For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?(Matthew 16:25-26, KJV)
We as believers of Jesus Christ are called to deny ourselves and to take up our cross and walk. As we trade our sins with Jesus for righteousness and justification, we practice denying ourselves on a daily basis. We will experience a realization of newness from within. Once we realize the newest from within, we must maintain it and be faithful for the rest of our lives.