Monday, August 29, 2005
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TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
What has the Lord been talking to you about lately? Seems everything I read, hear or listen to is about the same thing:
Jesus said to His disciples, If any of you wants to be My follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow Me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for Me, you will find true life. Matthew 16: 24-25 NLT
What cross is He talking about? Some people think their cross is an illness or a difficult relationship, or some other sort of trial or burden. It is not! The cross is where we put our flesh and its desires to death. Our cross is the place where what I want collides with what God wants.
Our flesh is the part of us that wants to feel good and be comfortable. Our flesh is always protecting itself. Flesh is the part of you that craves the easy way out. Our flesh is the seat of laziness, selfishness and revenge in us all. It is also the soil all of our bondages and addictions root in.
Now I don't know about you, but my flesh HATES the cross. My flesh wants WHAT it wants, WHEN it wants it NOW! So I have to drag it kicking and screaming every step of the way to the cross. But the great thing about it is once I get it there, the blood of Jesus takes over and its power over me is broken. That is what Paul meant in Galatians 2:19-20 when he said, "I have been crucified with Christ. I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me."
He talks about it again in Romans 6: 6-11 "Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.And since we died with Christ, we know we will also share His new life. We are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over Him. He died once to defeat sin, and now He lives for the glory of God.So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus.
Have you been trying to overcome a habit? Until you crucify your flesh it won't happen. Let's look at that passage again:
If any of you wants to be My follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow Me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for Me, you will find true life. Matthew 16: 24-25
We are responsible for crucifying our own flesh. This is another part of this verse that we don't want to talk about. Dying to self is a CHOICE we make, not a burden we must bear. 1 Peter 4 says everyone endures trials. They are a normal part of life. Father God did not MAKE Jesus die on the cross. (But Jesus knew without it there would be no victory over sin.)
I have discovered that killing my flesh is never easy or fun. I like the easy way out. I would much rather stand in a prayer line and have someone pray over me or blame my behavior on demons. But many times what is really needed is for me and you to stir up our spirit man, say NO to our flesh, drag it to the cross and kill it.
So what do you plan to do the next time your flesh whimpers or whines? Will you take the path of least resistance? Will you do what is comfortable? Or will you choose God's will over your own and go through the painful process of death to self? Victory or another defeat awaits you.
"Lord help me to be honest with myself. Shine your spiritual floodlight into the secret places of my heart. Reveal the thoughts, attitudes, desires and habits that are not pleasing to You. Give me the courage to see them for what they are. Help me discern the areas of my life that are being ruled by my uncrucified flesh instead of Your precious Holy Spirit. Amen."
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Comments (11)
What a wonderful post and something I needed to see just when I read it. I love it that he knows what we need just when we need it. Thank you and all I can say is AMEN.
Love ya, Darlena
This post really ministers to me!!! You have a wonderful way of writing! Have you written a book before? If not...I think you should consider it! (In between taking care of parents, sister...LOL!) Your writings are beautiful and from the heart.
You're a courageous soul and am so glad to read your words. It's wonderful to become aquainted with another sister in Christ.
God is showing me, in His Word and through "The Passion of the Christ" DVD how Jesus crucifixion actually started in Gethsemene and finished at Calvary. Wrestling His own will and turning it over to the Father was so desparate and hard, that He told His beloved brethern, "...my soul is sorrowful - even to the point of death..." I've had those Gethsemene glimpses in my own life - though not nearly as deep and agnozing as our Lord's (when I held my dying newborn daughter in my arms...when a close family member betrayed and wounded me deeply...) I remember being curled up practically in a tight ball, just begging God for His will to prevail and not mine...He showed me that it was OK to relate to His son in this; cruxificition is not an easy thing - often times my dearest friends just won't understand, or through my holding them away or because it hurt them to badly to walk with me, they'd "fall asleep from their own sorrow" - or from mine. So often, truest crucifixion often feels lonely and abandoning...but those are feelings from the evil one, for the last thing he wants is for God's will to prevail.
And it's in those times, that I cling to the Man of Sorrows. For He understands; He was there - He knows. And He embraces me - and I'm not alone.
Have you ever read "Hinds Feet In High Places"? I can really relate to Hannah Hurnard's Much Afraid, laying down her trembling soul at the alter...always in a little higher or lower place in her quest for the High Places - but what God showed me through that, is she was never at the same alter twice. Always a new place in her journey...and that He understands my trembling soul and it's OK.
Praise God for growth and for His understanding that we are but dust...and yet, what Masterpieces He creates in us - in spite of us!
Blessings to you!
Holly
Yes. I have considered writing a book many times. I figure if Janette Oke wrote her first book, Love Comes Softly in her sixites, I still have time.
It blesses me when God uses the things He has been teaching me to touch others. I really needed this post myself too as I am trying to overcome some addictions of my own.
You have a beautiful gift of teaching - I love reading what God gives you and am glad you can share it here where so many people can read it!
Hugs,
RayRay