OK God, you asked……

Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

I have been really struggling the past couple of months with the inner wars in my head. The struggles that many of us face that are handled in the seen, but warred in the unseen. The struggles of life that command our thoughts even when we do no let them become visible. Like many of you, financial security is a thing of the past. I have seen people close to me deeply hurt. I have struggled in the church I call home. I have struggled with those close to me and how they turn their backs on God. I have struggled when God humbled me in great ways showing me my sin. I could go on and on and make the weight of the list too personal, but we all have a personal list. All of these weights bear down on me; bear down in a place of my mind that begin to affect the outer self. I know this load that I bear is becoming too much to bear alone. I must take the weight of this and lay it at the foot of the cross, daily.

Luke 9:23 can mean so many things in so many ways. It is a personal message from Christ that can apply to every struggle you face. It is broad enough, and personal enough, to apply to what you are trying to face; trying to carry; trying to hide; trying to resolve; trying to handle on your own. Pride is at the root of that sin of selfishness, and it will keep you from lightening that load by letting Christ take it from you. Christ desires for us to share what we face with Him, for in Him is strength to face the struggle He has allowed or designed. Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. All you face in life is not meant to handle alone; it is meant to draw you to Jesus.

I have a deep desire to draw closer to God this year. The last morning of 2012 God pressed down on me the sins in my life; the struggles in my life, many of which are unseen, many of which are in the mind. The inner wars of pride and covetousness are a huge battle I face. These inner wars are only fixed in a spiritual plain, and that is only in releasing them daily to God. In my heart for God I must pray for grace and mercy for the day I face. I must pray for the strength to give up my pride and become humble as a lifestyle. Proverbs 29:33 A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor. I must approach Christ every day and release my struggles to Him, give it all to Him, and pray for the guidance to follow His will for me for the day. (Paraphrased Luke:9:23)