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.” Matthew 16:24
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, 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.” Galatians 2:20
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” Mark 8:35
“that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” Eph. 4:22-23
“And put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Eph. 4:22-24
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24
“Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Rom. 6:11
“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” 1 Peter 4:2
“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” 2 Corinthians 5:15
“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” Colossians 3:9-10
With so many verses from scripture, we should understand that SELF is something God wants to remove from our behavior, from our lives. But we, as humans, are so caught up with ourselves, we do not see the problem. SELF, is pride which means to praise myself.
Throughout scripture, we are commanded to OBEY. But too often we fail to understand that obedience means to give-up SELF. That is where SELF, crosses-the-line into sin. Sin is pride. Sin means to praise myself.
I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. Romans 7:14b-20
Listen to Paul. What he wants to do (a nudge from the Holy Spirit), he ends up not following through. And what he doesn’t want to do (a nudge from SELF/pride), he ends up doing. There is a war between the Holy Spirit and SELF. This battle between the two seeks to control us.