“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”- Mark 8:34 (NKJV)
Jesus spoke these powerful words as He drew His disciples and the crowd close. Although the people could not comprehend what Jesus was saying at that moment, He still wanted to share with them what would be expected of them if they truly wanted to follow Him and be His true disciple.
As I sat to ponder this verse, I discovered four significant points to consider—three of which are found within the verse, and one that is implied. Follow along as we dive into this profound scripture.
This post focuses on taking up your cross and following Jesus.
“Deny yourself, Take up your cross, and Follow Me.”-Mark 8:34
1. You must choose to follow Jesus.
When Jesus said, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me…’ He was expressing that if you truly want to follow Him, there are four critical things you must do. The first of these is that following Jesus must be a personal choice.
While God desires for us to obey and follow Him, He doesn’t force us to. He has given each of us free will—the freedom to make our own decisions. God would rather you consciously choose to give up everything and follow Him than to choose not to. It would be far more meaningful if you made the decision in your heart to willingly pursue Him.
Making the choice in your heart to follow Jesus shows your willingness to pursue Him. A genuine pursuit of Christ will keep you focused and consistent, whereas following Him out of obligation, without fully desiring it, won’t have the same impact. A sincere heart will always take you farther than duty ever will.
2. You must deny yourself + your fleshly desires.
Our flesh is in constant battle with our spirit because it desires things that are not of God, but of the flesh.
Because God knew what we would be up against, He instructs us in Galatians 5:16 (NKJV) to walk in the Spirit, and we shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Oftentimes, we give in to our fleshly appetites, but this only leads us closer to spiritual death and destruction, distancing us from God.
Once you have decided in your heart to follow Jesus, you must deny yourself and your personal will. This means setting aside your own wants and desires in order to acknowledge and follow Christ’s. After denying yourself, you will submit to God’s will for your life.
Denying yourself requires a willing spirit, discipline, commitment, prayer, dedication, and intimacy with God. It doesn’t mean you can never pursue personal desires or things of interest; it simply means putting God’s will first and aligning your life with His plans and ways, above your own.
With the help of God’s Holy Spirit, it is possible to follow Jesus, though it is not easy. You will need to make continuous effort to follow Christ. This is a lifelong journey, not something that happens overnight.
3. God wants you to pick up your own cross.
To pick up your own cross, you must first understand what the cross symbolizes. It represents humility and selflessness, as well as all that Jesus sacrificed Himself for. It also symbolizes the death of sin and the rejection of fleshly desires.
When Jesus bore the cross, He was righteous in the flesh, selfless in His suffering, and endured death for the sake of righteousness. He did all those things and more so that we would be a forgiven people, saved, and receive eternal life, which is salvation.
When you pick up your cross, you must nail to it everything that Jesus’ cross symbolizes. Your sins, cares, and burdens must be nailed to it. God wants you to die to the flesh, sin, and all things that are not of Him.
Praying, staying in God’s Word, and aligning yourself with Him are practical ways to help you die to your flesh. Additionally, practicing self-control and self-discipline daily is essential.
4. You must totally follow Him.
As you continually strive to deny yourself and pick up your cross, Jesus calls you to follow Him. Following Him means letting go of both your former and present life in order to pursue Christ.
You must let go of what is familiar and comfortable to follow after Him. Do this by staying in God’s Word, praying for direction and guidance, and positioning yourself to hear from the Lord. To hear from God, you must disconnect from the distractions around you. Removing these distractions will help you focus more.
While removing distractions is not easy, it will be incredibly beneficial in your walk with Jesus. Form the mindset of being fully committed, and become selective about what you allow into your space. Keep your mind and heart focused on the Lord as much as possible. You can even ask God to help you maintain a focused mind on Him as you follow Jesus.
Ultimately, it’s best to fully trust God to lead you down His righteous path. His path is filled with goodness, mercy, humility, selflessness, love, joy, peace, and every good thing. This can be a bit intimidating at first, especially if you’re someone who is used to being in control of your own life. However, when you choose to follow Jesus, you are giving Him full permission to lead and guide you through life.
To go a bit more in-depth on what it means to deny yourself and follow Jesus, check out the article ‘What does it mean to take up your cross and follow Jesus?‘ written by Compelling Truth blog.
This post has focused on what it means to take up your cross and follow Jesus.
Now that you have a basic understanding of what it means to take up your cross and follow Jesus, do you feel ready to commit to following Him? Or have you already started your journey with Jesus?
Let’s talk about it in the comments—I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Kim McLeod
03/17/2022Oh my goodness I am so impressed by you, your dedication and obedience bravo Brittany! This is wonderful!
Don’t get discouraged the will come! ?
Brittany Adams
03/17/2022Thank you Kim for your encouraging words. I appreciate you always. ?
Celeste
03/17/2022Thank you Brittany for this! I often question the things that God wants for me even if I read it a million times. I appreciate the fact that you follow the teachings of our leaders. It is much much appreciated. To be continued!
Brittany Adams
03/17/2022Hi Celeste,
Your welcome and thank you so much for reading my post☺ . I am happy that you found it helpful.
Tanya M Adams
03/17/2022I’m so PROUD of you and the assignment God has given you!!! The name, messages, and lessons will make a great impact on so many others. Keep going, don’t stop, God’s watching. ???
Brittany Adams
03/17/2022Thank you so much for your encouraging words and for stopping by. It means so much to me. I will continue to walk in obedience to God’s guidance, for it is His perfect will that will indeed be done in and through my life. ??
Aundrea Taylor
03/17/2022This is definately a teaching and resource i could learn and grow in God.
Brittany Adams
03/17/2022Hi Aundrea, thank you for taking the time to visit and read my post. I pray that it will be a useful resource for you on your journey. Thanks! ?
Lisa Duffy-Finney
03/17/2022This is Amazing!!!
Brittany Adams
03/17/2022Thank you Lisa. I appreciate you for visiting. ??
Myeshia
03/18/2022This is awesome and beautifully written! I’m so glad you’ve accepted the assignment and hit the ground running. These tips are so helpful and encouraging. Thank you!
Brittany Adams
03/18/2022Hey Myeshia, Thank you for stopping by and reading my post. Also, thank you for your words of encouragement. I’m happy to know that you found these tips helpful and encouraging. ??