then give all!  

It is a shame when ministers of the Gospel try to make the Bible fit into the world’s system and way of doing things.  As if we can have life without death, that we can gain without losing, that we can be exalted in this life by God without first being humbled.  Though it is easier for the flesh to take in, Jesus said, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”  If we want the life of God, the death of self must take place!  This is not optional.  

What does it mean to die to self?  “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:11  The whole chapter of Romans 6 deals with this issue.  It means we are to consider ourselves dead to sin, dead to the flesh, dead to self.  What do I mean by self?  Doesn’t the Word say that God will give us the desires of our hearts?  Yes the Word speaks of many blessings to us, and many great promises that God has for us as His children.  But when I speak of self, I speak of the part of us that wants its own way, its own pleasure, its own satisfaction, even if that means God taking a backseat.  It is the life that says I will do what I want to do and will have God help me with my life.  If you have that attitude you will not gain life, but lose it.  That is self speaking.  But when we surrender on a daily basis to the lordship and sovereignty of God, we will not care about our own desires when compared with God’s desires.  We will put the glory of God far above all our wants, desires and even needs!  When we say, it’s not I who live, but Christ in me, we will begin to live the life God desires for us to live.  A life consumed by doing His will and loving Him with all that we are.  When we begin to lose our life for the sake of Christ, then and only then will we be the most happy and fulfilled!  The only real way to happiness is through holiness.  It is a most wonderful thing to be separated from the wickedness of the world unto the beauty of God.

If we really desire Heaven to live in us and the power of God to rest upon us in a mighty way, we must be humbled.  We must go lower, that Christ in us can rise and go higher!  We must pray as the apostle John that we would decrease, but that Christ would increase.  This is the path that is most devastating to the flesh and to the carnal desires of believers.  Yet this is the path of the Christian.  This is the path of blessing and usefulness to the Lord.  Let us today say we will lift up our arms toward Heaven allowing the death of self to take place, that the life of Christ may reign mightily in us!

Scripture of the Day:  Matthew 16:24,25

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”