Open Heavens 17 June 2016: Friday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Carrying your Cross

Topic: Carrying your Cross [Friday 17, June 2016]
Memorise: And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. – Luke 14:27
Read: Luke 14:25-30 (KJV)
 25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Bible in One Year: Nehemiah 6:15-8:18, Ecclesiastes 8:10-17
MESSAGE:
 The cross of Jesus is very effective in cleansing us from all our sins. Jesus instructs that whosoever will be His disciple will have to carry his cross and follow Him. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, every manifested work of the flesh must have been crucified to the cross. You are to be clean from all filthiness of the flesh. You must allow the cross to deliver you from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride and passions of life.
“And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” - Galatians 5:24
 Carrying your cross is the commencement of a new life and a new journey. It means your old ways of thinking are no longer allowed and you begin to walk in newness of life. Every resurrected life that is genuine begins with carrying the cross. When believers carry the cross, authentic power from God is released into their lives.
 However, the devil paints those who carry the cross as people who are old fashioned and people who follow doctrines that no longer necessary. This because he knows the secret behind the cross; he knows that the heredity of Christ is in the cross. He understands that holiness, power and wisdom are in the cross, and he wants believers not to have access to these things. This is one of the reasons why those who have refused to carry the cross are living a defeated life on daily basis; they are under the rule of the devil and so have become slaves to him. Carrying your cross means to follow Jesus all the way. If the 21st century will be potent enough to put the devil where he belongs, there is the need for the Church to carry her cross.
 The Cross was what made a public defeat of the devil. If you also want the devil to be publicly defeated in your family, in your career, in your finances, in your church, we all have to carry the cross and follow Jesus. Those who carry the cross will live. Those who follow Jesus will be delivered in the time of trouble. Self made righteousness cannot earn you a place in the presence of God but the cross will help you fight flesh and sins. You must seek to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. You must be willing to commit yourself in total surrender to the Lord. If you want to do great exploits in the world, you will have to deny yourself. Others may but as a true disciple of Jesus you cannot. Others can be careless but you cannot. You can no longer allow the system of the world and the dictates of culture to be the basis upon which you make your decisions. It is the love of Christ in you that becomes your compelling force. Paul had to suffer in order to carry out His mission. Jesus had to die in order for salvation to be possible. Nothing worthy is ever done in God without a sacrifice. I pray for you the grace you need to follow Jesus shall be available to you in Jesus’ name.
Prayer Point: Father, please help me to carry my cross to the finish line.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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