“Then he said to them all:
‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.‘ Luke 9:23
If you are like me, the day you were saved is embedded in your mind. You probably remember every detail vividly. Do you remember your expectations of Christianity? I clearly remember mine. I was under the assumption that surrender simply meant relinquishing control of the sin in my life and learning to live a new life that turned away from those sins. I had no clue that it would entail giving up a dream I had long held.
This passage reminds us that we deny more than sinful ways. We deny the things we want to do in life versus what God wants us to do in life. Many of the desires we have are intertwined with sin, and yet we don’t seem to recognize it. That was my situation. Advancing within my career had been my utmost priority before salvation. I spent many extra hours of work to achieve success. But once I was saved, I had conflicting feelings about my life choices.
My new self lives to serve God, not my old ambitions. My motives behind my advancement were wrong — something I hadn’t noticed as an unbeliever — and I suddenly realized I had made my career an idol. It was then I knew that God wanted me to relinquish my dream and pursue him instead. Surrendering my dream was difficult, but it was what God wanted from me since it would help me be free from the rule of sin and lead me to grow closer to him.
Perhaps you’re at a crossroads too. Surrender is a daily process. We must follow what God says, no matter what we want. It’s for our good to give God our best. And doesn’t such a good God deserve our all?
Dear Lord, grant us the ability to know and do your will. Do not let sin control us, but let us be controlled by you. Amen.
By Ashlea Massey
Used by Permission
FURTHER READING
Practicing the Presence of God
Stepping Into a Personal Revival
Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughts-about-god.com/four-laws/
