Luke 14:26-27
(26) “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters?yes, even his own life?he cannot be my disciple. (27) And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Because salvation is free by grace, most people never “count the cost” of giving his/her life to Christ – of going ALL I N. Often there are things that are a part of the lives of those nearest to us which are not compatible with our new identity in Christ. We must learn to hate those unGodly things about them while still having love for them in our hearts.
In some cases, the cross we bear may be long-lasting because they never change and persistently seek to affect our liberty to submit to God by challenging whether we are ALL IN. Something as simple as asking you to continue to going out with them on Saturday night to the club, gambling, etc. which hinders your ability to fully worship and praise God with your fellow saints on Sunday morning.
Regretfully, often at the foundation of our ongoing resistance to going ALL IN is our own wicked heart (flesh mindset) with its deeply rooted areas of proud, self-centered, anti-God habits of thinking and conduct. Despite having God’s Spirit, pride remains a constant companion, stirring resistance to the knowledge of God. Satan’s pride separated him from God, and if unchecked it will separate us from Him as well.
Going ALL IN requires us to evaluate why we are proud about what God describes as nothingness and meaningless. Pride resists God and hinders us from submitting to His will and His way. Until dealt with – it dams up our path to the abundant life now available to us as Christians.
YIC – Pastor James L Henley, Jr.
Fresh Start Christian Church 