The natural life itself is not sinful. But we must abandon sin,
having nothing to do with it in any way whatsoever. Sin belongs to hell
and to the devil. I, as a child of God, belong to heaven and to God. It
is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself,
my natural independence, and my self-will. This is where the battle has
to be fought. The things that are right, noble, and good from the
natural standpoint are the very things that keep us from being God’s
best. Once we come to understand that natural moral excellence opposes
or counteracts surrender to God, we bring our soul into the center of
its greatest battle. Very few of us would debate over what is filthy,
evil, and wrong, but we do debate over what is good. It is the good that
opposes the best. The higher up the scale of moral excellence a person
goes, the more intense the opposition to Jesus Christ. “Those who are
Christ’s have crucified the flesh . . . .” The cost to your natural life
is not just one or two things, but everything. Jesus said, “If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself. . .” (Matthew 16:24).
That is, he must deny his right to himself, and he must realize who
Jesus Christ is before he will bring himself to do it. Beware of
refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.
The natural life is not spiritual, and it can be made spiritual only
through sacrifice. If we do not purposely sacrifice the natural, the
supernatural can never become natural to us. There is no high or easy
road. Each of us has the means to accomplish it entirely in his own
hands. It is not a question of praying, but of sacrificing, and thereby
performing His will.
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