BEYOND SELF-INTEREST

A Bridal Call to Let Go and Follow the Bridegroom Wherever He Leads

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

—Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

There’s a quiet, holy ache that lives in the heart of every true pilgrim.

It’s not loud, but it’s persistent.

It pulls them beyond comfort.

Beyond reputation.

Even beyond the well-worn paths of dead religion.

It’s the ache for divine union.

The ache for Him.

And when that ache is rightly understood, something begins to shift.

The knots of self-interest—those very subtle, sneaky cords—start to loosen their grip.

What once felt normal now feels weighty.

What once felt totally harmless is seen for what it truly is. Empty.

I think of Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress— a brave, weary soul, tired yet determined, pressing on.

Through the Valley of Humiliation.

Past the noise of Vanity Fair.

All the while, his eyes are firmly fixed on that distant glimmer— The Celestial City just ahead.

He doesn’t walk with pride. He walks with divine purpose.

And strangely enough, the heaviest burden he carries isn’t sin or suffering.

It’s something harder to spot— the quiet firm cords of self-preservation still wrapped around his heart.

What invisible resistance causes him to pause at the threshold of deeper surrender? What whispers, “Protect yourself,” when the Spirit says, “Pour yourself out”?

It is self-interest.

Not always loud. It's not always sinful. But always in the way.

The brave pilgrim has laid aside many difficult things—yet these little foxes still remain:

The need to be understood. The fear of being utterly forgotten. The raging hunger to preserve and cling to what he’s built.

And oh, how it wars against the cross.

This is where the real battle lies.

Not just in outward sin.

But in the inward resistance.

Not always full-blown rebellion.

Sometimes… just hesitation.

The self-life doesn’t always scream.

It whispers.

It negotiates.

It bargains with God.

Offering pieces.

Half-surrenders.

While one foot stays planted on familiar ground.

But the deeper path calls us further still.

The Spirit tenderly calls:

Let it go. That plan. That reputation. That guarded heart.

Let it die that you might truly live.

For the way of the rugged cross is the only way to the abundant life.

And the only road to divine fullness is death—to self-will, self-promotion, self-protection, self-preservation.

Can you hear the gentle confrontation of Love? It does not shame, but it searches. It puts its finger on the one thing we’ve called untouchable. It says, “I want even this.”

You may have obeyed Him in many things, beloved. But now the Bridegroom comes for the precious.

Not to harm you—but to set His beautiful bride free.

He sees how your grip on self-interest has kept you from stepping into holy abandon.

He sees how that guardedness has cost you joy.

He sees how your longing for control has kept you from entering into rest.

He does not scold you.

He invites you.

Come further.

What is self-interest, really?

It’s not always loud.

It’s not always pride.

Sometimes… it’s subtle.

It’s anything in us that puts self before surrender.

It sounds like wisdom.

But it resists the cross.

It whispers, “I need to protect myself,” when the Spirit is saying,

“Trust Me.”

It hides.

In fear.

In the need to be seen.

In the obsession with outcomes.

In the fear of being vulnerable.

Self-interest isn’t always sinful.

But it always gets in the way.

It interferes with full obedience.

It says, “My way first.”

But the Spirit whispers back,

“Your will be done.”

And now— a Bride is rising.

Radiant.

Surrendered.

Free from the grip of self.

She walks step by step with her Beloved.

She no longer needs to protect herself.

She’s not striving.

Not performing.

Not chasing applause.

She’s tasted the intimate joy of being truly hidden with Him.

And found the safety of true surrender.

And oh, how beautiful she is to Him.

Beloved, I’ve stood where you now stand at the crossroads of comfort and crucifixion.

I’ve heard the shout of reason argue against the still small voice of divine surrender.

I’ve wept a river as I let go of things I once thought valuable.

But I’ve also tasted the abundant joy of liberation that only comes on the other side of “yes.”

You were never made to carry the weight of self-interest.

It is too heavy. It is too limiting.

It will rob you of the very union you ache for.

So I ask you gently, with the love of a brother on the same road…

What are you still holding?

That dream you fear to lose?

That image you’ve worked so hard to maintain?

That abundant caution that has kept your heart fenced off—even to your sweet Master?

Lay it down.

Let self-interest fall at the foot of the cross, where burdens roll away, and the soul rises in holy freedom.

Let your only ambition be Christ.

Let your only reputation be “beloved.”

Let your only legacy be obedience.

For when the self-life dies, the Spirit-life begins to rise.

And what you surrender—what feels lost in the letting go— you will find again.

But this time, it will be found in Him.

Multiplied.

Sanctified.

Eternal.

Come now, dear pilgrim.

Beyond self-interest lies the burning joy of full surrender.

Beyond what you’ve feared to lose is the Bridegroom’s divine embrace.

He waits for you… just beyond the sacred veil.

This is your invitation.

Not to try harder. Not to strive more.

But to surrender deeper.

To trust that what He asks for, He intends to fill.

And that what you release will return to you—not less, but resurrected in power.

Dare to be the one who lets go.

Dare to be the one who loves with no complicated backup plan.

Dare to become the radiant bride who holds nothing back.

With Love,

Steve Porter

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Often when we spoke in many churches over the years, we would go to dinner with the leadership, and Diane would share her nursing home stories around the table. People were often spellbound and in tears by her testimonies, and it was clear that she had to write this book.

I’ve often seen Diane so overworked in nursing homes that she was physically exhausted, after giving everything she had to love those she served. Over the years, she often brought me into the facilities where she worked to visit all her adopted grandmas and grandpas. I saw firsthand how much they all loved her. I watched her hug and love on those dear people, comforting them with a sincere heart. I’ve even seen her eyes fill with tears when someone would graduate to heaven. Those she served weren’t just nameless numbers, but close, dear friends she referred to as her family.

In our travels, the elderly always seemed to flock toward her, surrounding her, and these days you’ll often find her sitting and holding someone’s hand or trying to meet their needs, even on the evangelistic trail. Through Diane’s new book, His Hands Extended readers will be inspired to minister to the broken, looking for opportunities to serve, and love even the hardest cases. I have had a vision I have revisited many times. When Diane goes to heaven one day, there will be a vast number of beautiful faces excited to welcome her home. Many were there because she showed them the way; she loved them straight to heaven.

In His Presence,

Steve Porter

Available on Amazon and Kindle

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