What did God mean to say deny yourself?

To deny means to reject your own desires or to give up the things you love for the sake of something else. Therefore, when the bible speaks of denying oneself, means denying everything for Christ’s sake. Once you are willing to follow Christ means you are willing also to give up almost all the things you love even if they seem to be good before your eyes. You put them down, and carry those of Christ alone. That’s why the apostle Paul said.

Philippians 3:7-8 (KJV)

⁷But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

⁸Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

See, this is number one pillar that proves, a person has truly followed Jesus. People who repent from their sin are many, but people who have meant to follow Jesus are very few. Once you became a Christian woman, you must be ready to drop all your short dresses and trousers which you were past wearing before you came to Christ, otherwise, don’t say I’m a Christian.

Same applies to men, If you claim to have followed Jesus, be sure you had said bye to the world, you had dropped all your cigarettes, all you alcohols, and all your girlfriends you past had..And all other things which can seem to look good before your eyes but not before Jesus’s eyes.

And now when the Lord sees you have meant to stop them seriously. He now came to you and make you his disciple just as he did to his 12 disciples among hundreds of them who were following him.

Remember that this should be a continuous process, every day you deny yourself. Even in doing God’s work, you are must deny yourself..The time when you were supposed to be on your business, you sacrificed it for the Gospel…As the bible also speak of praying, we ought to pray always even to sacrifice our bed for prayers. Everything which we think we can do for God, needs sacrifice. we must lose our souls for God. But above all, the lord said we will find them instead. Because he said, he knows the plans he had for us, are of good, and to of bad, to give us hope, in our last days.

That’s why we don’t feel bad, when we hear he told us to leave everything behind for his sake..We know its benefits if not in this world, we will come to see it in the world to come, Because he knows the good plan he had for us. It is better to be seen by people you lost everything for Christ’s sake than to gain all the world and lost eternal life. What will benefit you?

Matthew 16:24-26 (KJV)

²⁴Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

²⁵For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

²⁶For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Be blessed!

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