We are not accustomed to hearing what we are to do in response to who Christ is and what He requires.  We are accustomed to responding to what He is going to do (God is going to bless me).

What is it going to cost to follow Him?  God should be so important to us that we are willing to pay the price.  This scripture reminds us that we must give up everything to follow Christ.  There is a real cost to following Christ.

“Jesus won.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

Deny Yourself

You must yield to Christ’s control so much that you have NO RIGHTS!  Renounce self dependence (Galatians 2:20).  Christianity is not doing my will in Jesus’ name.  You must surrender your will to God’s will (Phillipians 3:8).  Being a living sacrifice is a daily process. (Romans 12:1)

You must give up everything that competes with God’s kingdom.

Some think surrendering is like having a $1,000 bill and laying it down when in fact it’s like going to the bank and getting $1,000 worth of quarters and continually, daily laying down a quarter, fifty cents at a time.

 

 

Take up your Cross

Taking up your cross is a symbol of sacrifice.  In every situation you must represent Him.  You must publicly demonstrate that you are done with sin and worldly living.  Are you still willing to follow Jesus in the face of difficult situations?  Decide that you can be a representative of God daily.

 

Follow Me

Handle life in the way that Jesus does.  See how Jesus handles a situation and handle it in the same way.

It is a daily decision to follow Jesus.  We’ve become so self-absorbed that when we wake up in the morning it’s all about what we want.

Be in union with God, on one accord, making the deliberate choice to walk in the character of Christ daily.  IT’S A DAILY DECISION!

The challenge comes when we don’t always feel like doing something.  Do it anyway.

“The very life that you’re looking for is in losing the life that you have.” – Pastor Billy Johnson