Start Your Day Ready to Carry Your Cross and Follow Christ

0:02 Let's begin today by listening to God's word and then we will pray together. The very word Christian means to be Christlike and to be Christlike by extension means to be a disciple of Jesus. I know that we all seek to be disciples of Jesus indeed. The Bible says in Luke 9:es 23- 24, then he said to them all, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it."

0:50 This is the word of the Lord to his disciples. If we want to be disciples indeed, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him daily. Without doing those things, there is no other way. I believe when we talk about our faith, what we cannot talk about enough is the need for us to follow the right way. And believe me, we have all been Christians long enough to know the difference in different stages of our journey. We all know when we were just doing the whole Christian thing however we wanted and when we actually got serious with it. We probably started doing it the right

1:36 way when we got serious with it. But the fact that none of us can deny is that life in Christ takes deliberateness. It takes responsibility and it requires sacrifice. Jesus himself modeled this for us in his life. When we read through how he lived, we see a life of sacrifice, a life of intentionality and a life of obedience. And he made quite the sacrifice. He gave himself completely so we could receive this new life to see us thriving. Thank God such great sacrifice is not required of us. Jesus paid that price.

2:23 But that doesn't mean we are without responsibilities. It does not mean we do not have our own part to play. I have found in my own personal walk that living for Jesus takes things from you and gives things to you. We can say it's a give and take. It takes your sins, your pains, your diseases, heartaches, worries, the things you love that are bad for you, and in turn gives you Christ's life, a renewed self, life, hope, faith, success, abundance, love, and really everything else you can imagine.

3:09 But the point is that it does take from you. And sometimes those things that our faith in Christ takes from us are not things we are willing to give up. Even if we know that we should give them up. That is why I find the first command in Luke 9 today very personal. That first command says we must deny ourselves. When we choose the life of Jesus instead of a life of indulgence that we have been so used to, we are denying ourselves. When we choose to follow after the example of Jesus in prayer, when we choose to go to his word, when we choose fellowship and spending time with him, because quite frankly, we all can think

3:55 of other things we could be doing rather than all that. We are denying ourselves. But denying ourselves isn't just in the spiritual senses. A lot of us may not even see all that I noted earlier as self-denial, but they are. But besides the spiritual aspect, there is a necessity for us to think of those things that are not spiritual or nice to hear. a need to know that we will be required to give up things that will actually cost us, things that are painful. For example, choosing to love those who have hurt us. Choosing forgiveness every time. Choosing to be the better person.

4:43 Choosing to be the first to apologize. Choosing to let go of some of our favorite shows, some of our hangout buddies from back in the day. Choosing to encourage people when they are down. Particularly when we know that we need encouragement ourselves. choosing to celebrate with others when we are hurting while they are winning. Those are also ways we deny ourselves and choose to take up our cross every day and follow the Lord. Simply put, when the Bible tells us to take up our cross and follow him, it is to live a Christlike life through and through. Many times our humanity stands in the

5:30 way. No one is immune to feeling bad or feeling bitter. But we all have a choice. And our choice is to choose to live for Christ no matter what the world throws our way. I don't know if you have ever been in situations where the last thing you wanted was to show the life of Christ in you when all the other person has ever done to you is be bad. times when you really really just want to give a piece of your mind and the Lord says stop. Now there is no particular and specific list for this. Life and trials come to us all in different forms. The question is what will we do when they come?

6:17 I believe that phase where we personally learn to deny ourselves never ends because it is a daily thing. Living the will of God is a daily thing. You may have woken up extra strong and extra energized the day before. You may have had your time in the word and are therefore empowered to face the day head on. But on the days when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, you still must be willing to do what you did on your best days. And maybe that is why the Lord used the word cross. He says, "Deny yourselves and take up your cross." The cross is a symbol of death. When we take up our cross, it is a sign

7:05 that we have also died to something, the old man, and are therefore willing to live the life of the new man, which is life in Christ daily. But we have cause to praise God today. Because even in the midst of this, in the midst of the denial, the taking up of our cross and following Christ, we are not alone. God makes a way. He makes a way by strengthening us to do what needs to be done. He makes a way by showing us truth. by helping us along the way, helping us to know what to do, the right decision to make. He is there for us even when the

7:51 responsibility is ours. So today, the charge is simple. If we are to follow Christ indeed, we must be willing first to deny ourselves and take up our cross. And this taking up is not just for days when we feel like doing it or on days when we are feeling extra spiritual. But we must take it up every day. As we take it up every day, we must also trust the Lord to get us through every day. I believe that if we commit ourselves to this, the Lord will see us through and with time that life of Christ becomes

8:36 second nature to us. If you are ready to start on that journey today, let's take a moment in prayer right now. Heavenly Father, I have tried to live a Christlike life, but I often find it harder than I expected. Choosing what Jesus would do each day, especially in difficult moments, is not easy for me. That is why I come to you now in surrender. I know I cannot handle everything on my own. So, I ask for your help to shape my life to follow you. I give my life to you today. Please breathe on it. Make it useful for

9:22 your will and help me feel at peace as I walk in your ways. I also ask for your strength to fill me today and for you to help me understand. Lord, whenever my old ways try to take over, please give me understanding. When I feel anger, help me pause before I speak. When pride rises up, teach me to be humble. If bitterness tries to settle in my heart, remind me of the mercy you have shown me. When I'm tempted to fall back into old habits, give me strength to choose the new life you've given me in Christ. Help me think before I speak.

10:11 Examine my thoughts before they become actions and check my motives before I make decisions. I want my words, my attitude, my choices, and my private life to show that I belong to you. Lord, fill my heart with tenderness. Make me compassionate where I've grown hard. Help me see others as Christ does, not just by how they've treated me. Teach me to be patient instead of frustrated, and to answer with grace instead of irritation. Help me love even when it's not returned. Forgive even when it still hurts, and

10:56 stay gentle even when I feel misunderstood. I know this isn't easy for me, but I believe your spirit can make it possible. Please work in me until my first response looks more like Jesus and less like my old self. Father, help me deny myself, not just in how I treat others, but also in how I walk with you. Help me say no to distractions, desires, and comforts that pull me away from you. Free me from things I once enjoyed that were never good for my soul. Break my attraction to sin,

11:42 even when it looks like pleasure. Take away any desire for things that weaken my devotion to you. I don't want to be close to you in words, but far from you. in my actions. I don't want to pray for change while holding on to what keeps me the same. Give me courage to let go of anything that can't come with me into the life you're calling me to live. Today, I choose to say no to anything that doesn't honor you. I say no to a faith that isn't steady, to living carelessly, and to obeying only halfway. I say no to following you just when it's

12:29 easy, and to a commitment that changes with my mood or comfort. Lord, help me stand firm. Make my yes to you steady and my obedience deeper than just feelings. Let my life show that your grace is truly at work in me. I also ask you to help me stay committed to your word, to prayer, and to spending time with you. Don't let me become empty just talking about faith without living it. Fill me with your word so it shapes my thoughts. Give me understanding so I know what pleases you. Fill me with love so others see Christ in how I treat them. Give me obedience

13:17 so I don't just hear your truth, but live it. Make me willing to go where you lead, serve where you put me, and obey even when it's hard. Today, I choose to take up my cross and follow you with daily choices that show my heart belongs to you. Heavenly Father, I ask for your forgiveness. Please forgive me for putting other things before you. Forgive me for choosing comfort instead of obedience, for avoiding the hard parts of following you, and for only doing what was easy. Forgive me for ignoring your conviction, delaying my surrender, or treating your will as less important.

14:02 Have mercy on me, Lord, and give me a clean and willing heart. I don't want to stay the same. I want to grow, to change, and to become more like Jesus where it matters most. Thank you for today. Thank you for speaking to my heart and reminding me that I don't have to carry my cross alone. I believe you are working in me and I trust you to finish what you started. Glory to your name. Amen. I hope this prayer strengthens your heart to surrender daily. Follow Christ faithfully and trust his grace to help you walk in his ways. If you have any prayer requests, share them in the

14:47 comments. We would be honored to pray for you. May God bless you always.