Self Denial

Self-denial is one of the most challenging things for us as Christians. Today Pastor Kevin walked us through what a lifestyle of self-denial should look like in our lives. There are 3 ways that it plays out in our lives. #1: A lifestyle of self-denial begins with Jesus at the center of our lives. If we say that Jesus is the Messiah, the Lord of all, then living a lifestyle of self-denial isn’t a begrudgingly impossible task, but rather is a joyful act of worship. #2: A lifestyle of self-denial requires us to flee from sin. It cost Jesus His life to bring about our salvation. Jesus lived a sinless life and freely offered himself as an atonement for our sins. He took our place so that we would have eternal life instead of eternal death. Knowing this, our sin should be something that grieves us. We must repent and change our direction. #3: A lifestyle of self-denial means surrendering to God’s way in ALL things. Our greatest calling in life is to love God with everything we have and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We best do this by surrendering our whole lives to Jesus and giving the Spirit the room to lead us in all things. We cannot let the things of this world — regardless of how noble they may seem — distract us from our calling to love God and love people.