Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.”
–Luke 9:23 (NLT)
We can’t be self-focused and God-focused simultaneously.
We can’t live for ourselves, our will, our way, and have secret motives of selfishness, and live for Him.
It just doesn’t work that way.
I remember when I found out I was pregnant at 18, I had been living for me. I made a conscious decision that I didn’t want to live my way anymore; I wanted to live God’s way. Especially knowing I was entering into a season of life where I would be fully responsible for another.
From there, a desire birthed in my heart to honor God in every area — I wanted to be a living example to my baby girl and the kids I would have in the future. I knew I couldn’t teach it if I wasn’t living it first, displaying what it looks like to follow Jesus — even in secret when no one was looking. I loved and yearned to obey the Lord with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind.
I made decisions of obedience and surrender that no one would know was a secret battle but God and continually yielded to His perfect will over mine. As I’d go through my day, thoughts would pop into my head that I knew were a reflection of my old nature, and rather than justifying the thought, I corrected and replaced it with what God would have me think on. If a person wronged me, I would quietly whisper, “Father, forgive them — they don’t know what they’re doing.”
Over time, that surrendered posture became an overflow of His heart, through mine, to those around me. People knew who they could turn to in their time of need. They knew I would encourage them and pray with them, and God would touch their heart. My life became that poured-out vessel of love, compassion, and an extension of Jesus’ healing touch.
It wasn’t forced.
I wasn’t trying to look or sound like a Christian.
It was a natural overflow as God continually made His home in me, and what began to flow from me looked more and more like Him.
At the time, I didn’t realize that this heart posture was the key to complete transformation, total freedom, and an ability to make an impact in the lives around me daily — I simply walked with Jesus, one foot in front of the other, yielded to the Holy Spirit when I faced with those crossroad moments, choosing His way over my own, and continually allowed Him to mold and shape me into the new creation He says I am.
Twenty-eight years later (and counting), my heart posture is the same; I’m not living for me — I’m living for Him.
Family,
We can’t expect our new life in Christ to take form, or make a positive impact in our homes, workplaces, and everywhere in between if we’re focusing on our own way, not yielding to Him, nor learning what it means to take up our cross daily.
Let’s do a heart check today and ask ourselves an honest question before the Lord: “Am I truly following You, or am I still clinging to my old life in some form or another?”
Give the Holy Spirit room to reveal to you the areas that you’ve not surrendered and let today be the day your heart responds with a bold yes to give up your way, take up your cross, wholeheartedly follow Him, and step into the fullness of new life that Jesus paid for.
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it. -Matthew 16:25 (NIV)
