Die to live!

In the gospel of John chap. 12:24, Jesus says “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.” (KJV)

This concept of death is hard for most men to grasp. Jesus is not talking about physical death, he is talking about change. Alone the seed is really meaningless, but buried in the ground and nurtured, it becomes something totally different. It becomes a plant that can bear much fruit that in turn can bring nourishment to many people.

Embracing this process is difficult, but it is how you grow as a man. This type of change requires you to come face to face with issues in your life that may be stunting your growth. These issues could include such things as pride, lust or other habits that may be getting in the way of you becoming all that God would have you to become. It could mean facing fear, unforgiveness or anxiety. I know that every man has their own unique battle to fight so that he can die to live. Fighting that battle with Jesus by your side however will be worth it! I have learned that there are two types of pain in this world, the pain of change and the pain of regret.

Trust me the pain of the latter is much more intense than the pain of the former! So go ahead and die to your old self and old habits, so that you can live and become the new you. Confront those issues in your life that you need to confront. If you are dealing with them, there are other men that are dealing with them too. Please don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are far too many people waiting to see what type of fruit you are going to produce for you to stay in seed form.

Remember you have to die in order to live!

—Carlos Phillips

Healed Without Scars Ministries www.hwsministries.org