DAILY

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Text :  Luke 9:23. 

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

The Christian race is a daily journey. Jesus gave out the prerequisites for anyone who desires to be His disciple.

1. He must deny himself: Self denial is an act of letting go of the self- the willingness to forgo personal pleasures or undergo personal trials in the pursuit of the will of God. *One hard truth about denying self is that it is a personal pursuit, no one will and can do it for you,but you yourself. To follow Jesus,  denying self is A MUST.

2.Take up his cross:The cross is a symbol of death which every follower of Christ must carry. Your cross is customized for you only. Everyone has *his cross* to carry.  It is peculiar to you because the means of death(to the flesh) 
to each follower of Christ is purely peculiar to the individual. It's a personal journey. Jesus is dealing with you as an individual. He's so personal with you.

Note that commensurate   grace has been given for whatever the cross brings your way. 1 Cor.  10:13.

3. DAILY: I want to believe that the key word in this verse given by Jesus is "DAILY". Without this key word,  the verse will still make sense, but Jesus put it there intentionally because He knew it is a daily practice. 

It is possible to deny yourself for some weeks and carry your cross for some months,  but if you do not commit to doing it on a daily basis,  you cannot record good success. 

Jesus taught us in Mathew 6:11 to ask for our daily bread on a daily basis. Yesterday's bread is too stale for today . 
In the wilderness,  Manna was rained down and was to be taken on a daily basis.  Those who do not want to journey daily and chose to carry meals for more than a day got the remnants rotten  by the second day. Exodus 16. Don't take pride in Old Glory. His mercies are new every morning  

You must raise your altar  daily.  You must get your strength renewed daily.  Yesterday's glory is for yesterday.  You must deny yourself daily.  You must carry your cross daily, and you must follow Christ daily.

Bible reading:Luke 9:21-27.

PRAYER FOCUS

1. Father, I receive the grace to daily carry my cross and follow you in Jesus name.

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