When Your Old Self Still Has a Grip | Mornings with Mico

yo yo this is day two talking about surrender let's get into it man um today we're gonna be in a pretty famous passage Galatians starting or it's chapter 2 19 and 20 we'll get into that in a minute but um I'm reminded of a time as I was reading this passage I remember it was some years ago and I just was not like I just was not on board like with the way life was going I just was like like life kind of just sucked it was just a season where I was trying to figure things out things weren't going my way and the opportunities that were there weren't things that I wanted to do so just my lot in life I just was like I don't know very disenchanted with man and I remember complaining talking to God about it and just so like I felt so sternly in my spirit the Holy Spirit reminded me of Galatians chapter 2 specifically verse 20 I'll read both of them though I'm starting at verse 19 it says for through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me the life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me and it was the part of the verse where he says I'm I've been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me the life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God and when he remind when the Holy Spirit reminded me of that it was like this this very quick like bro quick complaining this is the life now this is your life this is who you are now this is what this looks like whatever plans you had whatever you thought however you thought things were supposed to go that's you need you gotta die to that that's that's not the case anymore either get on board or don't and it was like I don't know if you ever experienced this but it's those moments when like the Holy Spirit isn't talking to you like trying to console you like a like a baby and it's more talking to you like a coach you know what I'm saying like you need somebody to kind of like get in your grill from time to time and that's how that's how that's that's the way that this you know um felt when the Holy Spirit was communicating this to me man where it was like get on board and it's really kind of like it's one of those verses that's really stuck with me

because it was like that was a that was a pivotal moment in my walk for me to really just get on board with with things and I realized that it wasn't just simply a matter of the Holy Spirit community communicating to me about my behaviors but also my identity like Demico I live through you now and this is what we're this is the season that we're in and this is what it looks like this whole idea of surrender it's not simply about your behavior it's also it's it's it's about your identity Paul didn't say here that I improved my life he said I have been crucified with Christ like that's a stark difference between two man this means that your old identity is no longer in control your life is now anchored in Christ and you don't live for yourself anymore the same way that you once did whatever dreams or aspirations and desires you had like you don't just live for yourself anymore you don't just get to do what you want to do with your life anymore and I feel like I should just let that breathe for a minute because that's like that's something that we have to like embrace that this walk with Christ is not all about you this walk with Christ is more so about dying to you than it being about you surrender though it's not losing yourself it's finding who you were meant to be all alone so much of who we are is built so much of our desires everything is built on our experiencing of the world the way we experience the world the things we see something we saw growing up he dressed like this and I want to dress like and it becomes a part of our identity all of these different things that um the careers we go after or the relationships we find ourselves in we allow so much of the world to inform us about our own identity without even realizing it and so much about this walk as we grow and surrender it's about dying to that and then letting God like build you into the version of you that he designs you to be and that tension is real attention is real because we want new life but we still hold on to the old versions of ourselves we want you know we see it we can conceptualize it that there's more and we desire that we want to grow in that way but we will still find ourselves like getting tripping over our own feet

because we don't realize how much of who we are is like anti-God's plan for us. You know what I'm saying? And anti-God's design of who we are. So we live in that tension trying to die to that. I think that the transformation begins though when we stop asking, who do I want to be? And we start living from who God has already made us to be in Christ. This is, it's just key to this walk. We have to get on board. We have to choose as we grow in our surrender, we have to choose to pivot to this mirror. Okay, God, this is who you call me to be. This is how I see myself. This is how I thought I was supposed to be. This is what I thought I was gonna do in my life. These are the things I desire. These are the things I'm even good at, right? Like these are the things that people celebrate me for. These are the things that, you know, that this is what makes my reputation. And he's like, yeah, die to that because that was all built on sand. That was all built outside of me. That was all, that was the world's way of like keeping you tethered to the world. You're gonna have to die to that and pivot to this mirror and let me tell you who you are. This is who I've called you to be.

This is how I've designed you. This is your identity over here. And I'm not gonna pretend like that's just an easy, quick pivot, but I will tell you that it does get easier over time. There's so much like that, there's so much in dying that just breathes new life in you. Like to have new desires. Imagine desiring the things that God wants for you the way that you once desired the things that were probably displeasing to him. That's your portion. You don't have to live this life, your whole life wanting this over here, but then you have to just bite the bullet and do this over and live this way over here. Like no, as you die, as you grow and surrender, those desires die as well. Those attachments, they die off of you and you find yourself this new person, this new identity with new desires. And now you actually desire the things that he has for you. You actually can identify with like, no, this is who I am now. And that's, for me, been just one of those indicators of growth. Growth, like spiritual maturation, but then you just growth in my surrender, man. Like I just, that is something that like I am going to,

if I could, I would scream it from my grave, surrender, let it go. Because a lot of the things that you're holding on to, whether you realize it or not, it's actually holding on, it has a tighter grip on you. You're holding on to it. And then even as you begin to let it go, you're going to realize like, oh, okay, I'm trying to let this go, but it has a grip on you. And that's a reason, that's part of the whole reason for this surrender, because those things need to die off. Those things need to die off so that we can get in alignment with who God calls us to be. I got three things I want to leave you with as you sit with God today. What parts of your old self are still influencing how you live? The things that, and I keep using the word desires, for me, that's like, that's always been my biggest struggle. You know, those are the things that were most like alive regarding my old self, my desires. It's like, I lived to pursue my desires and sit with God and allow him. Some things you probably gonna know immediately, this is what it is. And then some things we have to let the Holy Spirit search me, oh Lord, and let the Holy Spirit bring to your mind,

what are the things that are of your old self that's still influencing how you live today? Secondly, do your daily decisions reflect your identity in Christ or your old patterns? Take inventory, take inventory of your thoughts, of your actions, of your words. Do these three things, your actions, your words, your thoughts, do these three things, do they align more with your identity in Christ or your old ways, your old patterns? And as you recognize those things, these are things to surrender to God. As we spoke about yesterday, these are some of those things to lay before him, to submit to him and die to these things. That's what that cleansing looks like. We're called to have this intimacy with God, but that's not built on desire alone. It's built on honesty and surrender. You have to get to a place where you can lay before God the things. Be real with them and label for God. These are the things that I'm recognizing that are still Just a part of my old ways man, I know that was a kind of a long-winded one But the third thing what would change if you actually lived your life? Like it's no longer your own That's a very like Maybe in the clouds type question, but I don't know. I think it's healthy for us to Imagine it. I know tour for me towards like the last nine months of my beard That's when I really start to envision or what does this look like?

What would this what would this look like if I was to just? Let go of everything that I'm clinging to and Allow you To live through me if I'm honest, I would say even in that I was still seeing how it benefited me And if that's where you are, that's cool too man We start there right because as you because as you continue to walk with him He'll continue to refine you who will find you he'll refine your motives he'll refine your thoughts and he'll give you a more clearer picture of his way and in all of these categories, but But you sit with that Sit with it. I feel like I want to pray this one out man, or we love you. We thank you We're choosing surrender God As you were once down here in the flesh as well Lord, you know Our pains just as well as we do You know the struggles, you know how real this is Lord, so we thank you for your grace We thank you for your empathy we ask that you just continue to strengthen us and Keep us tethered to you Lord Don't let us fall Don't let us stray too far to the left too far to the right Lord as we're continuing to pursue you Lord We thank you for your grace every time we get up and move towards you father We ask Lord that you just rewrite our identities Actually, you've already given us I didn't make me I surrender grow us and our realization that our identity is is It's in you and not in the things of this world Lord The things that just kind of over complicated and Get in the way of us truly embracing our call to be more like you But We thank you for what you're doing in this process and our hearts and in our minds Grow us grow us concretely in the foundation that our identity is in Christ Proud us in our son in your son Jesus name