Matthew 16:24-25 ‘Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’

• DAILY READING Romans 16; 2 Samuel 1; Psalm 72

One of the greatest secrets of the success of Kathryn Kulman was her determination to be loyal to God. Her heart was “sold out” to the Lord and her heart was fixed on Jesus.. This was proved in a painful decision she once had to take.
In the early years of her ministry Kathryn came to a crucial turning point. She had gone against the advice of her spiritual mentors, close friends and even against the leadings of her spirit to marry a man, Burroughs A. Waltrip, who had left his wife and two sons. A lot of controversy surrounded the marriage and Kathryn had no peace. She could no longer even preach the Gospel as she used to and for a while her ministry was put on hold. But after six years of being in the marriage, and continually feeling she was outside of God’s will,, Kathryn finally came to a painful decision. One day she took a walk, and while walking she found that the road came to a dead end. This spoke powerfully to her heart. She realized she had truly come to a dead end in her life and could no longer go on. That day she took a decision to choose the God she loved above the man she loved. Kathryn would often refer to that experience as the day she ‘died’. With her decision to prioritize God above all else, she bought a one way ticket to another town and never looked back. After she left she never saw Waltrip again, he would later divorce her, but what mattered most to Kathryn was knowing that she was back in the will of God. And with her new beginning came new opportunities, the anointing upon her greatly increased, leading to the global ministry that blessed many all around the world.
Often in her messages she would refer to the day she had to die, saying “My heart is fixed. I’ll be loyal to God at any cost, at any price.’

Indeed for us to see the glory of God manifested in our lives we must come to that place where nothing else matters more than obeying God. True loyalty is expressed by our decision never to deviate from God’s will. And the truth is that when you are sold out to God, you will stand out on earth. When your heart is fixed on God, nothing will be too precious to give up.
When Jesus asked the rich young ruler to follow Him, this young man went away sad because he could not afford to separate himself from his wealth.
Matthew 16:24-25 says ‘Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’
Indeed there is a cost to serving God. Like the young rich ruler some people who wanted to follow Christ but realized there was a price to pay turned back. But if we want to follow Jesus and serve in His Kingdom, we must be willing to live the way He lived on earth. We must be willing to give ourselves totally to His cause even if it means enduring hardship, discomfort and inconvenience. .
The main objective is living to please God and not to please ourselves. Therefore we must allow nothing at all to hinder us from the work of promoting God’s Kingdom. Just like Jesus allowed nothing at all to hinder Him from the work of teaching and revealing God’s Word. He devoted Himself to these things wholly, until He finally paid the ultimate price of sacrificing His own life on the cross.
Therefore if we desire to follow Christ, how much of our own comforts and privileges are we willing to give up? What price are we willing to pay? What wrong friendships and associations are we willing to severe ourselves from? The truth is that no association ever leaves you neutral. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
It’s not about the friendship, it’s about your destiny. Who you walk with, determines what works with you. Who you company with determines what accompanies you.

Therefore in this season, whatever God wants us to lay on the altar for the sake of His kingdom, we must be prompt to obey. Indeed to see glory this year, we must be willing to obey God at all cost.

PRAYER: Father please help me to engage in a closer and deeper walk with You. Please help me to obey You at all cost no matter the price I have to pay, so as to see Your glory manifested in my life this year in Jesus name.

QUOTE :

For you to enjoy victory in the Kingdom of God, you need to develop a Kingdom mindset, that thinks in line with the Word of God. – WORDBITE 222..