Deny self

That's the scripture I shared early morning today in our ladies group. 

I thought about how this scripture has helped me over the years and challenges me today.

Deny self meant early on that I needed to get rid of distractions and hindrances holding me back, causing complacency and excuses in my life- I had too

Turn from idols ( following lives of celebrities)

Turn from vanity (thinking I needed makeup everyday)

Turn from false Gods (watching sports 24/7)

Turn from fear (about today)

Turn from worry (about tomorrow)

Turn from guilt (about yesterday)

Turn from greed (read about Ananias and his wife)

Turn from sadness to joy everlasting

Turn from sin to mercy

Turn from these things of this world and being held captive by traditions and learn how to 

Love God

Trust God

Hear God

Talk to God

Find my identity in Him.

In and of themselves those things don't hold everyone back from surrendering to God but they did me. Fortunately, I can now enjoy some of things that held me captive for a long time without being a slave to them... and yes, I even own makeup again, but I have no idea where it is :)

So, it started small for me- denying self of little things without having anyone to disciple me; I just began acknowledging for myself that  I needed God more than the things I was surrounding myself with. 

And deny self continues to cut to my heart as my understanding of what JESUS said grows:

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save their life^f will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

Now outside of America, I'm learning how to deny self of

Freedoms I took for granted back in the States

My pride and enitlement to anything attitude

Ordinary things relying on power, water, Internet, food I'm used too and had access too have become 

Extraordinary things. 

As I read this living, active Word- it helps me to recognize how God is shaping and molding me- and how far I've come and how far I have yet to go while 

"6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.."

#promisesofGod