While Jesus is calling all mankind who are burdened and weary to follow Him, He has also told us to deny ourselves and also to carry our cross. Many follow Jesus, not knowing where Jesus is leading them. They are pleased to just follow Jesus, and reluctant to reach out to God. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way (John 14:5)?” If we do not know where Jesus is leading us, we may end our journey when we find Jesus. Finding Jesus is the beginning of our journey towards His Father’s Kingdom.
When we buy land in a remote area and build a house on that plot, we may not have proper infrastructure to reach our house, and our friends and relatives avoid visiting us because of the rough terrain they have to travel on. But later, as the town planners include the area in the township, they provide proper roads with lighting, and now people are happy to visit the same house.
Likewise, the Kingdom of God did not have proper infrastructure to reach it; only people like saints and hermits who were accustomed to tough terrain were able to make it. But God desired to have everyone in His Kingdom and made provision, a way, to reach His Kingdom, and for this reason, Jesus replied to Thomas, who was unclear about his destination and the path as follows:
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6(NIV)
Misinterpretation Of Denial
Following Jesus becomes a difficult task for many, primarily because they don’t fully understand why they are following Him. Some assume that being His follower guarantees them all the blessings of this world and a life free from trouble. However, neither God nor Jesus promised a life without hardship—nor did they promise a life filled only with trials. Yet, in this fallen world, we often expect worldly blessings from Jesus, and when challenges arise, we feel disillusioned by our religious journey. Until we understand where Jesus is leading us, these struggles may continue to overwhelm us.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.’” — Matthew 16:24 (NIV)
Many interpret this verse literally and choose to leave their jobs to serve God full-time. They may view Jesus’ teachings through the lens of their experience with earthly bosses. When Jesus said that no one can serve two masters, they interpret it as needing to leave their secular jobs—seeing their employer as the “other master” and God as the true one. In doing so, they unknowingly place a human, who is mortal and frail, on the same level as God.
Many people take the word ‘deny’ very seriously, giving up much for the sake of God—careers, family time, comfort, food, entertainment, and more. Yet, despite these sacrifices, they often lack inner peace, living with constant struggle and warning others that following Jesus is extremely hard. This is because they are following Him without truly understanding where He is leading them.
The Pride
The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.” – Isaiah 39:4 (NIV)
Jesus never meant for us to abandon the blessings He has given us; rather, He taught us not to become proud because of them. Often, we want to serve God by showcasing our wealth, our righteousness, our answered prayers, and the blessings we’ve received—as if these are the proof of God’s goodness. This is because we are incapable of showing His love and mercy to others; hence, we show our wealth, the outcome of His grace.
But when these are stripped away, many hesitate to speak about God, feeling unqualified or ashamed. Even Jesus was challenged: people demanded that He prove His authority by coming down from the cross. But He didn’t. He wasn’t ashamed before the crowds. He was focused on fulfilling His Father’s mission. If Jesus Himself endured shame to accomplish God’s plan, who are we to demand comfort or reputation when serving Him?
The “denial” Jesus speaks of is not about rejecting our jobs, families, or resources—but about surrendering ourselves along with our ego. Yet when we reflect on the idea of ego, we often compare ourselves to someone more obviously prideful and convince ourselves that we are humble. Few are willing to admit that ego exists within them. To remove this hidden pride, we must first identify where it resides. And to do that, we often need to be placed in difficult, humbling situations.
Over time, many have come to associate serving God with suffering. This mindset, seeded by the enemy, is now used against believers in a twisted way. When we face struggles—when we’re not healed, not delivered, not prospering—doubt creeps in. We begin to wonder: how can we be a testimony of God’s love if our own lives are still broken? How can we preach that God is good when our circumstances say otherwise? Some believers even fear questions from others, especially those influenced by the enemy to discourage genuine faith. “Why not you?” they ask. “If God is real, why hasn’t He helped you?”
Let Go of Our Ego
This is where hidden ego reveals itself—when we rely on our success, not God’s power, to preach the Gospel. Some even go as far as staging fake miracles to maintain appearances and “glorify” God, but in reality, they glorify themselves and their ministries. If we believe God needs our deceit to display His glory, we have misunderstood Him entirely. That is not faith—it is ego. And if we depend on our completeness and achievements to share God’s message, we are reflecting our pride, not God’s grace.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. – Romans 12:1 (NIV)
Therefore, God calls us to lay down our ego so that He can glorify Himself—even through our poverty, illness, or the absence of visible miracles. When we are not fully anchored in His presence, we tend to rely on other things—human strategies, outward performances, or protecting our reputation—to keep our ministries going. We often fear public shame more than we fear spiritual distance from God. And many of our prayers reflect this misalignment—not seeking to surrender our ego, but pleading with God to protect it, to shield us from humiliation rather than to use us for His noble purpose. Instead, we are called to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. If we do not truly surrender our lives to Him, we will inevitably try to replace that surrender with other, lesser sacrifices—acts that appear spiritual but lack true commitment.
Afraid To Be Ashamed
I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me. – Psalm 25:2 (NIV)
The Psalms often echo the Psalmist’s plea to not be put to shame before enemies. But in many cases, these prayers stemmed from fear of man rather than surrender to God’s greater purpose. While some Psalms contain prophecies, many reflect human emotions in moments of weakness. We must not place those fears above the call of Christ.
So we must ask ourselves: Are we relying on our knowledge, blessings, and status to proclaim God’s love? Or are we prepared to do so even when life is hard, when we have no answers, and when we feel broken?
Waiting for all our problems to disappear before we serve God is futile, because comfort often distances us from God. Realising this, let us surrender ourselves to Him, willing to be used even in the midst of our struggles. God doesn’t need our strength to glorify His name; in fact, He powerfully uses our weakness.
The Truth
To better understand this truth, let’s look at the conversation between God and Paul:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NIV)
Misinterpreting what it means to “deny ourselves” can ironically lead us into pride, believing we’ve made great sacrifices for God. But God is not impressed by our self-made righteousness; He calls us to come just as we are, to allow our hearts to be cleansed by the blood of His Son. This transformation can only begin when we let go of our ego. In doing so, our weaknesses are no longer liabilities—they become the very channels through which God’s strength is revealed. We no longer rely on our blessings to testify of His love, but on His grace alone.
Paul illustrates this beautifully. After receiving God’s answer, he chose not to boast in his skills or accomplishments. Instead, he preached the Good News compelled by God’s grace, even in the midst of his weakness. Can we also choose to do the same, for as long as we live in this world?
For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. – 1 Corinthians 9:16 (NIV)
The Jordan Valley 
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