Matthew 27:26

“Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”

Jesus commands us to die, carrying our crosses. The Scriptures very clearly command that the Old Man be put to death, for it is only in dying that we can live. So, we are taught to reckon ourselves dead to Self, and alive to God. But this dying of the Old Nature can be a slow and painful process. The Old Nature is a tough and stubborn man, with deep and deceptive roots. The Flesh cheats and slays our good intentions, again and again, leaving us perplexed as to why we are not making sufficient progress in our spiritual walk.

Death is the only solution, but this type of death requires scourging before the final death happens. The Old Nature loves the old ways: old appetites, old desires, and old pursuits. In love, God must usher us through the narrow path of scourging to weaken and reduce the power of Self, before nailing it finally on the cross. When we feel put down, neglected or disregarded, these are some of the processes that lead Self to the cross. Death does not happen suddenly. The scourging, beatings, and emptying are all part of the necessary pathways to the final humiliation and destruction of the Old Nature. Death is the only solution, and for those of us who want to rise with Christ in the newness of resurrection, no other process can lead us there save the slow and painful process of killing this repugnant Old Man.

“My Father, don’t listen to my cries for deliverance. I want to live the fullness of the resurrected life, and I, therefore, accept the slow painful death to my Old Self-Centered nature. Kill me, Lord, that I may live with Christ. Amen.”