And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall loose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world and loose himself or be cast away. Luke 9:23-25
Following and becoming like Jesus is not a bed of roses.It has its challenges. The first challenge is that of self-denial. Anyone who still loves himself more than the precepts of the word of God will not be able to follow Christ. Self is a great inhibitor on the pathway to heaven. Self is a great but surmountable obstacle in our walk with our Lord and Saviour Jesus. Anyone who still cherishes the flesh and dance to its tune and dictates will not be able to follow Jesus fully to the end.
Thank God the obstacle posed by self is surmountable. First you must be ready to deny self and willingly surrender it to be crucified. Verily verily I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. John 12:24 Pampering self is unprofitable. You will abide alone fruitless, but if you willingly surrender self to be crucified and die, then you will be fruitful. Lack of crucifixion of self contributes greatly to unfruitfulness despite the enormous energy and resources put into the work of God. Self is a contaminant. It contaminates and devalues our efforts in our walk with God. My honest counsel to you is: RELEASE THE SELF LIFE TO BE CRUCIFIED so you can follow Jesus acceptably.
