Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you
wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
This is a huge deal, it holds high importance in my life. It is something that we all have to keep doing. It must become a discipline to live that way. You have to know that when you mess up right where to go, who to go to, God. You have to make changes and sacrifices in your life. If Jesus made the sacrifice of death for you and your sins and mistakes, why can't you give up some things in your life to live for Him. He wants you to die to yourself, meaning to put the old ways of living to rest. Whatever those may be, they are keeping you from living a fuller and happier life with Christ. The things here on earth that bring you pleasure are short lived. Nothing can bring you eternal joy but the unconditional love that Christ has for you. And to get the full benefit, you have to take a step in a new direction. It's okay to do things a little at the time, that is how you more easily get from one place to another and form a a more difficult and testing habit.
Try this:
1. Identify what it is that is keeping you from giving your whole self to Christ. A habit that is. Not something that you regret. If it is something in the past that you regret that is holding you back, you must forgive yourself and ask God for forgiveness, at which point you can move on. If you're still struggling with it, you are the only one holding yourself back, as in you still have yet to forgive yourself. Back to my point: Figure out what habit or worldly short pleasure(s) are holding you back from walking each step of the way in the Light of Christ.
2. Make short term goals for yourself. Say "I will refrain from ______ today." Then if you succeed, reward yourself with something you enjoy (something not sinful of course, something more tangible perhaps a piece of chocolate. Obviously you don't want to reward yourself with something that takes you in the wrong direction.) Okay, so the next day say " I will refrain from _____ for 5 days." Keep yourself disciplined and reminding yourself not to partake in the bad habit. Have something that will remind you of the outcome of your getting rid of the habit, perhaps a bible verse that talks about joy or strength in God or a word of encouragement. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Continue on with this pattern adding more days to each short term goal. You feel better about yourself when you accomplish things and accomplishing more small goals will not only help you make it to the big long term goal, but it will also help you to feel good about yourself along the way.
Once you make it through all your short term goals, you will definitely come a long way. If that isn't how you best handle problems, well then pray to God that He will show you the way and guide you through your struggles. But it is definitely about making sacrifices of old habits so that you can form new and positive habits in following God every step of the way. Yes, you will still make mistakes and still have struggles after you get to that point of walking with God, but you have God to carry you through it all. You can trust Him in all that you do, knowing that the ultimate goal is eternal life in Heaven with Jesus.
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