Deny yourself?  Die to self?  Must I decrease?  Is this the way to live the Christian life?  No, the New Testament writers of Scripture tell us that your old self already died and that you've become a new creation in Christ.  If you are already dead and have already become a new self in Christ, then why would you need to die to self?  In Christ, you are holy, righteous, and filled with the fruit of the Spirit.  Learn to live out of your new self and walk by faith in Christ in you and through you.