What does this mean really?  How does one drain themself?  In order to make room for the King of Kings, I must dethrone the king of me. How do I do that?

1.  Start by asking the Lord what He would like for you to do with your day and your life.

2.  Work to find avenues to do that which He desires, listening intently all the while for His prodding toward one stream or another. (As you wait, work.  If you aren’t sure where the Lord is leading, find somewhere where you see God at work and join in!) And don’t limit your thinking to volunteer organizations or efforts, also look inside your home, your family, your office, the job where you invest so much of yourself already.  Use these familiar areas as opportunities to take what you know and make it what you do–love there, serve there, show grace there, be compassionate there, share the Gospel there, work with excellence there, breathe joy there, exude peace there.

3.  Test and see.  Do things that look like they could be in line with what He desires of you.  Be willing to stop them when the Lord says move on.  Be willing to stick with them when the Lord says keep at it.

4.  Be wide open.  Drop preconceived notions, let your plans, dreams, and schedule fall away if the Lord says He’s looking for something different today.  (Even Paul had plans to serve the Lord in various places and had to refrain when God said that wasn’t His plan.)

5.  Some pieces of you will naturally clear out as you find venues and opportunities to serve the Lord.  Most, however, will need a push.  Be willing to work at it.  Like a long run on a cold morning, force yourself to begin the ‘unpleasant,’ knowing that only by beginning do you get to enjoy the end.

For this we labor and strive, that we have put our hope in the living God who is the Savior of all men.                                                   1 Timothy 4:10

6.  Choose Him again and again.  When you hear Him calling you–or even think you do–answer it every time.  The more quickly you respond, the more clearly you’ll hear the call next time, and the more next times there will be.

With every opportunity to push out our selfish natures, we create opportunities to have the Lord fill those areas with the Holy Spirit.  We empty that glass just a bit, making room for Someone who can do more.  Draining us of ourselves is done one way: slowly and purposefully.  It will not happen by accident and it will not happen overnight.  Let Him push, be willing to bend, be willing to let Him lead, be ready for an adventure of eternal proportions.