Many of us as Christians have thought and been taught that ” deny yourself ” means:

Erase your emotions

Ignore your needs

Pretend you’re not hurting

But that’s NOT what Jesus meant.

• We’ve turned Jesus’ commandment to ” deny yourself ” into:  

Ignore your needs

Pretend you’re not hurting

Stuff down your emotions

Erase your personality

Have no boundaries

But that’s NOT what Jesus taught.

” Whoever wants to be my disciple must DENY THEMSELVES and take up their cross and follow me. ” ( Matt. 16:24  NIV )  This verse comes right after Peter tries to stop Jesus from going to the cross. In context, Jesus was rebuking Peter for prioritizing his self-centered earthly will over God’s will. 

Worth noting as well is that the NLT translates ” deny themselves ” as ” give up your own way. “

• The word ” deny ” means to say “NO” to something. But what exactly are we to say no to?

Not your God-given identity

Not you need for boundaries

Not your need to care for yourselves

Not your needs for love, healing, and purpose

Jesus doesn’t call us to deny our God-given needs. He calls us to deny our self-centeredness. 

To deny yourself means to: 

Say no to selfish desires

Say no to making your way the ultimate authority

You are made in God’s image. You have God-given needs, longings, and a purpose. Denying yourself doesn’t mean becoming less human. It means becoming more like the redeemed and restored human God created you to be through Christ.

• Instead of asking ” How do I suppress myself? “

Ask: ” What part of me is self-protecting instead of surrendering? “

“What lie am I living that Jesus wants to replace with truth? “

” What God-given needs do I need to suppress no longer? “ 

Let’s start walking as the victorious, overcoming believers that Christ has enabled us to be. We are NOT who we used to be. We now get to share in His victory in every of life.