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Day 20: Denying Yourself
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, we come before You now seeking Your face. We ask that You would help us tune our hearts to hear what You want to say to us through Your Word. As we reflect on the call to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily, reveal to us any areas where we have held back or been unwilling to fully surrender to You. Search our hearts and minds and point out any idols or desires that are keeping us from wholeheartedly following You. By Your Spirit, stir within us a profound willingness to lay down our lives in obedience to You. Give us ears to listen, eyes to see, and hearts prepared to receive all that You want to teach us about what it means to lose our lives for Your sake. We pray that through this time, You would draw us closer to Yourself and conform us more into the image of You. In Your precious name we pray, Amen.
Scripture Reading and Reflection
Luke 9:23 KJV
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Reflection:
When Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, He is calling us to go against our natural, fleshly inclinations to please and indulge ourselves. By nature, we are bent toward selfishness and sin. Denying self requires abandoning control of our lives and choosing instead to follow Christ daily. We must deny ourselves daily because our sinful nature is constantly at war within us, tempting us away from God’s will through cravings of the flesh, ego and worldly allurements. Even after giving our lives to Christ, we still struggle with indwelling sin that seeks to place self above God moment by moment. Denying ourselves means putting to death fleshly passions like greed, pride and idolizing pleasures each day through obedience to Christ. It’s about redirecting our choice-making away from “What do I want?” and toward “What does God want from me today?” Without daily denial of self, it’s easy to slip back into living independently from Christ as Lord. When we deny ourselves daily through obeying Christ, we find true life. But pleasing self leaves us alienated from God and empty. Our fallen nature will continually seek to seduce us away from wholehearted devotion to Jesus if we don’t actively crucify it afresh each day by His power. This is why Christ calls us daily to take up our cross. May we embrace fully God’s call to deny ourselves in submission to Him moment by moment, so we can walk in step with the Spirit and experience His abundant life.Hymn:
And Must I Part With All I Have
1 And must I part with all of self, My dearest Lord, for thee? It is but right since thou hast done Much more than this for me.
2 Yes, let it go; one look from thee Will more than make amends For all the losses I sustain Of honor, riches, friends.
3 Ten thousand worlds, ten thousand lives, How worthless they appear Compared with thee, supremely good, Divinely bright and fair!
Lyrics: Benjamin Beddome, Music: Isaac Baker Woodbury
Creative Activities: 1. Scripture Writing
Write out Luke 9:23 in your best handwriting on the Scripture writing page which you can download below.
Please download the Scripture Writing Page below. It is for personal and educational use (school, homeschooling) as well as for use at church and in ministry only.
Commercial use not allowed.
Download Scripture Writing Page
Creative Activities: 2. Bible Journaling
- Draw symbols representing denying yourself daily versus pleasing your flesh.
- Doodle scenes depicting Jesus calling us to follow Him in self-denial.
- Use color or textures to portray crucifying sinful passions each day.
- Illustrate how surrendering control of your life honors God.
Creative Activities: 3. Doodling
- Scenes representing following Jesus’ example of self-denial
- Abstract figures denoting trusting God’s control daily
- Freeform marks depicting releasing yourself to His guidance
- Move your hand meditatively as you tune your heart to the Lord.
- Doodling offers a peaceful vessel for continued pondering in God’s presence.
Download Doodle Printable
Creative Activities: 4. Journaling
Reflect and Journal:
- As you seek to faithfully deny yourself daily, what specific area is God calling you to surrender more fully to His control today?
Download Journal Printable
Applying and Taking Action
- What one attitude or habit has God highlighted for you to surrender completely? Quietly commit this to prayerful obedience.
- How can you reprioritize your schedule today to ensure time with Jesus remains a top focus as you trust Him moment by moment?
- Are there any relationships or commitments that may need adjustment to remove distraction from your goal of denying yourself?
- Who can support your commitment through accountability, prayer and encouragement as you walk this out?
- How will you regularly check your heart’s posture through Scripture, seeking God’s perspective instead of your selfish instincts?
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for this time spent focusing our hearts on what it means to truly deny ourselves and surrender fully to Your will each day. We pray that through reflecting on Your Word, the insights gained would take root deeply within us. Where You have shown us places we haven’t fully surrendered, grant us the willingness to lay down every aspect of our lives and fully surrender everything to You for Your glory.
Help us to consistently choose obedience to You in both big and small decisions. May we die daily to our own desires and live wholly for You, dear Lord. Give us strength, wisdom and perseverance to apply what You have shown us through Your Spirit.
Keep our eyes fixed on Your eternal rewards rather than worldly pleasures that fade. Guide us moment by moment to walk in step with You by faith. We ask that our lives would increasingly honor You through radical self-denial.
Thank You that in Christ we have begun a new creation life, no longer owned by sin but by grace. May our gratitude flow in service to our King today and every day. We pray in Jesus’ precious and powerful name, Amen.
If you have been blessed by this Creative Lent Devotional, please share it with others. Many thanks. God bless you!
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