Denying ourselves. When we come to understand what it means to make Jesus Lord of all, it will have the affect of revolutionizing our lives, in every aspect of what we hold dear and call our own.  We are all in this process of denying ourselvesand taking up our cross and following Jesus.  It is as if the Holy Spirit walks through the fields of our lives and point out weeds that have to be removed, not just the covered over. If you're like me you have the same tendency that I have, to try to cover over my shortcomings and not allow the Spirit of God to pull the roots out.  But following Jesus in true discipleship will mean a complete willingness to allow the Lord complete access and authority to prune and cut out anything in us that is not a reflection of Him. There is a great Christian group called Youth With A Mission, YWAM , many of you may have heard about it.  It was started many years ago as a way to have young people experience a life as a missionary on short term assignments either here in the United States or overseas. One of the things that made them unique as a group was the fact that they took time with all the people who were willing, to offer an intensive discipleship training, before they would serve.  The idea was that before these young people would become effective in their going out, they needed to learn who Jesus is. Some served for a year or two and some longer, but during those times it was very clear that there chief goal was not merely to give these folks an experience but to make them disciples. When you travel around and meet people who have walked through the discipleship that YWAM offered you instantly recognize something about them, they share the same heart, in fact some have commented about those who walk through the process, when you meet one you have met them all. That is because the discipleship is focus on their love for God and on a greater desire to be devoted to the Lord on every aspect of their lives, privately and publically.  They are asked to make a choice about following the Lord all the way.  I am not saying that all of those who start the discipleship process make it, but those who willingly surrender come out changed.  Jesus said that disciples who are fully taught will be like there teacher. Bill Hull says that the highest calling of any disciple was to imitate his teacher.  Not just repeat His words but imitate their teacher's life. Discipleship is not an option for followers of Jesus, it is essential to living a life that pleases the Lord.   But the first step of Discipleship is to deny ourselves, to give ownership of our lives over to Jesus, so that He can tells us how to live.  It will not be an easy process, spiritual surgery never is but it will be necessary in order for you and me to become the disciples that Jesus is calling us to be. We can not look at it as a single season of our life but as a constant calling to follow our Master. An old song says "To be like Jesus, this hope possess me."  Following Jesus closely and becoming His disciples will mean denying ourselves of what we think is best or acceptable and embracing a life that will reflect Jesus.  At times denying ourselves will not be only about giving things up, but will also speak about giving up the right to ourselves and our attitudes in a given situation. That is where it gets hard for us but that is exactly where the Lord wants us to be, surrendered and willing. Let's pray that the Lord would be Lord of All in each of our lives and that we would be willing to surrender to Him, to deny ourselves and follow Jesus. He will help us if we say Yes.