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
Jesus made a conditional statement only for those who desire to follow Him. He said that they must deny themselves and take up their cross. What are we supposed to deny?
Definition of “deny” according to Strong’s dictionary:
to affirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with someone
to forget one’s self, lose sight of one’s self and one’s own interests
Do we see many people who have lost sight of their own interest these days!? The scripture warns us about three types of lust that can cause us to fall or remain ineffective in our walk with God. These lusts caused Adam and Eve to fall, and everyone of one of us is subject to those temptations.
For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 1John2:16
The old nature is lustful in its desires and in its methods to achieve those desires. The old nature is driven by what is visible, flashy, fast, easy, and popular. It derives its significance from competition and feeling superior to others. The ego wants to rule and be in charge. The more we feed the ego, the stronger it becomes.
When we allow the old nature to continue to rule in our new life, we become carnal believers. This was the issue that Paul had to continually address in his letters to various churches. Worldliness and the things that feed our pride must be denied by us. Therefore, the Lord calls us to starve pride in any form, otherwise we will not be able to follow Christ. Following Him requires great humility.
Some believers are very skilled in using the right vocabulary and defining their actions and/or attitudes as spiritual. I have experienced this a few times myself where individuals use the name of God to support their actions and/or their views. However, what they stated did not settle right in my spirit. It seemed as if they were hiding behind the Bible to do what they wanted to do and avoid the criticism of others. Their actions or statements had a form of godliness, but it wasn’t God. This is dangerous for the individual as well as for those who are watching and/or listening to them.
Taking “godly” actions that do not really line up to the Word of God, have left me confused in quite a few occasions. I have even been disillusioned at times because some of these individuals were perceived as mature in their churches. For a younger believer, this may cause them to walk away from faith. I would like to encourage everyone to be very careful in how you use the name of God as a seal of approval for what you want to do. You may lead yourself and others on the path of error, and, at a certain point, you may not be open to be challenged in your views any longer.
