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THE CRUCIFIXION of Self: Watchman Nee Reveals the SECRET to a LIFE of POWER | WATCHMAN NEE'S PRAYERS | YouTubeToText
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Core Theme
The core theme is that the Christian life is not about imitating Christ or improving one's natural self, but about allowing Christ to live through the believer, which is achieved by recognizing the crucifixion of the self and embracing complete dependence on Him.
Have you ever wondered why so many
Christians live defeated lives despite
knowing all the promises of victory?
Look around you. See how many of us
carry Bibles, attend services, and pray
fervently, yet we remain trapped in the
same anxieties, the same habits, and the
same cycles of frustration. Why does the
abundant and overflowing life that
Christ promised seem to slip through our
fingers like water? Are we fundamentally
misunderstanding what it means to follow
Christ? Before we continue, check if
you're subscribed to this channel so
that the Lord can continue guiding you
through these messages. Every word
shared here is the result of prayer and
a quest for the truth that sets us free.
Watchman Knee in his profound
reflections on the Christian life taught
us that the greatest obstacle to
experiencing the fullness of Christ is
not external circumstances or even the
devil but something much more intimate
and subtle, our own natural life, our
uncride self and not I but Christ, wrote
Paul in Galatians 2:20. This is not a
poetic phrase or an unattainable ideal.
It is a precise description of the
normal Christian life, the life that God
planned for each of us. The fundamental
problem we face is not a lack of
biblical knowledge or spiritual
disciplines. Many of us know what we
should do. Yet, we find ourselves unable
to live according to that knowledge.
Why? Because we try to live the
Christian life in our own strength. We
attempt to imitate Christ rather than
allowing him to live through us. This is
the crucial difference that watchman
knee consistently emphasized. It is not
about imitation but about manifestation.
In Romans 7 18, Paul confesses, "For I
know that nothing good dwells in me,
that is in my flesh. For I have the
desire to do what is right, but not the
ability to carry it out." How many of us
recognize this daily struggle? We want
to love, but we discover hatred in our
hearts. We want to be patient yet we
explode in irritation. We want to trust
but we are consumed by anxiety. This is
the conflict that arises when we try to
produce the fruit of the spirit through
human effort. The solution is not in
trying harder. It's not in accumulating
more knowledge. It's not in multiplying
our religious activities. The solution,
as Watchman Knee insisted, lies in
recognizing the complete failure of our
human resources and accepting the
finished work of the cross. And those
who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with its passions
and desires. Galatians 5:24.
This is not something we do once at our
conversion. It is a reality we need to
apply moment by moment. When I first
encountered the writings of Watchman
Nay, I was confronted with a truth that
revolutionized my understanding of the
gospel. He wrote, "God will never
attempt to improve our old nature. He
condemns it to death." This statement
profoundly shocked me. For years, I had
tried to reform my nature, improve my
temperament, control my thoughts, and
all I achieved was spiritual exhaustion.
I had never realized that God is not
interested in improving the old man but
in completely replacing it with the life
of his son. The crucifixion of self is
not an abstract theological concept. It
is the gateway to true freedom. When we
accept that our old nature was judged
and executed with Christ on the cross,
we stop struggling to improve it. We
cease to be disappointed by our failures
because we no longer trust in ourselves.
We begin to look to Christ as our only
hope, our one source of life. Watchman
Knee taught us that the cross is not
only the place where the sinner is
saved, but also where the disciple is
made. Many Christians experience the
cross for salvation, but they never
experience it for sanctification. They
receive Christ's forgiveness but not his
life. They take pride in justification
but continue to struggle in their own
strength for sanctification. Reflect on
Romans 6:11. In the same way, consider
yourselves dead to sin but alive to God
in Christ Jesus. Notice the verb
consider. Paul does not say become dead
to sin as if it's something we need to
achieve. He says to consider it as a
fact that has already happened. This is
faith accepting as true what God
declares even when our feelings suggest
otherwise. When you wake up in the
morning and feel spiritually weak. When
old desires seem as alive as they always
were. When your natural temperament
seems to dominate every reaction. In
that moment you have a choice to trust
your perceptions or to trust the word of
God. Watchman Knee constantly
emphasized, "Faith does not create
facts. Faith recognizes facts." The fact
is that you died with Christ. The fact
is that you were raised with him. The
fact is that your life is now hidden
with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3. How
does this apply practically? When
temptation arises, do not fight against
it with carnal determination. Instead
declare, "I have no ability in myself to
resist this, but it is no longer I who
live, but Christ who lives in me, and in
his strength, I refuse this temptation."
When irritation rises, do not try to
suppress it through willpower. Recognize
this irritation comes from my natural
life, which was crucified with Christ. I
do not need to obey it for I now live by
the life of Christ. In the spiritual
man, Watchman Nay wrote, "The cross is
the place where God puts an end to the
natural man. The Holy Spirit then builds
what is of Christ upon those ruins." And
this is a revolutionary truth. God does
not build upon our natural life. He
completely removes it in order to
establish something altogether new. our
education, our natural talents, our
personality. All of this must be taken
to the cross before it can be used by
God. This explains why so many talented
Christians often produce so little
lasting spiritual fruit. They are
serving God with their uncrcified
natural abilities. As Watchman Nay
warned, the work of God done with human
effort will have no eternal value. This
is terrifying to consider how much of
our Christian service is simply
religious activity powered by the flesh
rather than by the spirit. Have you ever
experienced this exhausting cycle? You
serve, work, give, sacrifice, yet you
still feel empty inside. You preach to
others but fear being disqualified. You
counsel people with the word but find no
comfort for yourself. This is the
inevitable result when we try to serve
God in our own strength. The answer
again lies in the cross. Unless a grain
of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains alone. But if it dies, it
bears much fruit. John 12:24. Watchman
knee saw in this verse the fundamental
principle of all Christian life and
service. Death precedes life. There are
no shortcuts. There are no alternatives.
If we want to experience resurrection,
we must first go through crucifixion.
This is a hard message in our age of
instant gratification. We want spiritual
growth without death to self. We want
power without surrender. We want fruit
without sacrifice. But the way of Christ
is clear. If anyone wants to come after
me, let him deny himself, take up his
cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24.
When we study the life of Jesus, we see
this principle in action. He constantly
affirmed, "The Son can do nothing by
himself." John 5 Nin, "And the words
that I say to you, I do not speak on my
own." John 14:10. Jesus, although being
God incarnate, lived in complete
dependence on the Father. This is the
pattern for our Christian life. Not
spiritual independence, but complete
dependence. One of Watchman knee's
deepest insights was his understanding
of the true meaning of surrender. He
wrote, "Surrender is not offering
something to God. It is recognizing that
we have nothing to offer." This turns
our common understanding upside down. We
think of surrender as an act of
generosity, giving our life to God, but
true surrender is an act of honesty. We
recognize that we never had real control
over our lives in the first place. This
surrender leads to liberation. When we
stop trying to be what we are not, we
can finally rest in who Christ is in us.
When we cease trying to produce what we
cannot produce, we can enjoy what Christ
has already produced. As Paul wrote, "I
have been crucified with Christ. It is
no longer I who live, but Christ who
lives in me. And the life I now live in
the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave himself for
me. Galatians 2:20. Consider this
liberating truth. You do not need to
strive to be holy. You do not need to
struggle to be patient. You do not need
to work to be loving. All of this, every
virtue, every strength, every grace that
you need is already available in Christ
who lives in you. Your responsibility is
not to produce these qualities but
simply to allow Christ to manifest them
through you. How does this work
practically? Watchman Knee used the
analogy of the branch and the vine.
Jesus said, "I am the vine. You are the
branches. The one who remains in me and
I in him produces much fruit. For apart
from me, you can do nothing." John 15:5.
The branch does not strive to produce
fruit. It simply remains connected to
the vine. The sap flows naturally from
the vine to the branch, producing fruit
effortlessly and without anxiety.
Similarly, your Christian life should
not be marked by constant effort but by
constant abiding. When you find yourself
struggling, it is a sign that you are
trying to produce something on your own
rather than receiving what Christ has
already completed. Struggling is always
a sign that we are operating in the
flesh, not in the spirit. This does not
mean passivity. Watchman Nay was careful
to distinguish surrender from spiritual
laziness. He wrote, "Letting Christ live
through us requires our active
cooperation, but not our independent
energy. There is a participation on our
part, but it is a participation of
faith, not of effort, of obedience, not
initiative. Romans 8:13 clarifies this.
If by the spirit you put to death the
deeds of the body, you will live. Notice
the combination. We put to death, but by
the spirit. There is an action on our
part, but it is an action energized by
the spirit, not by the flesh. This is
the delicate balance of the Christian
life that watchman knee understood so
well. This truth transforms our prayer
life. Many of us approach prayer as a
way to persuade God to do what we want.
We fervently ask for patience, love,
strength, as if God were withholding
these things until we plead. But
watchman knee reminded us that prayer is
not convincing God to give what he
hasn't given but receiving by faith what
he has already provided. In Christ we
have already received all things
pertaining to life and godliness. Second
Peter 1:3. Everything we need to live a
holy and fruitful life has already been
given. True prayer then is not about
asking for more but about thanking God
for what we already have and exercising
faith to access what already belongs to
us in Christ. This understanding also
transforms our perspective on trials
when we face difficulties. Our natural
tendency is to pray for God to remove
them. However, watchman knee viewed
trials as divine instruments meant to
expose our insufficiency and lead us
into a deeper dependence on Christ. He
wrote, "God will allow circumstances in
your life that will bring you to the end
of yourself so that you may discover the
riches of Christ. E. When you encounter
situations that exceed your ability to
bear, when a difficult relationship
tests your patience to the limit, when a
financial crisis challenges your faith,
when illness shakes your confidence.
These are not interruptions in your
spiritual life. They are opportunities
to discover that Christ is sufficient
where you are insufficient. They are
invitations to experience the reality of
2 Corinthians 12:9. My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness. Many Christians
live in constant frustration because
they expect from themselves what only
Christ can produce. They are committed
to living for Christ but have never
learned to live from Christ. They know
Christ as savior but not as life. As
Watchman knee wrote, salvation is not
just Christ giving something to you. It
is Christ giving himself to you. This
explains why so many Christians
experience highs and lows in their
spiritual lives. When circumstances are
favorable, when they are well-rested and
in good health, when there are no
extraordinary pressures, they seem
spiritually strong. But when stress
increases, when temptation intensifies,
when fatigue sets in, their spirituality
quickly evaporates. The problem is that
they are living from natural strength,
not from the life of Christ. Natural
strength is limited and fluctuating. The
life of Christ is infinite and
consistent. Paul testified, "I can do
all things through Christ who
strengthens me." Philippians 4:13.
Notice the present tense of the verb.
Not strengthened but strengthens. A
continuous action moment by moment. You
might be wondering, how do I access this
life? How do I move from theory to
experience? Watchman knee provided three
practical steps that remain relevant
today. First, recognize the complete
failure of your natural life. As long as
you think you have something to offer
God, some strength, some virtue, some
ability, you will continue to rely on
yourself instead of on Christ. Repeated
failure is not an accident in your
Christian life. It is God's method of
bringing you to the end of yourself.
Don't fight against it. Learn from it.
Let each failure convince you more
deeply. Without Christ, I can do
nothing. Second, accept by faith that
you were crucified with Christ. This is
not something you need to accomplish. It
is something you need to recognize. The
execution has already taken place. Your
old nature has already been judged and
crucified with Christ. As Paul declared,
"Knowing this that our old man is
crucified with him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth we
should not serve sin." Romans 6:6. This
is an objective truth, not a subjective
experience. You accept it by faith, even
when your feelings contradict it. Third,
live moment by moment in conscious
dependence on Christ. Just as you
received Christ by faith at the
beginning of your Christian life,
continue to receive his life by faith,
moment by moment. Before each task,
acknowledge your inability and rely on
Christ's capability. Before each
interaction, confess your lack of love
and receive Christ's love. Before each
decision, admit your lack of wisdom and
trust in Christ's wisdom. Watchman Knee
described this life as walking according
to the spirit. Romans 8:4. It's not a
complex technique, but rather an
attitude of momentto- moment dependence
on Christ. It involves continuously
recognizing, I don't have what is needed
for this situation, but Christ in me
does. and I am counting on him. This
truth transforms not only our personal
lives but also our Christian service.
Much of what is called Christian work
today is done in the energy of the
flesh, not in the energy of the spirit.
We confuse activity with spirituality
and production with fruitfulness. But
watchman knee warned, "What begins in
the flesh will end in the flesh. Work
produced by human effort may impress
people, but it won't fulfill God's
eternal purposes. Jesus made this clear
in John 15:4 to5. Abide in me and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you unless you abide in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches. He
who abides in me and I in him bears much
fruit. For without me you can do
nothing. Notice the contrast. Much fruit
versus nothing. There is no middle
ground. We either produce much fruit
through the life of Christ or we produce
nothing of eternal value through our own
efforts. This is a sobering truth but
also a liberating one. It frees us from
the pressure to produce results through
our own ingenuity or effort. Perhaps you
have experienced this freedom briefly.
moments when deeply aware of your
inadequacy. You simply surrendered to
Christ and to your surprise experienced
a power and peace that clearly were not
your own. You spoke words you hadn't
planned, demonstrated love you didn't
naturally feel, faced situations with a
courage you knew you didn't possess. In
those moments, you tasted what it means
to say, "Not I, but Christ." The
challenge is to make these moments the
norm, not the exception. It's about
learning to live continually in the
truth that you have died and your life
is now hidden with Christ in God. It's
about setting aside not just your sins,
but also your virtues, your talents,
your abilities, everything that could
become a basis for confidence in the
flesh. One of Watchman Knee's most
insightful observations was that our
natural ability is often the greatest
obstacle to God's operation. Those who
are naturally patient struggle to
recognize their need for the patience of
Christ. Those who are naturally
intelligent rarely experience the wisdom
of God that confounds the wise. Our
strength becomes our weakness precisely
because we trust in it instead of
trusting in Christ. This explains why
God sometimes allows even mature
Christians to fail in areas of natural
strength. The eloquent preacher suddenly
finds himself at a loss for words. The
wise counselor suddenly has no answers
for his own problem. The strong leader
suddenly feels indecisive. These
apparent failures are actually acts of
divine mercy. Reminders that even our
best qualities must be crucified in
order for Christ to live through us. It
sounds strange, doesn't it? That we need
to die to live. That we must become weak
to be strong. That we need to
acknowledge that in us, that is in our
flesh, nothing good dwells in order to
experience the uncarchable riches of
Christ. This is the madness of the cross
that confounds the wisdom of the world
but reveals itself as the power and
wisdom of God to those who believe. The
truth is that none of us are living the
normal Christian life as God intended.
We are all to varying degrees trying to
add Christ to our natural lives instead
of allowing him to replace our natural
life with his. We are trying to improve
what God condemned to death. We are
trying to strengthen what God determined
to weaken. We are trying to preserve
what God decided to crucify. As Watchman
knee wrote, "Many Christians are trying
to be humble, loving, and patient." But
you cannot be humble. You can only
receive humility from Christ. You cannot
be loving. You can only receive love
from Christ. You cannot be patient. You
can only receive patience from Christ.
Every virtue we attempt to produce on
our own is evidence that we do not fully
understand the gospel. Yet the gospel is
not only the message that Christ died
for our sins, but also that we died with
Christ so that he can live through us.
The first half of the gospel deals with
the penalty of sin. The second half
deals with the power of sin. We need
both to experience the abundant life
that Jesus promised. John 10:10. Many of
us are living in the consequences of a
half gospel. We have been freed from the
guilt of sin, but we are still fighting
against its power using our own
strength. We have been saved by the
blood of Christ, but we have not yet
learned to live by the life of Christ.
As a result, we experience a Christian
life of intermittent defeat, constant
frustration, and a persistent feeling
that there must be something more. And
there is more. There is the transforming
reality that Paul describes, Christ in
you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27.
There is the liberating truth that
Watchman knee reminded us of. The
Christian life is not difficult. It is
impossible except for the life of Christ
in us. There is the blessed rest in
knowing that we do not need to struggle
to produce what only Christ can produce.
This is the message that our world
desperately needs to hear. We don't need
more formulas for self-improvement. We
don't need more techniques to manage our
behavior. We need the revolutionary
truth that we were crucified with Christ
and now he lives in us. We need the
liberating understanding that the
Christian life is not our imitation of
Christ but his manifestation through us.
Watchman Knee paid a tremendous price
for his faithfulness to this truth. He
spent the last 20 years of his life in a
Chinese communist prison suffering for
his faith. Even there he continued to
live this message demonstrating that the
life of Christ can manifest even in the
most adverse circumstances. His last
written words found under his pillow
after his death were Christ is the son
of God who died for the redemption of
sinners and rose after 3 days. This is
the greatest fact in the universe. I die
for my faith in this. The life and
testimony of watchman knee challenge us
to go beyond a superficial faith that
seeks only comfort and convenience. He
calls us to the depth of a faith that
embraces the cross. Not just for
salvation but for sanctification. Not
just for forgiveness but for
transformation. Not just for a future
heaven but for present victory. The
question for each of us is are we
willing to accept the death sentence on
our natural life so that the life of
Christ can manifest through us? Are we
ready to say not just as a theological
doctrine but as a reality experienced
daily? It is no longer I who live but
Christ lives in me. I'm going to wrap up
this story. A young Christian was
struggling with repeated defeats in his
spiritual life. He read his Bible
faithfully, prayed fervently, attended
church regularly. Yet he continued to
fall into the same sins, displaying the
same difficult temperament and
experiencing the same inner emptiness.
Desperate, he went to an older Christian
known for his victorious life and asked,
"What am I doing wrong? Why can't I live
the way I should?" The older Christian
responded with a question. Have you
accepted that you cannot live the
Christian life? Confused, the young man
protested. But then how am I supposed to
live? The older man smiled and said,
"You don't need to live. Let Christ live
through you. Your battle isn't about
trying harder, but about surrendering
more, not to greater effort, but to
deeper dependence. This is the message I
need to hear every day. This is the
truth I need to apply at every moment.
This is the reality that transforms not
only my external conduct but my internal
nature. Not I but Christ. If this
message touched your heart, leave a
comment saying, "The cross set me free."
It would be a blessing to know that
these words resonated with your walk
with Christ. If you were uplifted,
consider leaving a like so that others
can also be reached by this transforming
truth. And if you haven't subscribed to
the channel yet, do so now to keep
exploring together the riches of life in
Christ. There's a video right here that
perfectly complements this message about
life in the spirit. Click on it and
let's dive even deeper into this journey
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