Matthew 16:24-25

FERVENT

PASSIONATE INTERCESSIVE

OBEDIENT

PRAYER

LET IT START WITH

PRAYERPlease take a moment to

prepare your heart

Then Jesus said to His disciples

“If anyone wants to come with Me, he

must deny himself, take up his cross,

and follow Me.

Matthew 16:24-25

For whoever wants to save his life will

lose it, but whoever loses his life

because of Me will find it.”

MY JOURNEY OF TAKING THE GOSPEL TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH STARTS WITH BEING A DEVOTED DISCIPLE OF JESUS. HIS CALL TO SEEK, KNOW AND TRULY

LOVE HIM IS PARAMOUNT…AND COSTLY.

He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

Matthew 22:37, HCSB

“I’m realizing that I don’t have to be superhuman to

do God’s will, but I do need a heart that

trusts Him where He leads me!”Nicole, sub-Saharan African peoples

Will I choose to:

• Confess Him as Lord of my life?

• Turn away from living for myself and follow Him?

• Forsake my own life?

Just as the psalmist states, “As a deer longs for

streams of water, so I long for You, God.”

This is the cry of my heart, Jesus.

HE HAS CALLED ME TO DENY

MYSELF, MEANING I CHOOSE TO

NO LONGER LIVE FOR ME BUT

SOLELY FOR HIM.

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified

the flesh with its passions and desires.Galatians 5:24, ESV

“Putting our selfish desires to

death is painful, but it is glorious

to live as Christ lives!” Jason, Central Asian peoples

Am I so focused on self that

• MY comfort

• MY relationships

• MY plans

• MY desires

come before God?

God, please reveal pride in my life.

Teach me to deny myself and give

You the honor only You deserve.

JESUS WAS WILLING TO DO WHATEVER WAS

NECESSARY, EVEN DEATH ON A CROSS, TO PROVIDE

A WAY FOR MAN TO BE RECONCILED

TO GOD.

Whoever does not

bear his own cross

and come after me

cannot be my

disciple. So

therefore, any

one of you

who does not

renounce all

that he has

cannot be

my disciple. Luke 14:27&33, ESV

“May I have a heart that refuses to give to the

Lord a sacrifice that costs me nothing.”

Leslie, Central Asian peoples

He is calling me to do

whatever it takes to make

this way of salvation

known to all peoples.

Lord Jesus, help me to

understand the

gravity

of what

“taking

up my

cross”

really

means.

Lord Jesus, help me to

understand the

gravity

of what

“taking

up my

cross”

really

means.

THE DECISION TO FOLLOW JESUS IS A DAILY DECISION —

FOLLOWING HIM IN LIVING A HOLY LIFE, GLORIFYING THE

FATHER AND CARING FOR THE OUTCAST AND BROKEN.

“Follow Me…go and proclaim

everywhere the kingdom of God”Luke 9:59,60, NASB

Where will He lead if I chose to follow?

Jesus cares for the hungry (Matthew 14:14-21)

925 million are undernourished

Where will He lead if I chose to follow?

Jesus touches the untouchable (Matthew 8:3)

34 million worldwide live with HIV/AIDS

Where will He lead if I chose to follow?

Jesus is broken over lostness (Matthew 9:36)

1.7 billion have little access to the Gospel

“Sometimes what Jesus asks of us is

difficult, but we have to make the decision

to either follow Him or deny Him.” B., South Asian peoples

Jesus, my Lord and Savior, You are worthy

to follow! Today I purpose to follow You

wherever You lead, no matter the cost.

BY LOSING MY LIFE I HAVE CRUCIFIED MY FLESHLY PASSIONS

AND DESIRES. AND I COMMIT TO FOLLOW JESUS TO THE ENDS

OF THE EARTH, NO MATTER THE COST.

(Martyred March 15, 2004, in Iraq)

Karen Watson’s last letter

Am I willing to be like Paul and:

• count all as loss for the sake of Christ?

• share in His sufferings?

• even become like Christ in His death?

Father, I completely trust You with

my life, even my death. May Your

will be accomplished in my life—

no matter what that means.

How will your

following Jesus

impact a lost world?

Matthew 16:24-25