Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 

 

We learn from this single sentence spoken by Jesus what it takes to be a Disciple of Christ. In a nutshell, it comes down to three words all beginning with the letter “D.”  Desire, Deny, and Daily.

 

Only when we surrender our lives to this way of thinking can we consistently follow Jesus and be a Disciple. 

 

When Jesus walked this earth ministering, His followers literally followed after Him everywhere He went. Beginning with twelve men who were hand-picked by Jesus Himself, the number of followers grew into the thousands because of the miracles, signs and wonders they witnessed. All this took place in a short three and one-half year period. 

 

Thousands of people followed Jesus everywhere. From one village to the next, Jesus and His huge group of followers traveled the dry, dusty roads ministering to every person who desired to be healed and delivered from their condition. 

 

Their journey led them to the Cross where they watched Jesus being beaten beyond recognition and nailed to a wooden Cross where He hung until He was dead. All roads led to the Cross. Jesus was born a man to die on the Cross. That was Gods Plan for His life. He was born to suffer and die a horrible death so everyone who makes the choice to believe in Him would not have to live their lives in pain and suffering and spend eternity in Hell. 

 

This was the sole purpose of the Incarnation of Jesus. He did much as a man during His thirty-three and one-half years on earth, but His Death on the Cross was His ultimate purpose for living. 

 

Our life journey as a Disciple of Christ begins at the Cross, remains at the Cross every day and will end at the Cross. Every road in life STILL leads to the Cross for the Disciple of Christ. It is there we truly understand the Victory we have available to us because of what Jesus did on our behalf. 

 

When we remain attached to Jesus Christ, the Holy Lamb of God, we will walk in Victory over the enemy in every aspect of our lives. That is God’s Will for every person on earth. 

 

The following is the equation:  DESIRE + DENIAL + DAILY = DISCIPLESHIP

 

This equation will........turn the tide

 

 Living in this equation,    Doreen

 

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