Letting Go of Self: From Struggle to Surrender
Inspired by insights from The Green Letters by Miles J. Stanford
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."
— Galatians 2:20
In The Green Letters, Miles Stanford highlights one of the most challenging truths in the Christian journey: the need to confront and surrender the self-life. This self-life—rooted in the fallen nature inherited from Adam—is stubborn, self-reliant, and deeply resistant to yielding control. Yet, it must be exposed and surrendered if we are to experience true growth in Christ.
Stanford explains that spiritual growth begins when the Holy Spirit reveals the depths of our self-life to us. This isn't mere introspection but a God-ordained unveiling of the sinful tendencies that keep us from fully living in Christ. Without this awareness, we may attempt to live for God in our own strength, leading only to frustration and eventual burnout.
The Clay and the Potter
Imagine a potter shaping a lump of clay on the wheel. The clay, on its own, has no power to mold itself. If it could resist the potter's hands, it would only remain an unformed mass. But when the clay yields to the potter's touch, it begins to take shape into something beautiful and useful.
In the same way, our self-life often resists God's shaping hands. We cling to old patterns, trying to live for God while still relying on our own efforts. Yet, it’s only when we stop resisting—when we allow ourselves to be "broken" and molded—that God can form us into vessels that reflect His glory.
Dying to Self, Living in Christ
Stanford points out that our growth begins with recognizing that our old self was crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6). This death isn't something we achieve by effort but something God declares to be true. Our role is to believe and walk in that truth.
This surrender isn’t easy. It feels like loss because the self-life doesn't die quietly. But God uses trials, relationships, and even our own failures to reveal our deep need for Him. In those moments, we learn that victory doesn’t come through self-effort but through resting in the risen life of Christ within us.
Paul described this struggle in Romans 7, realizing that despite his best efforts, he could not do the good he desired. But this painful recognition led him to the liberating truth of Romans 8:1—“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” His failure became the doorway to discovering that the Christian life is not lived by self but by Christ living through us.
Living as New Creations
Our daily calling is to present ourselves to God as those alive from the dead (Romans 6:13), trusting Him to live His life through us. This means ceasing from striving and beginning to rest in His sufficiency. It’s no longer about "trying harder" but about yielding more fully.
We are not called to improve the old self but to leave it behind entirely. As Stanford reminds us, "Self will never cast out self." Only the Holy Spirit can bring us to the end of ourselves and lead us into the freedom of Christ’s life.
A Prayer of Surrender
Father,
Thank You for revealing the areas of my life where self still reigns. I surrender these to You, trusting that my old self was crucified with Christ. Shape me into a vessel for Your purposes. Thank You for patiently teaching me to rest in the truth that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. May Your life flow through me, bringing glory to Your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Final Thought
Spiritual growth is not about self-improvement but self-surrender. Like clay in the hands of the Potter, we are shaped through surrender, not effort. Letting go of self allows Christ to live fully through us, transforming us into vessels of His grace and love.
"For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh."
— 2 Corinthians 4:11