(Luke 9:23-24) “Then Jesus said to all the people: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it.”
(Acts 20:24) “But I don’t care what happens to me, as long as I finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do. And that work is to tell the good news about God’s great kindness.”
(Joel 2:28) “Later, I will give my Spirit to everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.”
The saddest people in the world are the ones that only think about themselves. They only focus on what they lack, what they need, what they wish they had done differently or what they need to change right now about their lives, they focus all their energy on their small existence as an individual. The world teaches us to always think of ourselves first in order to be successful in life, but this contradicts the teachings of Christ as it stops us from seeing who God can truly become in our lives.
The happiest people in the world, however, are those that have a vision or a dream bigger than themselves and are actually living it or working toward achieving it. The only one that is bigger than us is God and therefore only He can make us live with that fullness of joy and feeling of being part of a great dream or vision.
If you can only see what is two feet in front of your eyes, then that is how far you will go. However, when we take the hand of God and see beyond ourselves in the spiritual, we will soar like eagles and achieve all that He has planned for us. By focusing on our needs, our pain, and our goals separated from God, we are bound to disappointment as it will only drive us away from God’s perfect plan.
Christ makes it very clear that in order to accept Him as Lord we have to put aside all our plans and desires as they will interfere with the sacrifice it takes to live for others, just like He did by dying on the cross for our sins. Many are willing to live as a Christian and enjoy all the benefits of connecting directly to God, but most give up this walk when they are asked to sacrifice themselves for those that will turn around and hurt them.
Apostle Paul states that as long as He fulfilled the dream or assignment that God gave him, he did not care what happened to him in order to achieve it. And this is exactly what He lived and died for. How many of us have understood the purpose behind Christ choosing us to know Him? Behind the promise to pour out His Spirit to empower us to prophesy and behind speaking to us through dreams and visions?
The more you hold on to something or someone in your life that is not Christ, the more it will become a hindrance to advancing to the next stage in your walk with God.
Prayers
• Heavenly Father, You are the voice of the Lord that breaks the Cedars. The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
• Thank You Father that we have been promised to receive Your Holy Spirit in these last days.
• Thank You that we can expect You to speak to us through dreams and visions.
• Forgive us for not understanding that outside of You there is no life that is worth fighting for.
• Forgive us for putting You aside in order to hold on to our personal dreams, desires, and the pleasure of the world.
• Give us the vision of what You want us to, and how to do it.
• Help us to pick up our cross daily, die to our personal desires, and to follow You wherever You lead us.
• We declare that we will achieve eternal life by surrendering all things at the feet of Jesus.
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• We ask in Jesus’ Mighty name. Amen