Alanna Jennings: Dying to Self

How dare I presume to write on such a topic when I do so many things, great and small, each day to preserve the “self-life”? I perceive that many of us find ourselves in the same place, and so, perhaps even a little light on the topic many be of some assistance in illuminating the pathway towards truth and life, which will surely lead to freedom from bondage to those things in us that are contrary to the will and purposes of God.

Perhaps this article might best be titled “Dying to Live”, for that is most assuredly the goal of learning to put the flesh under, that the indwelling presence of the living Messiah might have full sway in our lives and absolute control over our souls.

Many of us have spent a lifetime allowing (and still allow at times) our flesh, with its wants, wishes, desires and opinions to control our souls (our thoughts, will and emotions). If my hearts desire, like that of King David, is: “I will be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness”, Psalm 17:15, then I must be ruthless, with the aide of the Holy Spirit, with everything that would hinder that godly desire from being fulfilled.

In Mark 8:34-36, Jesus clearly tells us, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”

How often we rise up in the morning with the best of intentions, and take up our cross and seek to follow Christ. Unfortunately, having skipped the invaluable and unavoidable first step of denying ourselves, we find ourselves powerless to carry the cross, as the self life requires a great deal of strength to carry and feed throughout the day, and I personally find that mine demands most of my attention if I haven’t dealt with it first. It is vain to ask God to set us free from ourselves if we retain one single thing that feeds that same self life!

If we fail to deny self, perhaps the strongest among us may conjure up enough strength to take up the cross, only to find that it is one of our own making, and not HIS cross. We then find ourselves trudging through the day under an unnatural weariness, a “woe-is-me” attitude, and a bit of a martyr complex, wondering how Jesus could have proclaimed “My yoke (read: cross) is easy and My burden is light”, Matt. 11:3. Here, yoke is zugos in the Geek – meaning, joined, coupled in servitude, the beam of the balance in a pair of scales. We will never experience the reality of Jesus’ proclamation unless we are in the cross of His making – the cross prepared expressly for us daily, meant to be shared in balanced coupling with Him. We will never know the “ease” of servitude until, like Paul; we learn to reckon ourselves dead.

The Apostle Paul was able to state, “I die daily”, I Cor. 15:31, making it clear that this process of dying to self is a daily occurrence. I personally find it to be and hour by hour, even moment by moment experience because my flesh seems to have an amazing power to raise itself from the dead. Or does it? Perhaps it is just that the enemy of my soul has me deceived into thinking that it does, so that I will behave as though it does.

Hence the need to understand Paul’s statement from Roman 6:11, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Reckon – logizomai – is a mathematical, accounting term, used only once it scripture. It means, to number, to conclude, to count, to reason, to think, to take inventory. The bottom line, literally, is that when you add it all up – our being dead to sin is a finished work. Our sarx, sinful nature, was crucified with Christ. Unfortunately, the children of God live so little in the reality of the overcoming life appropriated for us on the Cross of Christ.

And so, where do we begin to live this life of denying ourselves, or dying to self daily? We start where all things pertaining to the Word of God begin; with believing.

Jesus said, “"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:12-14

What an amazing promise we have, not only concerning the subject at hand, but concerning all of the promises of God – if we only believe. If I can believe what Galatians 2:20 tells me, that – “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me”; then I can continually reckon myself dead to sin.

By thanking my Beloved Savior for His finished work on the cross, I can joyfully proclaim with the Apostle Paul, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
I Cor. 15:57-58.

Renewing our minds by the continual washing of the words of life pertaining to the finished work of the cross will eventually enlighten the eyes of our understanding, that the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation might make this great truth life to our whole body, soul and spirit. If we meditate on the Way, it will eventually lead us to Truth. If we meditate on the Truth, it will eventually become transforming life in us.

And so, beloved brothers and sisters, let us do as Jesse Penn-Lewis suggests in her book, “Dying to Live”; “Let us choose this path of giving ourselves over to the hand of God, to be handed over to the fellowship of His Son, for the manifestation of His life, and the outflow of His life to others”.

If we fail to obey this great command to deny ourselves, our capacity to advance the Kingdom of God in any great measure will be substantially limited, our abilities hindered, and many of our efforts fruitless. Therefore, let us throw off every weight that so easily hinders; and let us take the Kingdom by force. With valiant and violent hearts, let us seize the days while we may, for time rarely favors the designs of conservative men.

And, while we’re at it, let us endeavor to die as gracefully as possible!



Dying Gracefully
Alanna Jennings


All around me Autumn leaves are falling,
I hear my Father’s voice so softly calling;
“Will you die as gracefully as these?”
“Would you joyfully shed your useless leaves?”

The trees show me there’s beauty in the dying,
And so I yield, on Christ alone relying.
Lord, strip my life of all that’s not of Thee,
This death will lead to life, thus I am free.

To be like Christ, to keep self from the throne,
Forsaking self, I’ll trust in you alone.
Amidst the storms, I’ll cling to God each hour,
And place my confidence in His great power.

I look to You for strength, and not in vain;
Lord give me grace to bear the cleansing flame.
The flesh must die, O God, spare not the pain,
For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.