Let’s be realistic, everybody struggles with something. Heavenly religious or earthly secular, personal weaknesses are real. Furthermore, you cannot be a follower of Jesus Christ and not struggle with demons. The Apostle Paul calls his, a “thorn in the flesh.” And while Simon Peter never admits this publicly, he hated the Gentile.
Here is how Paul describes his personal weakness: “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. . .” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
Jesus knew that personal weaknesses or borne out of self-indulgence and there are no shortcuts around them. Perhaps that’s the reason He declared: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).
God does not want you to carry anything that He has not asked you to carry. Everything that He has asked you to carry, He will give you the grace to carry.
If you try to carry something that God wants someone else to carry, they will be given the grace to carry it, but you will not. If God has not asked you to carry something, do not pick it up.
Although taking up your cross involves denying yourself, the main focus is about following Christ. The cross you carry has to do with the choices you make with your will, the responses you have in your actions, and the attitude you have in your heart.
God has called you to carry your own cross. His cross for you is something that you can take up daily, because grace will be in your hands to lift the cross, grace will be on your shoulders to carry the cross, and grace will be in your heart to live out the cross in your daily life. It is grace that makes bearing your cross possible.
Your cross means that you are putting to death every decision, every response, and every attitude in your life that is not consistent with the love of Jesus Christ.
Let's Talk Gospel 
Wonderful posting…. it is so great to know that the Lrod will never ask us to take a burden upon ourselves that He will not give us the grace to handle. Praise His name!
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I thank you very much for your comment, Rob. We serve a gracious God who is so concern about our salvation that he is willing to throw grace in the mix to give us a head start
Thanks a million for stopping by. God bless..
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Awesome Post & the song was great too!
God Bless You!
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Thanks Lady D! Your encouragement is like sweet music to my ears. God bless
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Thank you – I needed this reminder. Sometimes we have to change our attitude towards the thorn in our side. And it’s definitely not easy. But with God all things are possible.
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You are exactly right, Afi. Sometimes we forget that we have a helper in Christ. He is always there waiting to catch us when we fall.
I thank you very much for stopping by. God bless.
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Fantastic post! I think realizing and admitting that we have faults and that being perfect or perfection is impossible is the first step. When we can admit this then we can ask the Lord for help when we fall. Jesus is the answer and he guides us through both our triumphs and our struggles. He wants to us to lean on him during our struggles.
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Amen! Excellent comment, great insight. God love you.
Thank you very much for your comment Sister Teresa.
God bless
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Amen!!!! You did it again.
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Thank you very much, for your comment. I also would like send greetings to all of you at the Living Word Ministries. I sincerely hope the Shepard and his flock are doing fine.
God bless you.
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Lovely post! Feels encouraging to know that there is always grace available for me to carry ‘my cross’. Keep them coming…
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Thank you very much Chidiwe, for your comment. Indeed, God’s grace is sufficient but we also have to play our part.
Thanks a lot for stopping by. God bless
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“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). This seems open to interpretation. For my part,
I see ‘life’ in the above verse as pertaining to the ego, and not to one’s bodily needs. Are we not supposed to want to have our souls saved for all eternity? Or are we to want, and know that desire, and then use our willpower to forsake our wants and dreams? Giving up everything somehow allows us to own everything. A strange, strange concept that is to me. A complete mystery for our day and Time. Be a beggar or a priest -that is what is asked of us? An abundant life without substance is not comprehensible to my imagination. The whole idea reeks of masochism, sorry to say.
Am I reading that all wrong, Noel? I was raised a Southern Baptist, so I know…knot.
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I thank you very much for your comment, Uncle Tree. I think your assessment is correct but that was the challenge Jesus gave to the twelve. I think the statement in Luke 9:23-24 boils down to dedication–total dedication.
Thanks for stopping by God bless.
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Hi, Noel. I keep thinking back to what I said up there in my comment. And just now, I looked at my horoscope for the day (my faith in Astrology is not so strong, either).
“You have a great need to express yourself now, and it is a valid need. No purpose will be served by denying all your own needs in favor of a misguided concept of duty.”
I’d rather grow thorns than to be stuck in the side with one. 🙂 Have a great day! UT
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I agree with you there my brother. Most of the people I know say the same thing too.
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“God does not want you to carry anything that He has not asked you to carry. Everything that He has asked you to carry, He will give you the grace to carry.
If you try to carry something that God wants someone else to carry, they will be given the grace to carry it, but you will not. If God has not asked you to carry something, do not pick it up.”
This sparked something in me. I know that God supplies all of our needs and will supply everything we need to carry out His will for our lives; but I never thought in terms of not getting grace if we try to carry something meant for others. Definitely a reason to be sure we are within His will and not step out on our own, ahead of Him.
New thoughts for future consideration when something new comes my way.
Thanks, Noel, for this insight.
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Thank you very much Drusilla, for your comment. Everyone has a role in the body of Christ, but we do not all have the same talent.
Thanks for stopping by God bless.
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