Spiritual Growth Explained

"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
1 JOHN 3:16

This increase of Christ and decrease of Self does not begin on a universal level, but goes to work individually, quietly, in the innermost being of every true disciple. This process of increasing Christ and decreasing Self began long before you even gave your heart to the Lord. It made the actual giving of your heart to Him possible. But He must continue to increase, and so this process of increase will continue beyond that initial coming to the Lord and will be the means through which you are to grow spiritually.

In like manner, you must continue to decrease, and so that process of decrease will continue beyond that initial coming to the Lord and will also be the means through which you are to grow spiritually. You need both the increase and the decrease. They both work together, and one is not possible without the other.

Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden