If you deny yourself
And let God’s love hatch
Deep within your heart
It will strike a match
That will set you ablaze
In the haze
Of this world
And loose the latch
Of self-love
That holds you in bondage.

Ego and pride
Try to hide
In the shell
Of self-love.

The human heart tends to harden like a hard-boiled egg. Self-love is the shell that keeps it closed down. We’ll never be able to fly in God’s Spirit as long as we stay in the shell of self-love. Let God crack your self-love!

Self-love identifies with and defends our desires, emotions, and opinions. It deceptively resists fully surrendering to God. The egg of self-love must break before God’s life can freely emerge in us.

Self-love leads to self-obsession. “Humble yourself.” Step out of your self-spotlight and into God’s glorious light. The shell of self-love blocks God’s light.

Loving yourself is like giving yourself money. If you try to be both the subject and the object of your love, you’re just recycling it. Being self-attached and denying yourself are opposites. We are compelled to choose one or the other. The Cross is all about self-denial, not about self-love. Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ.” John the Baptist said, “I must decrease, and He must increase.”

Self-love turns into self-protection and often causes us to quench God’s Spirit before His promptings have the opportunity to hatch in our heart. To be led by the Spirit is to surrender yourself to God’s control.

Self-love battens down the hatch and keeps us from hearing and obeying God’s voice when He corrects us. God’s love can’t hatch in our heart when we’re self-attached.

Self-love is the shell
That makes us believe
That we’re too good
To go to Hell.