15 June, 2021
💞 Dear Royal Praying Priests, shalom!
💎 “Then Yeshua said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to follow after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’” (Mat 16:24-25, TLV)
Before our hearts are filled with the Holy Spirit and the manifest presence of God, we need to be empty and throw out all the rubbish inside us. Yeshua is looking for true worshippers and followers, and He challenges all of us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him.
Crucifixion is the image of Yeshua’s radical demand on His true followers. Everything inside of us has to die, including our self-centeredness, self-interests, self-seeking, self-sufficiency, our ego, our pride, our ambitions, and our plans. Everything, not just a certain portion of self, has to be crucified on the cross and die. Crucifixion is cruel and lethal. Once we are nailed to a cross, there is no way for us to escape or walk away. We got to lay aside the old self for putting on the new self in Messiah, because we are created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph 4:20-24).
Chuck Colson was an American attorney and political advisor to President Richard Nixon. He became a true follower of Messiah at the age of 42, and his conversion sparked a radical life change which impacted thousands of people. Chuck says, “I had read them all, from Nietzsche, to Solzhenitsyn, to Jesus. Hinduism told me to find myself. Humanism told me to be myself. The ancient Greeks told me to know myself. Hedonism told me to enjoy myself. Existentialists told me to express myself. Mysticism told me to become myself. But only Jesus Christ dared to tell me to deny myself. I have sat next to some of the most powerful leaders on earth and they all told people to lay down their life for them. Only Jesus Christ laid down his life for his people.”
Yeshua says, “Follow after me… follow me.” This is a life-long calling to each one of us. How will you respond today and how are you living for Yeshua?
Let us worship Him! Be My Heart, My Hands, My Voice (Selah)
🙏 Dear Father, we hear Your calling through Yeshua today. Whatever the cost it may take, we are willing to live for You. Please strengthen us, so we are not afraid of denying ourselves, taking up our cross, crucifying everything inside us on a cross, and following Yeshua closely. As we enter the third week of fasting and prayer month in June, speak to our hearts, help us to throw away all rubbish inside our hearts, and show us any specific ways that You want us to take up the cross. In the Name of Yeshua we pray and bless You, Amen.