ICS Daily Devotions
Deny Yourself
Mark 8:34 (NKJV) When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
One of the greatest challenges for Christians is to deny ourselves by choosing to do what the Lord wants instead of what we want to do. We are in a constant battle where our flesh will always want to live independent of God. As believers, we need to choose to submit ourselves under the will of God in order to fully live the abundant life that He promised us, because any decision outside of God’s will bring hurtful consequences.
To deny someone means to completely disown, or to utterly separate from someone. However, biblically, it means much more than that. It implies that we stop listening to our own voice, leaning on our own power, and trying to fulfill our own will. When we truly deny ourselves, we have no will, plans but only His. We give up all our rights and relinquish all control of our lives to the Lord.
This concept is very counter to today’s culture which is largely focused on the self. Jesus, on the other hand, wants mankind to know that without Him, they are nothing and can do nothing.
John 15:5 (NKJV) “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
In fact, the best place to be—where we will find complete rest for our soul—is when God is the “boss” of our lives. We will feel anxious and stressed if we are living out our own plans instead of living out the will of God through a consecrated life, but if we are living out the will of God, we will experience peace because we know that God has initiated it and He is in control.
Jesus is calling us to make a total commitment to His Lordship in our lives, to deny ourselves and give Him the reigns of our lives. This is not because He wants to control us, but because He loves us and wants the best for us.
Jeremiah 29:11(NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Sermon: Affluenza
