By Neil Anderson
September 13
Matthew 16:24
If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself
A primary reason why we struggle to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission is because we are guilty of a great omission : We fail to deny ourselves.
Denying yourself is not the same as self-denial. Students, athletes and cult members practice self-denial, restricting themselves from substances and activities which keep them from reaching their goals. But the ultimate purpose of self-denial is self-glorification. The ultimate purpose of denying self is to glorify God.
Jesus was talking about denying yourself in the essential battle of life: the scramble for the throne, the struggle over who is going to be God. Jesus doesn’t enter into that battle; He’s already won it. He occupies the throne and graciously offers to share it with us. But we want to be king in our lives by ourselves. Until we deny ourselves that which was never meant to be ours–the role of being God in our lives–we will never be at peace with ourselves or God, and we will never be free.
You were not designed to function independently of God, nor was your soul designed to function as master. You will either serve God and His kingdom or Satan and his kingdom. Self-seeking, self-serving, self-justifying, self-glorifying, self-centered and self-confident living is in actuality living and serving the world, the flesh and the devil. On the other hand, denying yourself is not self-mortification. God is not trying to annihilate you; He is trying to restore you.
When you deny yourself, you invite God to take the throne of your life, to occupy what is rightfully His, so that you may function as a person who is spiritually alive in Christ. Denying yourself is essential to spiritual freedom.
Prayer: Lord, too many times I have tried to live independently of You. I deny myself today and yield the throne of my life to You.
Related articles
- NEW AGE EXPOSED: Serving Same Supernatural Being as Satanists (vineoflifenews.com)
- The Blood-Bought Joy of Prayer (matgilbert.wordpress.com)
- Breakfast With Jesus: MATTHEW 16:24 (drgilstieglitz.wordpress.com)
- “Jesus, A Miracle Worker”/Peter Second and Third Denials (robertadennisblog.wordpress.com)
- Following Jesus, On His Terms, Pastor Boaz Olang (magnifyhisword.wordpress.com)
Greg is a strong believer in Jesus Christ and in the need for revival in today’s Church. He likes reading, writing, music, and spending time with his family and his dog Roxie. By day he is a self-employed non-emergency medical transport driver, and is the Editor-in-Chief for the National War Council, as well as being a political analyst, author, blogger, and an accomplished DIYer. His articles are first published on Inspirational Christian Blogs, and I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ!, and from there the articles are published on other well-known conservative websites.
The author feels convinced that the Church is in extreme danger of being forsaken by God for being unbiblical and seeks to warn all those with “ears to hear.” He believes we are in the last days of the end times, and that God is building His Remnant Church even now.
Greg is the author of: Spiritual Darkness is Destroying America and the Church
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