Dying to yourself

This is from a book called Pure Gold:
"But now let us face the real question, How to die to self, and let Christ be all and all in us. In the first place, do we really believe such a state is attainable? Have we looked at the blessed Christ until we have obtained a clear conception of what it is to lose ourselves in union with Him? Have our spiritual eyes surveyed this blessed possibility, until it's attainability in this life has become a settled conviction with us? Then have we calmly, deeply, irreversibly settled it that there shall be none of self and all of Christ? Are we prepared to make that the motto of our lives? Do we think it, dream it, pray it, breathe it, drink of it, bathe ourselves in it, until it becomes a subtle, steady, all-prevailing passion in our minds, none of self and all of Jesus?"
I was greatly challenged by this. I don't know about you but I have not been very good at dying to myself. In fact, I think about myself a lot. I have 6 children to care for so I can not be totally selfish but I sure do find time to do what I want. In fact just in church last Sunday we were going over Titus 2. That is a hard role to try to fill. It includes dying to yourself a lot. But we shouldn't die to ourselves to fulfill Titus 2, we should die to ourselves so that Jesus gets the glory that He deserves. So above and beyond making Him the Lord of our lives is He our all and all in us? The Lord is really working on me with this and I do want to die to myself. I do know that ANY good thing that I do comes from the Lord and Him working in me, I know that I have nothing good in myself. Let's walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh!
Also one other thing that has been on my mind. It is okay to feel good when we are being obedient to the Lord and following the Holy Spirit's promptings. I have heard people talking about how they only feel good when they are being good. They say it is a works mentality. I don't agree. I think scripture is full of examples where we should do good things. I can't stand the mentality that we are to be failures all the time. Yes we do fail but Jesus is powerful and can set us free from sins. He didn't save us so that we could live pathetic lives here. We are to be lights and how can we be lights if we are constantly struggling? If we are constantly struggling then we need to examine why. Do you examine yourself daily? Are you humble? Could someone share with you your faults without you being defensive? If someone had something to say about an activity that you partake in would you examine it? Since becoming a Christian I see so many people that are hard to entreat, and prideful and wouldn't even consider being wrong. We should always be willing to study again and again the Word of God. We are human and can be wrong. Plus we need to be testing the spirits and observing the fruit. We can tell good fruit from bad fruit, can't we? So why do we act blind when something is causing bad fruit in our families? Let's get to the root of it. Then let's get rid of whatever it is that is causing it. We can't help others when we are struggling. With the Lord all things are possible! We serve a powerful and awesome Lord!