Dying to the self is hard because you've been with yourself your entire life (Romans 7:5 &18). You know what you want, like, desire, etc. But now it's time to do what God wants, likes and desires.
[Wo]Man in his/her natural state is selfish, and can only seek to please him/herself. You have to allow God to kill the noise in your life by submitting to Him--- in other words, obey God. The more you submit (obey), the easier it will be for you to pass the trials you face and to glorify God throughout each day of your life. Because obeying God empowers you to live the life He has designed for your to live. So, the more you obey, the more empowered you will become (James 4:7 - 10 & II Corinthians 4 and 5).
Don't resist God. Resist his three enemies: The world, the [your] flesh, and the Devil . And remember, the Word of God is a "two-edged" sword (Hebrews 4:12). Everytime you read it, think of yourself cutting the "flesh"/sin nature out of your life. And think of living His Word as a way of crushing that "flesh"/sin nature.
"24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." ---Matthew 16:24 - 25
Now, here's the conclusion:
I am dying to myself each day so that I can go after Jesus Christ. I am losing my life (i.e., the sin/carnal nature) each day by obeying God so that I can find my life with Jesus Christ in the end.
“Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.(Luke 9:23).”
---Kill the Noise
