“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Self-denial and living contently within it isn’t a popular choice during these days of human indulgence. 

Bearing one’s own cross is no easy task, but it is a central desire of those who would willingly follow Jesus. 

While I wouldn’t profess self-denial as my strongest suit, there are key areas of my life I choose to daily deny myself solely due to my love for Jesus.

The weight of this cross on me has eased over the many years I’ve maintained it as I’m sure you have done so yourself. 

There’s a price to following Jesus and it’s paid every morning you wake up. 

If you haven’t yet created the vacuum of your own private self-denial, you may be missing out on the infilling of the Holy Spirit to advance your faith and flourishing.