“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.’ “ (Luke 9:23, 24)

Denying ourselves is probably not the first prayer we pray in our times with God. But we are missing such a blessed and needed part of our Christian walk when we ignore this powerful passage of scripture.

The only life truly worth living in this world is one surrendered to Jesus. Our greatest dreams and life purpose will only come to pass as we are established and anchored in the Christ life. The Christ life is surrendering ourselves to His purpose, plan, and agenda for us. It means allowing Him to take all of our dreams and desires, and align them with His desires for us.

Yes, there is suffering in crucifying our flesh – walking away from unhealthy emotional entanglements, fleshy habits that don’t glorify God, relationships that are not pleasing to Him. But taking up the cross is also about moving forward towards the call of God, intentionally embracing that which He has chosen for us over that which we might have chosen for ourselves.

~ Kirk Henderson