Day 8 The first step to following Jesus as His disciple is to deny your ego.
Luke 9:23
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Briefly, Jesus tells us to deny our ego, our pride, our sinful nature and our flesh. We have to say, “No” to what we want, what we think and desire. The Lord wants to perform miracles with us, but there is a conflict between our ego and the will of God. So the moment you say, “I will not do my will anymore, but instead choose Yours,” then the Lord will release His grace and power to help you carry out your purpose.
While He preached in the desert and in the cities, thousands followed Jesus, yet He only discipled 120, sent out 70, His personal disciples numbered 12, of which 3 were the closest, and only one remained at the foot of the cross. Do you still want to be a disciple of Jesus? Then take the first step: Deny yourself!
Activation
As we saw earlier, the first step to being a disciple of Jesus is to deny our ego, crucify the flesh and the old man. Today, when you go out to the streets, make sure you follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Pray with me
Lord Jesus, I ask for forgiveness for not having taken my cross and following You. I regret not dying to my ego, pride and sinful nature. Today I get up and start to take steps towards You. Lord, release Your grace and favor today, so that I may fulfill Your purpose. Amen.
Bible Readings: Matthew 10:38; Mark 10:21; John 12:25-26
