“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” —Matthew 16:24
As you make a definitive decision to buy something, you probably weighed the options and risks before you decided to purchase that particular item. You knew it would be worth the cost, so you ultimately said yes. In your yes you relinquished your money. Life will always cost us something. There is sacrifice that is required for us to survive. Just like in the natural, there is a spiritual cost for the decisions we make as we are living for Jesus. As believers, we are familiar with the concept of dying daily to ourselves. We have heard about the surrender that is required for us to come into alignment with the Holy Spirit. But what does this actually look like? What does it look like to accept God’s will for our lives? How do we really deny our flesh in exchange for His Spirit? We are constantly and consistently at war with what we see and what God said. How do we truly follow Him?
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,”
The word, deny in this verse is used in powerful context to describe the action that Jesus has commanded for us. According to “The New Interpreter’s Study Bible”: “to deny oneself is to turn from whatever hinders faithful and lived commitment.” (NIB pg.1176). To deny ourselves involves turning from our own desires, pride, and sinful nature; those things that do not allow us to remain faithful in our walk with Christ. Turning away from the things that are rooted in self, that will essentially hinder our commitment to the Father. How do we put this into action? How do we really deny ourselves in our pursuit of Jesus? In chapter 1 of the book of Daniel, we see first-hand how Daniel makes a decision to deny himself. Daniel is training to serve within the king’s palace in Babylon. While there, he is served food and wine from the king’s table. Daniel does want to consume the wine and food that is given. Ultimately, he decides to turn away from eating the food and drinking the wine and asks the chief official for permission to not defile himself. (Daniel 1:8). As Daniel denied the physical food, he said yes to the appetite of the spirit.
“and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
God’s compassion was with him. Daniel then tells the chief, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” (Daniel 1:12-13). Daniel was sure in his conviction. There was a yes that Daniel had to navigate despite possible implications. In taking up your cross, there is an in-spite, regardless, and in-the-face of whatever is happening around you—the obedience of the Lord takes precedence over what you are experiencing. So the guard agreed to test the men. “At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.” (Daniel 1:15-16). Daniel’s steadfastness in his surrender was evidence of a life positioned for His glory. He did not compromise his beliefs or faith. Taking up your cross means whatever comes with it, you are willing to continually choose your yes to Jesus. Daniel was willing to take up his cross and go with God.
Though this is a smaller story of self-denial, we will be tested in both small and monumental moments of sacrifice. Our yes may not be easy to navigate sometimes. Many of us struggle with solely relying on God and not ourselves. Many of us struggle with uprooting the things that are causing us to remain shackled. Jesus gives us this instruction to take up our cross as a requirement of how we should live. His words are a roadmap that helps us draw closer to Himself. Denying ourselves brings transformation, sanctification, and holiness. To deny yourself and take up your cross looks exactly like what many followers of Jesus did throughout the Bible. In their obedience and sacrifice, people came to know the true power of His Name. In the process of their yes, they were renewed by His righteousness. Daniel used this opportunity to be a reflection of Christ. Because of his yes the wine and food were traded for vegetables and water; which in turn, gave the others the strength and energy needed for the work required while in the king’s palace. As we are denying our flesh, we are giving God our agreement in the spirit. The cross you are bearing with Jesus may be heavy, but it is absolutely worth the cost.
“The true gospel is a call to self-denial. It is not a call to self-fulfillment.” —John MacArthur
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