Most of us have not thought in depth about this.  Maybe we have talked in one of our small group meetings about the future possibility of facing death for our faith.  The truth is that most of us have no immediate threat of this facing us now or in the foreseeable future.  Without an immediate threat, we really have no idea how we would react.

The problem is that we allow this lack of an immediate threat to lull us to sleep.  We think Christians in other countries – those without the freedoms we enjoy – are the only ones who have to worry about deciding to die for Jesus.  The rest of us are fairly safe, right?

Wrong.  No, you are not missing a threat to your life in the sense we have been discussing.  Instead, we need to realize that to dying at the hands of a terrorist is not the only way to die for Jesus.  Actually, every single one of us is called to die daily for Jesus.  Here are Jesus’ words:

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Luke 9:23-24 

Prepare to Die for Jesus

In my last post, I explained that every follower of Jesus should be dying to his own desires, goals, and dreams every day.  I also explained the reasons we should do this, backed up by clear commands and promises in Scripture.

Assuming you have read that post and you are willing to choose the path I described, then I now want to give you some tips on HOW to prepare yourself for that path.  While I can promise that this path is not for the faint of heart, God is faithful to get us through it.

Tip #1 – Pray for Awareness

The first step you must take to prepare to take up your cross daily is to pray for awareness.  If someone sticks a gun in your face and asks about your faith, it is safe to assume you are aware of the decision you face.  On the other hand, most of the decisions we make daily are not that obvious.  

Most of the time, our chances to die to ourselves are more subtle and more often slip under our radar.  As a result, we miss them and usually choose our own desires, goals, or dreams.  However, if you will pray for God to make you aware of the significance of each and every decision you face, you have a much better chance of making the right choice.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.

Psalm 139:23-24

Tip #2 – Pray for Wisdom

It is critical for us to be aware of every significant decision we face in our effort to take up our cross daily, but knowing about these decisions is not always enough.  The answers are not always clear.  We are not always sure of the direction to take in order to die for Jesus at that moment. We sometimes need help in seeing from an eternal perspective versus the temporal one that comes naturally!

We must ask God for the wisdom we need for these decisions.  Pray that He will not only make you aware of the significant decisions, but that He will also give you the wisdom to make the right choices, even when they are unclear.  God has promised us wisdom if we will just ask!

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

Tip #3 – Pray for Courage

So far, we have prayed that God will make us aware of those significant decisions that allow us to die for Jesus in our daily walk.  Then we prayed that God would show us the right answers for these decisions.  Now, let’s pray that He will give us the courage it takes to carry out those right decisions.

Unfortunately, the right decisions are the most difficult to make.  When it comes to dying for Jesus, these decisions often come with material loss or loss of popularity.  Making the decisions to die for Jesus and deny ourselves can often look like we are giving up everything!  Pray God will strengthen you for those times when you simply must trust Him for deliverance.

Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

Tip #4 – Pray for Hindsight

After praying for awareness, wisdom, and courage, you now need to pray that God will give you 20/20 hindsight.  You want to pray for this so that after you have made your decision(s), you are able to learn from each of them (or even from a series of decisions).  

In some cases, you will choose the right path and your hindsight will confirm it.  You can draw encouragement from this and your faith will be strengthened for future decisions.  In other cases, you may miss a critical decision or choose the wrong path.  In these cases, you want to be able to see what you missed and learn from it.  Either way, hindsight is a gift!

Show me your ways, Lord,
   teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
   for you are God my Savior,
   and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:4-5

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