CARRYING YOUR CROSS
Memorise: And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come
after me, cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27
Read: Luke 14:25-30, (KJV) 25 And there went great
multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and
mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own
life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever doth
not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not
down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not
able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to
finish.
Bible in one year: Nehemiah 6:15-8:18, Ecclesiastes 8:10-17
The cross of Jesus is very effective in cleansing us from
all our sins. Jesus instructs that whosoever will be His disciple will have to
carry his cross and follow Him. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, every manifested
work of the flesh must have been crucified to the cross. You are to be clean
from all filthiness of the flesh. You must allow the cross to deliver you from
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride and passions of life.
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with
the affections and lusts.”
Galatians 5:24
Carrying your cross is the commencement of a new life and a
new journey. It means your old ways of thinking are no longer allowed and you
begin to walk in newness of life. Every resurrected life that is genuine begins
with carrying the cross. When believers carry the cross, authentic power from
God is released into their lives.
However, the devil paints those who carry the cross as
people who are old fashioned and people who follow doctrines that no longer
necessary. This because he knows the secret behind the cross; he knows that the
heredity of Christ is in the cross. He understands that holiness, power and
wisdom are in the cross, and he wants believers not to have access to these
things. This is one of the reasons why those who have refused to carry the
cross are living a defeated life on daily basis; they are under the rule of the
devil and so have become slaves to him.
Carrying your cross means to follow Jesus all the way. If
the 21st century will be potent enough to put the devil where he belongs, there
is the need for the Church to carry her cross.
The Cross was what made a public defeat of the devil. If you
also want the devil to be publicly defeated in your family, in your career, in
your finances, in your church, we all have to carry the cross and follow Jesus.
Those who carry the cross will live. Those who follow Jesus will be delivered
in the time of trouble. Self made righteousness cannot earn you a place in the
presence of God but the cross will help you fight flesh and sins. You must seek
to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. You must be willing to commit yourself
in total surrender to the Lord. If you want to do great exploits in the world,
you will have to deny yourself. Others may but as a true disciple of Jesus you
cannot. Others can be careless but you cannot. You can no longer allow the
system of the world and the dictates of culture to be the basis upon which you
make your decisions. It is the love of Christ in you that becomes your
compelling force. Paul had to suffer in order to carry out His mission. Jesus
had to die in order for salvation to be possible. Nothing worthy is ever done
in God without a sacrifice. I pray for you the grace you need to follow Jesus
shall be available to you in Jesus’ name.
Prayer Point
Father, please help me to carry my cross to the finish line.
Open Heavens ckgod, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye
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