This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”. This is the fourth month of this series and I trust that you have been blessed thus far. I started off the year by telling you that we were going to strip away anything that is not taking us down the path to God’s purpose for our lives. As a Born-Again believer you goal should be to FIND, FOLLOW and FINISH the purpose God designed for you before the world began. It’s easy to get distracted. Make no mistake, the enemy wants to derail you from your destiny. He wants you so busy on things that are NOT God’s plans that you wind up forfeiting your purpose. But that will NOT happen to us. This year we are getting focused and we shall remain focused.
We just spent a couple of months “Focusing on the Word”. I pray you enjoyed that mini-series within the overall series. Today we start a new mini-series entitled, “Focusing on Dying To Self”. You cannot become the person God called you to be until you are willing to die to the person you became on your own. With that in mind, let’s look at something Jesus said:
The Bible says, “Jesus called the crowd and his followers to him. He said, “Any of you who want to be my follower must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me. Any of you who try to save the life you have will lose it. But you who give up your life for me and for the Good News will save it.” (Mark 8:34,35 ERV). I will take my time discussing this passage. For today I will simply seek to set the stage for mini-series.
So what does this mean to you today? A couple of things.
1. Jesus will never ask you to do something He was not willing to do.
a) Jesus was willing to take up His own cross. He was willing to die to self. Jesus was willing to give up His life in order to accomplish the assignment the Father sent Him into the earth to accomplish. Jesus then taught His followers to do the same.
b) Jesus did not just come as an example FOR us, He came as an example OF us. He personified the life we are supposed to live.
c) In Jesus we see a picture of true success. Divine success is not measured in money, cars, houses or worldly fame. Earthly success, as defined in God’s eyes, is measured by the level of human submission there is to divine purpose.
2. As a believer dying to self is the only way to find true life.
a) Dying to self is your pathway to purpose. You will never become the man/woman God called you to be until you die to the person you became on your own.
b) God will not force you to sacrifice your life for the life He planned for you to have. Dying to self must be an act of willing obedience and sacrifice.
c) If you willingly die to sin, self and selfishness, you will get to experience the life God sent you into this earth to live and it will be better than you ever imagined.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. I bring my life into focus in 2016 by dying to self and selfishness. I only want what You want for me. My sincere desire is to become the person I was born to be. You made plans for me before the world began. I can never find true success outside of those plans. I tried to pursue success on my own, on my own terms, and my own way. All I have to show for it is toil and frustration. So I now pursue success Your way. I now seek grace-based success — success that is connected to my divine purpose. I die to self. I pick up my cross daily. I willingly yield to You and follow You all the days of my life. My life is not about me, it is ALL ABOUT YOU and what You have called me to do. As I live this way — dying to live, losing to gain, conceding to conquer — I get to experience the life You sent me into the earth to experience. I will enjoy heaven someday, but for now, because I submit to You, I get to experience heaven on earth! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
