Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Luke

Deny Yourself

by

Jesus said if anyone wants to follow Him, they must first deny themselves (Luke 9:23). What does it mean to deny yourself? It means you must deny your ego. You have been bought for a price, and your life no longer belongs to you (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You are a slave of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:22). How could you, a slave, think more highly of yourself than anyone else (Philippians 2:3-5)?

Young man contemplating what it means to deny yourself as he seeks the discipline to surrender his priorities and live with a commitment to discipleship without fear

You don’t have the right to make your own decisions, as every choice must now align with God’s will and His Word. As slaves of Christ, we are the lowest of the low, deserving of nothing, and any good that comes our way is only by the incredible grace of our Lord and King (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are nothing, but that’s okay, because He is everything!

[Read more…] about Deny Yourself

Bad Fruit

by

The Bible uses the analogy of good and bad fruit to distinguish between what believers and nonbelievers will produce in their lives (Matthew 7:17-20). Genuine followers of Christ will produce good fruit (John 15:8). Jesus says if we abide in Him, we will produce fruit that is growing and desirable (John 15:4-5), as we cannot produce any other kind.

a crowd with raised hands at an event espousing a false gospel and generating bad fruit showing a lack of discipline and discernment for those in attendance which belies their discipleship

But for those not in Him, Jesus likens them to bad trees that can only produce bad fruit (Matthew 7:18). A bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit every now and again; it produces bad fruit every time. Sure, it might look appealing on the outside, but inside it is rotten and sour. If we consume enough of it, what do you imagine will become of our spiritual health?

[Read more…] about Bad Fruit

Who Are You Living for Today?

by

The Apostle Paul instructs us to do everything in life to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Popular music and society tell you to live for yourself. Jesus was clear in teaching we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), so we can’t adhere to both worldviews. Each of us will live for Jesus or we will live for ourselves, which means we will live for Satan and the things of this world.

young woman mulling the question of who are you living for today as she seeks to focus her priorities on her commitment to discipleship

There are stark differences between these choices, and there are dramatic differences in the end reality as well. You can either live for now and spend eternity in Hell, or live for eternity and spend it with Jesus. Who are you living for today — yourself or Christ?

[Read more…] about Who Are You Living for Today?

Be Bold

by

In the face of unrelenting pressure to compromise, we must be bold and stand firm on the authority of Scripture. Growing up, peer pressure was a given. The desire to fit in, to be liked or even popular, is an enormous weight all people face as they go through their school years. I think we all thought once we moved into the “real world” that peer pressure would go away to a certain extent.

young man determined to be bold in his commitment to surrender to Jesus and live out his salvation with boldness and courage in true discipleship

But it never goes away; it just manifests in different forms. The culture is always trying to conform us to its idyllic mold. The problem is their idea of “acceptable behavior and speech” is grounded in millennia of wrong thinking and sinful attitudes. To conform to the world is to live at odds with the one true God.

[Read more…] about Be Bold

Guard Your Mind

by

In an age of endless distractions, it’s never been more vital to guard your mind. What you allow into your mind affects how you feel, act, and live. I am convinced there are no neutral thoughts. At their core, every thought will either glorify God or ourselves. Over 2,000 years ago, Paul exhorted the Church to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Woman scrolling through her phone emphasizing the need to guard your mind, exert discipline to to show your commitment to the holiness of God by minding our thoughts, keeping our focus on God and avoiding social media.

Infiltrating our minds is the primary way Satan wages war against us (Ephesians 6:11-12). The goal of the devil is to implant thoughts in our heads to make us doubt what God has said (Genesis 3:1), question who we are in Christ (Matthew 4:3-4), and erode our faith in Jesus (Luke 22:31-32). Every lie we’ve ever believed is another attack from the devil and his demons (John 8:44).

[Read more…] about Guard Your Mind