“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.””
— Matthew 16:24

Yeshua said, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Too often, we are not wholly submitted to the Lord. Many people are seeking an experience with God just to make themselves feel good without actually becoming true disciples and followers of Jesus. True anointing comes from the Holy Spirit, who is given to those who obey God.

The gospel calls us to surrender to God in obedience. This is something we can do only by God’s grace, but we must choose to say yes to Him. Yeshua taught that if we want to follow Him, we must be willing to give up everything: our lives, our reputations, our material things, and even our will. We need to stop depending on and relying on anything other than God. This is the point of Yeshua’s words to the rich young ruler: “Go and sell your possessions and give to the poor.”

Beloved one, there is a price to pay. We must pick up our cross daily, lay our lives down, and follow Him. There is no other way. 

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Entering His Presence (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2023), Used by permission.