Self-denial

       Is saying 'no' to good things a good idea?

       My walk with Christ has been changing. You see, all of us have things in our lives that we don't like. Things that we know are getting in the way of our relationship with God.

       When I was a child, I used to dream that one day I would be a strong Christian. I saw Godly people speak and live their lives for Christ, and all I could think was that one day I wanted to be like that. But I thought it would never be possible.

       But how foolish it is to dream that one day we will be who God wants us to be. How absurd to think that in the future we will have conquered that sin that plagues us. How silly it is to dream of who I might be one day if I am not taking steps NOW to BE that person. The Holy Spirit is here now, he's empowering us NOW!


       Self discipline has all but disappeared in the church. We are so scared of stepping into legalism that we avoid taking action against our sin by taking drastic steps to grab it by the horns and uproot it from our lives!

       K. P. Yohannan expressed it nicely in a sermon I listen to often (get ready for a long quote)

“But I'm here to tell you that the call of Christ is not just to be informed, but to do something about it. I mean, you are bombarded with information. You get enough spiritual information in one week that people in India and China don't get in 5 years! How blessed we are! But let's not fool ourselves...that doesn't mean we are impacting the world. But how we need to realize that we are headed toward eternity and that is not a thousand miles away from now, it is the next minute. And Jesus lived like that... The reason why we in America with all the teaching, all the music, all the stuff going on, our lives are shallow. Still struggling with sin, and struggling in our private thought life with things we know are not pleasing to God. And the lack of victory in your life. Lack of authority of God in your life. Seeking to please man rather than God...Why is it? Why is it? It is simply because we do not want to accept the cross of Christ into our lives. Cross means self-denial. Giving up our own wishes and dreams for the sake of the cross, for the sake of Calvary. And that's what we are missing here! That is the reason with all the stuff we miss so much of reality! When will we learn?! What does it take for us to learn?! The call of Christ for us is, As the Father has sent me, so send I you... The call of Christ is to DIE not to LIVE! You must, by the grace of God make a decision. “Lord, I want approval from you and no one else.” So much of Christian work originates in the flesh and carnality. I know, those are strong words. Unless you are sensitive to the Lord, you can easily misunderstand. We have a problem in America, in our church. We misunderstand obedience for legalism and bondage. I am telling you. I am telling you. The day is soon coming when you will regret and repent. Too late it will be over the debased life we spent for ourselves here. The world out there, they do not know Jesus. And our priority number one. Number one must be “Lord, I love you, and as a result of that I give ALL to touch the lost world!””


       There is so much meat in his words that we can so easily just skim over because we have heard it before. But have you allowed the truth of the cross of Christ to sink into your heart? You see, there will come a day when all of humanity will stand before Christ and have to give an account for how they lived their lives. Sure, you have every right to spend your life working to get ahead, finding a significant other and building a family, going on vacations and achieving your dream home, saving for retirement and crossing things off your bucket list.
       BUT THESE THINGS HAVE NO VALUE WHEN WE STAND BEFORE GOD!
       There are billions of people heading towards eternity in hell and we act as though we are living in a video game. There is no do-over, people! We have but one life!

Only one life, 'twill soon be past.
Only what's done for Christ will last.



       So is the practice of saying 'no' to things, even good things, a good idea?
       If it brings glory to God, YOU BET IT IS!

       In my own life I am growing horrible uncomfortable with the way I spend my time, my finances, and my talents. So much of it is in vain. So much of it reflects a heart that is living in an earthly kingdom and that is totally blind to the heavenly one I claim to be a citizen of.

       Imagine what the church in the west could do if it spent as much money as it spends on vacations, cars, gadgets, houses, and clothing on the mission of God instead. On caring for the poor. On supporting missions and missionaries.

       Have you thought about the possibility of God calling you to reach the lost in another part of the world? Or have you written it off as uncomfortable? Maybe you think you are in no place to serve God in that capacity because of your job, your family, or your lack of Bible knowledge. But should those things really be what holds us back?

       I'll say it again

Only one life, 'twill soon be past
Only what's done for Christ will last.

       How do you use your finances? How do you use your talents? How do you spend your time? How are you edifying the church? How are you telling others about the hope they can have in Christ? I am asking myself the same questions and finding I come up drastically short.

       Lately I have been adopting the practice of self-denial for the sake of glorifying God and I am amazed at the way God has been moving in me.
I just came off of over 40 days of only eating fruits and vegetables in order to work on self control and only wearing sweat pants and three t-shirts in order to work on vanity. I don't say this to bring glory to me. I say it to encourage you all. I AM CHANGED! God re-wired my head. I loved the intimacy with God so much that I am beginning the next 'no.' This needs to become a regular practice in my life. Where are the things standing between me and God right now? How can I discipline myself to change those things right now? Even if the thing that gets between you and God is a 'good' thing, if it is stopping you from being who God wants you to be or causing you to sin, it is better to cut it off than for it to drag you into hell (Matthew 5:29-30).

       I know that some people may view these words as condemning, but that is not my objective. I pray that these words bring Godly conviction through the Holy Spirit. Not just for you but for me. We are blind! We are so absorbed by the surrounding culture that we have made it theology! I need to wake up. We need to wake up.

“We misunderstand obedience for legalism and bondage. I'm telling you. I'm telling you. The day is still coming when you will regret and repent. Too late it will be over the debased life we spent for ourselves here. The world out there, they do not know Jesus. And our priority number one. Number one must be “Lord, I love you, and as a result of that I give ALL to touch the lost world!””