Luke 9:23 If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
In years past, we have studied the Sermon on the Mount extensively here on this platform. It is probably the single most important Sermon ever preached by anyone in all of history. This Sermon contains many points all of which are both required and necessary for the believing Christian.
The Sermon on the Mount is a Salvation Message. It also is instruction on how to live a Christian life. In addition, it paints a picture of Jesus’ life then and in the coming Kingdom Age. I suppose one could never exhaust the study of the Sermon on the Mount given by the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
The bottom line is total obedience to the Word of God which can only be accomplished through the complete surrender of self. Our goal in life should be to crucify ourselves and live exclusively in the Will of God. The problem is, that we are unable to do this on our own. Only by placing our full faith and trust in the Finished Work of Christ on the Cross can we BEGIN to walk out this Kingdom mindset on a daily basis.
However, this is exactly what Jesus told us to do. If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (Luke 9:23) Jesus came and died on the Cross of Calvary to change the character of people. Every single person who truly believes in Christ will be dramatically changed. It cannot be any other way. No one can accept the Love, Forgiveness, and Sacrifice of Jesus Christ for themselves and not be changed. It is not possible. True Salvation WILL change a person from the inside, out.
The more we seek after Christ, the more we will be changed. Little by little, one thing at a time, the Holy Spirit of God will mold us into an entirely different individual that looks more and more like Christ every day.
We all have things about us that do not line up with the Word of God. He will take these things from us and give us something in return that is far, far better. BUT……..we have to be willing to surrender those things to Him. The Holy Spirit will not force us to do anything. He will not make us give something up or stop doing something. He does not operate in that manner. He simply waits for us to truly seek deliverance from that thing, and then He will set us free from it.
This is what it means to live in a Kingdom of God mindset now. There is no greater place to live than in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth and it is absolutely possible. Jesus died for it to be possible. He willingly shed His perfect Blood on the Cross of Calvary so we can abide in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.
All we have to do is believe it and seek it more every day. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33) What is your desire? If you desire to live your life pleasing to God then you must deny yourself and seek after Him with all your heart. If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (Luke 9:23)
Deny yourself and God will………..turn the tide……..in your life.
Closer and closer every day, Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
