Intentionally Following Jesus!

Read:

Luke 9:23-26 (ESV): “And He said to all, If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My Words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.“

Act:

Let us be determined this week to:

Deeply reflect on this question: What do we put our faith in? Is it in a forever changing world, or is it in the unchanging truth of God’s Word? May we be intentional about what we think about, deliberate in our decisions, and wise as to what we expose ourselves to. Our focus can easily pull us in all different directions when we are not deeply rooted and grounded in the truth of God’s Word! Let us ‘MAKE TIME TO BE WITH JESUS’! The fruit of that is worth far more than anything this world could ever offer us!

Live according to the assurance we find in Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV): “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths”. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross gave us the key to salvation and direct access to our Heavenly Father. It’s in the stillness of spending time with God, realising that He is always with us and His promises will stand forever, that we find meaning in life and hope for the future! So as we deliberately follow Jesus, let us allow Him to direct our earthly paths.

Be intentional and disciplined in surrendering our lives to our Lord daily. In our modern-day, we tend to live compartmentalised lives. We have information at our fingertips, and a tendency to seek acceptance by following worldly and cultural standards. This leads to a struggle to find our true identity and to live a life that glorifies our Father in Heaven. By submitting our lives to the will of God and obediently following where He leads us, we find His grace, gain a grip on who we are, and develop an understanding of who God created us to be. That is when we begin to stand firm as followers of Jesus, knowing that each one of us has a specific purpose and role to play in the bigger picture of life. We can then become one as the body of Christ, for His glory and the revival of our nations.

Pray:

Father, thank You so much for an opportunity today to approach Your throne and once again say, “God, here I am, please take me as I am”. Thank You so much that You paid the price on the cross for me whilst I was still in sin. Lord, we understand that you did not see this as a ‘once off’ experience, but that You want to continue this daily relationship with us. Every day, we get to go back and start again by submitting and surrendering ourselves so that Your will, Your perfect will can be done in us. To Your glory alone Lord, we pray in Your wonderful name.

Heavenly Father, we come to You in the name of Jesus Christ, our key, who has unlocked our salvation. We thank You that You have given us the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven; the key to eternal life – and that key is Jesus Christ. Thank You for what You have given us and for being prepared to sacrifice Your Son who was blameless and faultless. Jesus, today we thank You that You were willing to sacrifice Yourself and that You said to our Father, “let me go…”. We thank You Lord, and ask that You fill our hearts with that same love, we can only hope to love You the way You love us. I pray that each person listening to this message will take this key, and embrace it Heavenly Father. I pray this in the Name of Jesus Christ, our eternal Heavenly key.

It is not just a ‘feeling’ that God is with you, He really is. And when you’re tired; when that storm is raging around you; or when you’re feeling good and joyful; enjoying nature… He is with You. He is right there beside you and you are safe. May this be a fresh revelation for you today, knowing that He is with you.

Thank You, Lord that we can bow before You and acknowledge our need to make sure that we are in right standing with You on an ongoing basis. Will You please forgive us every time that we are side-tracked by the distractions of things, work and relationships in our lives? We acknowledge that we sometimes make idols of these things, instead of looking to You as our only truth. You are our God, You are the One that we live for, and You are the One we have faith in. You are the One that will always provide and will always be with us. Help us to live in the resurrection power that You have given us, and to know, that we know, that our faith is in the truth – our Jesus, our Lord and our Saviour. In Jesus’ name.

Let us pray and decree the following scriptures – Psalm 33:12 (NIV): Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance; Ezekiel 38:23 (NIV): And so I will show My greatness and My holiness, and I will make Myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord;  Psalm 24:7-10 (NIV): Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(This WRAP is with great appreciation to Christo, Carina, Liezel, Emilise, Denise)

Subscribe to our Podcast Channel