to seek the will of God, as a man in whom the very spirit of Christ lives.
"Lo, I come to do Thy will, oh, my God!" We find Christians pleasing
themselves in a thousand ways, and yet trying to be happy, and good, and
useful; and they do not know that at the root of it all is self-will
robbing them of the blessing. Christ said to Peter, "Peter, deny yourself."
But instead of doing that, Peter said, "I will deny my Lord and not
myself." He never said it in words, but Christ said to him in the last
night, "Thou shalt deny Me," and he did it. What was the cause of this?
Self-pleasing. He became afraid when the woman servant charged him with
belonging to Jesus, and three times said, "I know not this man, I have
nothing to do with Him." He denied Christ. Just think of it! No wonder
Peter wept those bitter tears. It was a choice between self, that ugly,
cursed self, and that beautiful, blessed Son of God; and Peter chose self.
No wonder that he thought: "Instead of denying myself, I have denied Jesus;
what a choice I have made!" No wonder that he wept bitterly.

Christians, look at your own lives in the light of the words of Jesus. Do
you find there self-will, self-pleasing? Remember this: every time you
please yourself, you deny Jesus. It is one of the two. You must please Him
only, and deny self, or you must please yourself and deny Him. Then follows
self-confidence, self-trust, self-effort, self-dependence. What was it
that led Peter to deny Jesus? Christ had warned him; why did he not take
warning? Self-confidence. He was so sure: "Lord, I love Thee. For three
years I have followed Thee. Lord, I deny that it ever can be. I am ready
to go to prison and to death." It was simply self-confidence. People have
often asked me, "What is the reason I fail? I desire so earnestly, and pray
so fervently, to live in God's will." And my answer generally is, "Simply
because you trust yourself." They answer me: "No, I do not; I know I am
not good; and I know that God is willing to keep me, and I put my trust in
Jesus." But I reply, "No, my brother; no; if you trusted God and Jesus, you