Pick Up Your Cross & Follow Me
Luke 14:27
YAHshua (Jesus) said, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate (lightly esteem by comparison to loving Him and His Father) his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26-27). We must count the cost to follow Him. What did our Savior mean when He said, “we are to carry our own cross?” We are to carry our cross daily and be crucified daily to our flesh and all that it encompasses so that the world is crucified to us and we live in, by, and for the Spirit, and the Almighty’s glory! There are two different entities; the supernatural, spiritual, born again, washed in the blood child of God verses a lip serving carnal person who thinks all is well with their soul when really they are living by the flesh and are at odds with the Spirit of YAHveh.
YAHshua (Jesus) told us, “ Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). His disciples asked Him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Luke 13:23-24). The reason they are not going to be able to is because they have not continued to crucify their flesh where “the world has been crucified to [them], and [they] to the world” (Galatians 6:14). Many have not counted and recounted the cost to die daily to their flesh and all their ways, ambitions, attitudes, and desires. Apostle Paul exhorted us saying, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). These things originate with man and are from the pit. “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).
“For Messiah’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Remember, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). He gave His life for us that we might be crucified to this world and the world to us. We are to die to our flesh, through continual repentance as we see how carnal, earthly minded, and self-serving we are and in doing so His life is able to lead and guide us and manifest Himself in and through us. As long as the flesh is ruling and reigning we are double minded and even our prayers are blocked, “For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from YAHveh (the LORD), being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:7-8).
Apostle Paul said, “For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Messiah YAHshua (Christ Jesus)” (Philippians 2:21). We must be on guard against that which entices the flesh and it natural ways to lust, covet, hanker and crave after the things on the earthly level. Judge yourself by taking a hard look at the word and by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. Be honest with yourself and have a heart cry like King David’s, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139:23-24). We need to be willing to repent and turn away from the error of our ways as He points them out to us and “go and sin no more” (John 8:11) in this department until it is no longer a hampering issue.
That is what we are called, chosen and redeemed to be. This is the reason for our Savior’s sacrificial blood on the altar, to cleanse us of all the sins that so easily cling and entangle us in the flesh and the world. Harboring, nurturing and clinging to those things that are of the flesh will inevitably bring curses on us individually and even perpetuating curses on our descendants which is made clear in Deuteronomy 28.
We are to “work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), as a zealous moment-by-moment willful obedience out of our love for YAHshua (Jesus). “For it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16) “For without holiness no one will see [Him]” (Hebrews 12:14).
Prayer: Thank You YAHshua (Jesus), for the light that You have given me. May I not walk back into the darkness but fight every villain of the flesh, the enemy of my soul. May I fight it with the good fight of faith through the gift of the power that grace gives me to triumph over these matters of life and death in the battle between the flesh and the spirit. Help me! I thank You that You are helping me and may I go from victory to victory over the flesh and this world and the god of this world. May I become more and more astute, vigilant, awake and aware of what is acceptable and not acceptable, what is beneficial instead of what is harmful. May I choose Your blessings not curses, life and not death.
YAHveh (Lord) help me, I cannot go on my merry way because You have halted me because You have unfinished business to bring before me. I am humble before You my holy King and I thank You for shining Your light in my heart that is filled with mindsets, ambitions, and people pleasing friendship with the world. This makes me an enemy to You and keeps me enslaved and bound to sin and its consequences. Please YAHshua (Jesus) by Your might and power, break the shackles and strongholds between me and all that is earthly, self centered, world focused and grievous in Your sight. I want to draw close to You and resist the enemy of my soul and be empowered by Your spirit to love, obey, worship, and serve You in Your Spirit according to Your uncompromised word. Thank You YAHshua (Jesus), for Your merciful blood cleansing that adorns me with Your righteousness.