4 main keys to self denial
24 – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
25 – He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26 – If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” (John chapter 12 verses 24 to 26)
Verses 24 is the focal point as we go deep into understanding self denial and the benefits for anyone who yielded. Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. One thing about self is that it has self justification. It will always give a reason for it doing certains thing that is right. Self left on its own will never yield to certain pressure because it longs for pleasure rather than pressure.
It is an individual’s responsibility to lay down self. Self on it’s own has the tendency to elude oneself and never allow one to manifest. Anyone who is full of self never amount to any thing significant in life. It needs to stick to the knowledge of everyone that self can limit how far one can go in fulfilling destiny. You have the ability to put self under subjection before it stops you from living to accomplish your desires in life.
- Having a clear vision:
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs chapter 29 verses 18)
One of the benefits of vision is that it helps one to pay the price that will enable him or her to conquer self. Nobody denies himself of anything without a reason. One of the greatest virtues in life is to subdue self. Vision discipline people! Vision is a prepared picture for a beautiful future. If you can’t see a better tomorrow, you can’t make it to achieve a better tomorrow. People ordinarily can’t go the extra mile to do anything if they could not picture the beautiful ending.
People cannot do thing if they did not see something that will make them do it. You can’t attain to greatness if you don’t see greatness. Anytime you want God to work for you, give Him what He will work with. It is the end point that determines the motion. It is in individual’s power and it is individual’s responsibility to keep the vision alive. Once the vision is in view, there is greater opportunity to achieve it. Self will be disciplined to align fully to the achievement of a desire vision.
- Preferred Picture:
The picture you have concerning yourself will help you discipline self. No one will have a great picture of him or herself and be living as though life has nothing meaningful about it. Having an understanding of who you are will go a long way of placing discipline to yourself. The picture you have about yourself will help position you in the right track to live and fulfill purpose.
“And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” (Habakkuk chapter 2 verses 2)
- Give yourself to knowledge and understanding:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hosea chapter 4 verses 6)
When people get the right knowledge they need, that will enable them to discipline self for proper alignment to fulfilling the course of destiny. Knowledge is the potential you carry within you. Knowledge is the light that shine away the darkness on the path to destiny fulfillment. Knowledge is the fuel that keeps one going through all the rough path to fulfilling purpose and achieving a desired end.
Depending on what your desire is, you must pay to acquire the knowledge of what you want to achieve in life. You cannot successfully walk through the path of destiny fulfillment without having enough knowledge of the path. Your light gets quenched wherever your knowledge stop. You cannot walk further than the knowledge you have. If not, you might mess up whatever you started at first.
- Discipline:
“I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” (1Corianthians chapter 9 verses 27 NLT)
In the equation of life and the fulfilment of purpose, knowledge is never enough. It takes discipline for one to completely align on the course to fulfill destiny. No matter the amount of knowledge one acquires, if he or she is not disciplined, he or she will be trapped on the way. Discipline is the key to navigate through the odd of life. Greatness is for those who are disciplined enough in life.
No matter how acquiring knowledge is beautiful, people will want to know how disciplined you are. It is never men or women with higher education that make it in live, it is men or women of high discipline that make it in life. Knowledge is never enough, discipline must abide. One can acquire as much exposure as he or she desires, discipline is the driving force that will get him or her to the desired end.
Conclusion:
1 – “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2 – And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 – For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Habakkuk chapter 2 verses 1 to 3)
What decides one’s greatness in life, is what he or she does daily. Great people structure their lives. In the act of discipline, there are things you will let go and there are new things you have to allow into your life. It takes discipline for self to be subdued and aligned.
