LET HIM DENY HIMSELF
TEXT: Luke 9:23
And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me (KJV).
Jesus desires to have followers but He wants serious and great followers. He want followers who will be greater than Him. He said to his disciples in John 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father (KJV). What a great leader with a great mind? In order to achieve this, He blatantly told everyone who wanted to follow him in today’s text “….If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me (KJV). What does it mean to deny oneself? It means to disallow or not to permit. This means that everyone who want to be a true follower of Jesus must be ready to disallow him/herself from certain things. Every genuine follower of Jesus must put his/her five senses under control. You can’t watch what unbelievers watch, taste what unbelievers taste, listen to what unbelievers listen to and you can’t smell what unbelievers smell. This is the truth Apostle Paul was trying to say in the book of 1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any (KJV). This should be the understanding of a true follower of Jesus. Every believer must know that he is free but his freedom is within the scope of the scripture. Self-denial has to do with our connection to the lifting from above. To be a true follower of Jesus, you must pray, give, evangelize and forgive, not because it is convenient but it is commanded. True followers of Jesus must not see God’s commandment as a burden but a blessing. You cannot successfully follow Jesus on your own terms but on His own terms. Not your will, but His will. If you cannot deny yourself, it means you cannot be greater than yourself. You must deny yourself of ungodly practices, unholy alliances and relationships. Jesus said, let him that follow me, deny himself, may the Lord give you the grace in Jesus name.
CONFESSION
Father, I receive grace to deny myself of ungodly choices today. I am a good follower of Jesus. I promise to continue till the end in Jesus name.
