“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  Luke 9:23             

Denying yourself isn’t easy.

It’s not much fun, either. 

I say that upfront lest you think I’m an elite, super-Christian who enjoys not getting what I want. 

Like you, my “flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit” inside of me (Galatians 5:17) and often doesn’t surrender without one heck of a fight. As Eugene Peterson eloquently says, “The kingdom of self is heavily defended territory.”

You see, I enjoy sitting on the throne of my little ‘kingdom.’ I get to be in charge, call the shots, and run things according to my agenda. (Can I get an “Amen?”) Naturally, I resist anyone or anything that threatens my so-called authority. 

Oh, so comfy and cozy on my little throne, I’d like to pretend that ‘denying myself’ is optional.

But it isn’t optional. It’s essential. 

Denying myself is at the very core of what it means to be a Christian.

Jesus spells out the heart of discipleship in three steps:  1. Deny yourself.  2. Pick up your cross 3. Follow Him. 

If I truly want to follow Jesus, denying myself is a non-negotiable part of the process. Just because it isn’t easy doesn’t mean I’m excused from living it out.

Are you living out Jesus’ three steps?

Denying ourselves means we surrender our ‘throne’ to Jesus. Initially, this takes place at salvation when we confess, “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9), indicating a fundamental shift in who is leading our lives.  Self is no longer king; Jesus is our King. However, this was never meant to be a one-time event but an ongoing occurrence. Notice that Jesus says we must “daily take up our cross” (Luke 9:23). 

While you and I don’t carry a literal cross, we are called to submit to Jesus every day and follow wherever He leads, even to the point of death. If we follow Him longer than five minutes, we inevitably come to a fork in the road where His way contradicts our way. We want to go over here. He wants us to go over there. We desire to behave like this. His Word tells us to behave like that.  It’s precisely in these moments that we must “deny ourselves” and demonstrate that Jesus, not self, occupies the throne.

For example, let’s say I have a bad attitude about a situation at home or at work. (Of course, I’m speaking hypothetically…for the sake of illustration) Though I may feel justified in my perspective on the matter, maintaining a poor attitude doesn’t glorify Christ.  

So, I must make a difficult choice: 

• Will I surrender my bad attitude and honor Jesus?  
• Or hold onto my bad attitude and dishonor Him?

This kind of scenario plays out numerous times a day, in our attitudes, in our actions, relationships, conversations, the content on our phones, etc., etc.; yet, each situation provides an opportunity for us to voluntarily lay down our will and conform to His. Every time we choose His will over ours, we show that “denying self” isn’t just something we ascribe to in theory but something we take seriously and live out in daily life.   

How is Jesus asking you to deny yourself?

While it may not necessarily be easy or enjoyable, and the most unnatural act in the world, it’s vital that we remember “denying self” is an invitation to experience a richer, more fulfilling life, not a lesser one. Jesus says, “If you try to hang onto your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Luke 9:24). 

Will you take Him up on His offer today?

“Every day, I purpose to have a funeral and a coronation. I seek to die to myself and crown Jesus as my King.”    

-Tim LaFleur

Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Check out this article, “What It Means to Deny Yourself” from GotQuestions.org.