Hidden in Christ

Realizing the old self is dead is like discovering the computer is already shut down—you can finally stop trying to turn it off.

Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven on Earth by A.B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash

So many sincere believers are weary from trying to crucify themselves—to put off the old self through determined self-effort, as if holiness were something to be achieved by gritting our teeth. But the cross doesn’t invite us to help with our death. It declares that our death has already happened in Christ.

A.B. Simpson gently lifts the burden we were never meant to carry: the impossible weight of self-crucifixion. He reminds us that the Cross wasn’t only where Jesus died for us—it was also where we died with Him. Our sinful nature was dealt with not by striving, but by surrendering to the truth of union. To walk in freedom is not to wrestle the flesh into submission, but to leave it at the foot of the Cross where it was already crucified.

Now, we are called to live from a place of rest—counting ourselves dead to sin, no longer listening to the voice of the old nature, and instead leaning wholly on Christ’s indwelling life, moment by moment, like a newborn resting in the arms of a mother.

Personalized Journal Entry — Voice of the Holy Spirit

I placed you in Christ when I raised Him from the dead. You no longer belong to the realm of striving, of trying to die to what is already dead. You were crucified with Christ. That was My work, not yours. You do not need to finish what I have already accomplished.

The old self, with its fears and patterns, was nailed to the Cross—not as a metaphor, but as a spiritual reality. You are not the same. You no longer need to respond to the voice of that old operating system, because it is no longer you. The Spirit I placed within you is your new source of life. Your part is to believe, to rest, to yield—not to strive.

I have hidden your life in My Son. It is no longer exposed, vulnerable, or dependent on performance. You are safe. You are Mine. Live in this moment by simply trusting Me to be your life, for Christ is in you and you are in Him.

Scriptures: Colossians 3:3; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6–11; John 15:4

Real-Life Analogy

Trying to crucify your old self is like frantically trying to shut down a computer that’s already powered off. You keep pressing the buttons, looking for results, only to grow frustrated and confused. But once you realize it’s already off, peace settles in. You don’t have to fight something that’s no longer running. You simply step away and focus on what’s alive—your new life in Christ.

Prayer of Confidence

Father, thank You that I no longer need to crucify myself—I’ve already died with Christ. I count myself dead to sin because You said it is so. I refuse to listen to the old voices that once claimed me, and I rejoice that my life is now hidden in Christ. You are my resting place, and I trust You to express the life of Jesus through me today, just as You have already secured my death and resurrection in Him.