“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”- Matthew 16:24
Following Jesus; what exactly does that mean for our lives?
At first, you will have to make some sacrifices. Look at Simon and his brother Andrew (Matthew 4:18–20). They left everything behind when Jesus called them to follow Him. James and his brother John, they to left their boat and father and followed Jesus. Their obedience to His call changed all the history!
It will cost you something; either letting go of old patterns, a certain lifestyle, worldly pleasures, your feelings, your own future plans, or your opinion (deny yourself, Matthew 16:24). But they can also be relationships, people or even family members. This is what the Bible means by “dying to self” (Luke 9:23–24) and “taking up your cross” (Matthew 16:24). I no longer live, but Christ lives in me……(Galatians 2:20).
It is a process, and it is different for everyone. One will go faster than the other, or in a completely different way. Our walk with the Lord is different and very personal for everyone. Although this does not make the Gospel very tempting, following Jesus is still the best choice you can ever make in your life! You can know that when He asks you to give up something, it will always be for your own good.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
Jesus stuff
According to this society, you have to have everything in order according to the standards of the world. If you go against the flow, people will say you are out of your mind and try to get you “back in line”. But our God is not of this world, and His plans for you are far better than we could ever imagine or wish.
We must break free from the old patterns and systems of this world and recognize that we are no longer of this world (John 15:19). We must learn not to look at the world system but at God’s system (Romans 12:2). 
We can only look ahead to a limited extent. We may all have plans in our heads for our future, dreams and wishes, but we must dare to let go of all that if He asks us to. Now that we have chosen Jesus, we belong to Him. People will say you’re going too far with this “Jesus stuff” (as I was once told).
But Jesus Himself tells us that following Him will actually cause unrest and commotion. He did not come to bring peace (Matthew 10:34–39).
That heavy cross
That cross can be so heavy, and sometimes may look impossible to take up. I have personally experienced what it’s like to lift a heavy cross and leave something behind because God asked me to do so. It took me three years to finally understand what exactly God was asking of me regarding the relationship I had been in for over six years at that time, and that was to let go. It was not what He wanted for my future, in fact it was sinful.
He was so patient with me and kept pointing out to me that it was not the right thing. Until finally there came a time when I really had no choice but to give in, and trust God.
I experienced so strongly; it was Jesus, or that relationship because it was at the expense of my growth with God. As difficult as it was on the one hand, my choice for Jesus was very easy.
I couldn’t take it anymore, I had tried and pulled on the relationship for years, there was never really peace in me but a continuously recurring feeling of unrest and dissatisfaction. At one point, God clearly showed me that the time had come to let go and move on. I had to take up that heavy cross and continue my journey with Him. Even though it was hard, He stood by my side.
I left the relationship behind, pursued Him and immediately received a promise from Him, He had something much better for me in the future!
This is the God we serve!
He will never ask you to give up or sacrifice anything if He doesn’t have something better for you. He loves you and wants your happiness. Not only that, but He knows what is good for us much better than we think we know for ourselves.
So what matters is that we trust Him, surrender to Him and dare to let go.
Even though it hurts us at the time and even though His promise of better things is still far out of sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), have trust and faith in God.
Yes and Amen!
“How much do you trust me?” He asks you. I personally noticed that the thing I was most concerned about was the area where I trusted God the least.
The world has taught us to read the “small print” under a contract carefully and never just sign anything; don’t just trust something you put your name to! But our God is always faithful, good and loving. He is always the same (Hebrews 13:8), and He will never lie to us (Numbers 23:19). What He promises you, you can insist on because it is the Truth. In principle, we do not have to read His contract; there is no disclaimer with Him, no “yes, but”. Just yes, and Amen! 
I always see a blank contract in front of me. Jesus sits across from me at the table and says, “Do you trust Me with your life?” and hands me a contract. I look and see that it is completely empty!
Only a space at the bottom of the page for me to sign. “Yes Lord, I trust You,” I sign my name and slide the contract back to Him. “You can fill it in further, You are in charge of my life, it is no longer I who live, but You in me.”
I want to encourage you to take the step and sign His, currently blank, contract for your life. Or if He asks you to make a sacrifice, trust Him. He truly is trustworthy.
You may not see it yet, but He will fill your future with beautiful plans, love, happiness and a hopeful future!
Jesus calls you
Are you not following Jesus yet? He calls you, stands at your door, and knocks:
“Here I am!
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” -- Revelation 3:20
Let Him take care of you, open the door of your heart and say this to Him:
“Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Come into my life. I acknowledge You as the Son of God, and I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and that You rose again on the third day. Forgive me for my sins. I want to know You as the Lord of my life and the Savior of my soul. Thank you, Jesus!”.
If you have declared this with your mouth, and believe it in your heart, you are now saved (Romans 10:9)!
Now one more task remains. Find a local church or ministry where you can be baptized, that is extremely important (Acts 2:38) (www.frontrunners.nl)
