*A Self-Driven Man vs Surrendered Man*
> “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” — Luke 9:23
When you are self-driven, your life revolves around your own ambitions, desires, reputation, comfort, and plans. Even spiritually, you may unknowingly seek to use God to fulfill your personal goals. But when you make Jesus Christ truly Lord, you lay down your own will and begin to live for His purpose instead of your own. Your question changes from “What do I want from life?” to “Lord, what do You desire through my life?”
The cross is the dividing line between a self-driven life and a surrendered life. A self-driven person protects self, promotes self, and fights for self-interest. But a surrendered person dies to self so Christ can live fully through him. Paul the Apostle said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” God is not calling you merely to improve your old life — He is calling you to surrender it completely.
When you are driven by self, you seek recognition, control, and personal success. But when you are surrendered to God, obedience becomes greater than convenience, holiness becomes greater than popularity, and God’s approval becomes greater than human applause. Your ambition is replaced by divine assignment.
The most powerful people God used in Scripture were not those full of self-confidence, but those fully yielded to Him. God works deeply through the person who is dead to self but alive unto God. When you surrender completely to Christ, your life stops being self-centered and becomes Christ-centered.
Your brother in Christ,
Apostle Ashok Martin