Deny Yourself and Follow the Shepherd

Day 5 — Deny Yourself and Follow the Shepherd

Read

Read Luke 9:23–25, John 10:9–14, 27–30, Galatians 5:16–25, and Psalm 23:1–6 slowly.

Luke 9:23 (HCSB)

Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

John 10:27 (HCSB)

My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.

Galatians 5:24–25 (HCSB)

24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.

Psalm 23:1 (HCSB)

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.

Reflect

Throughout this week, we've been examining one of the most dangerous forms of deception we experience as followers of Jesus: self-deception.

We began in the garden, where the serpent convinced Eve to question God's goodness, His Word, and His provision. Adam and Eve had everything they needed, but they allowed the desire for something God had forbidden to become more important than trusting what He had already provided.

And we've seen how that same struggle continues in our lives today.

Through sexual immorality, anger, selfish ambition, gossip, slander, envy, and unhealthy escapism, we can convince ourselves that sinful choices are reasonable, justified, or even necessary.

We rationalize our desires, excuse our behavior, blame other people, and sometimes convince ourselves that we're doing nothing wrong.

And when those sinful patterns continue unchecked, they can begin controlling us.

What initially appeared to offer pleasure, satisfaction, or freedom can eventually lead us into bondage.

Self-deception convinces us that what we desire is better than what God, our Good Shepherd, provides.

And that's the danger we've been working to recognize throughout this week.

But recognizing self-deception is only part of the battle.

We also need to understand how to defend ourselves against it.

Because the reality is that even when we genuinely believe in Jesus and desire to follow Him, we will continue experiencing temptations and desires that attempt to draw us away from God.

So how do we defend ourselves against those desires?

How do we keep from being baited, trapped, and tamed by the lies we tell ourselves?

Jesus gives us the answer in Luke 9:23.

He tells His followers that anyone who wants to come after Him must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Him.

Three connected commands that reveal what it means to live as a disciple of Jesus.

Deny yourself. Take up your cross daily. Follow Me.

Notice that Jesus doesn't simply tell us to stop doing sinful things.

He calls us to surrender ourselves to Him.

And that's an important distinction because our defense against self-deception isn't merely learning to resist sinful desires.

Our defense isn't merely denying sinful desires. It's denying them by following Jesus.

Let's consider what that means.

First, we must deny ourselves.

The Greek word translated deny in Luke 9:23 is aparneomai, which carries the idea of disowning, renouncing, or refusing to acknowledge a claim.

When Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, He's calling us to surrender our claim to be the ultimate authority over our own lives.

That doesn't mean we should hate ourselves, disregard our needs, or believe that everything we desire is sinful.

It means we recognize that our desires, feelings, opinions, and personal ambitions are not always trustworthy guides.

And when they conflict with God's Word, we must be willing to say no to ourselves so that we can say yes to Jesus.

Think about how often self-deception begins with our desire to be in control.

We want God to provide for us, but we want to determine what we need.

We want God to protect us, but we don't want Him restricting where we go.

We want God to lead us, but only when He's going where we already want to go.

And when His direction conflicts with our desires, we begin convincing ourselves that our way might actually be better.

But denying ourselves means surrendering that desire for control.

It means acknowledging that God knows what we need better than we do.

It means trusting His Word even when obedience requires sacrificing something we want.

And it means refusing to entertain the internal lies that attempt to justify disobedience.

Our old sinful patterns can continue tempting us through compromise. They remind us of the pleasure, satisfaction, comfort, or achievement we might experience if we simply give in to our desires.

But those temptations rarely remind us of the consequences.

They emphasize what we might gain while minimizing what we stand to lose.

And that's why we need to recognize those lies and refuse to allow them to guide our decisions.

Denying ourselves means refusing to let our desires become the authority over our lives.

Second, we must take up our cross daily.

Jesus doesn't describe following Him as a one-time decision that requires nothing more from us.

He calls us to take up our cross daily.

For those who first heard Jesus' words, the cross was an instrument of execution. Taking up one's cross represented a willingness to surrender one's life, even at great personal cost.

Jesus was calling His followers to a life of complete commitment to Him.

And while following Jesus may involve suffering, sacrifice, or persecution, the daily nature of this command also reminds us that surrender isn't something we practice only when it's convenient.

It's something we must continually choose.

Every day, we encounter opportunities to follow our own desires or submit ourselves to God's Word.

Every day, we face moments when our pride, selfishness, anger, lust, or personal ambitions attempt to influence our decisions.

And every day, we must choose whether we're going to live according to our own will or surrender ourselves to Jesus.

That may mean choosing purity when our desires are pulling us toward sexual sin.

It may mean responding with patience and self-control when we're frustrated or angry.

It may mean putting aside selfish ambitions to care for our spouse, children, or others God has entrusted to us.

It may mean refusing to participate in gossip, acknowledging our own insecurities, or choosing to address difficult situations rather than escaping through unhealthy distractions.

These decisions may seem small in the moment, but they're part of what it means to daily surrender our lives to Christ.

And we shouldn't underestimate the significance of those daily choices.

Because the same sinful desires that attempt to deceive us today may return tomorrow.

That's why we cannot simply rely on yesterday's obedience.

Following Jesus requires a daily willingness to surrender our desires and submit ourselves to His Word.

But there's something else we need to recognize.

We cannot accomplish this through our own strength.

If our confidence is simply in our ability to control our behavior, resist temptation, or make better decisions, we're still relying on ourselves.

And that's the very problem we've been examining throughout this week.

Our confidence must be in Jesus and the power of His Spirit working within us.

Paul reminds us in Galatians 5 that those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

And because we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.

The Christian life isn't simply about trying harder to become a better person.

It's about surrendering ourselves to Jesus and allowing His Spirit to transform the way we think, desire, and live.

Our confidence isn't in our ability to overcome our desires and combat self-deception. It's in Christ, whose Spirit enables us to put sinful desires to death.

Third, we must follow Jesus.

This is where everything we've discussed throughout the week comes together.

Jesus doesn't simply tell us what to deny or what to sacrifice.

He tells us whom to follow.

And that brings us back to the picture of the Good Shepherd.

In John 10, Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep, cares for them, and lays down His life for them.

He explains that His sheep hear His voice, He knows them, and they follow Him.

Think about the significance of that relationship.

Sheep don't survive by becoming independent from their shepherd.

They thrive by remaining close to him, recognizing his voice, and following his guidance.

The shepherd knows where the sheep need to go. He knows where they can find nourishment, rest, and protection. He recognizes dangers they may not see and guides them away from places that could bring harm.

And the sheep must trust him enough to follow.

The same is true in our relationship with Jesus.

We need His guidance.

We need His protection.

We need His provision.

And we need to trust Him enough to follow His direction, even when our desires are pulling us somewhere else.

But here's where self-deception often creates a problem.

We can believe Jesus is the Good Shepherd while continuing to resist His leadership.

We can acknowledge that His Word is true while convincing ourselves that our circumstances justify disobedience.

We can say that we trust His provision while continually pursuing things He has warned us against.

And we can claim to follow Him while allowing our desires to determine which parts of His instruction we're willing to obey.

That's why the question we need to consider isn't simply whether we believe Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

The question is whether we're willing to trust Him enough to follow Him when our desires are pulling us in another direction.

And that trust is strengthened as we continually return to His Word, seek Him in prayer, walk by His Spirit, and remain connected to other believers who can encourage and challenge us.

Because one of the greatest lies of self-deception is that we don't need God, His Word, or His people.

We convince ourselves that we can handle our struggles alone, that we know what's best, or that we don't need anyone else speaking into our lives.

But sheep that wander away from the shepherd and separate themselves from the flock become vulnerable.

And when we isolate ourselves spiritually, ignoring God's Word, neglecting prayer, and distancing ourselves from Christian community, we make it easier for our sinful desires to influence our decisions.

We need the Good Shepherd.

And we need to remain close enough to recognize His voice and respond when He calls us.

As we close out this week, I want to return to the words that have shaped this entire message.

"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack."

Think about everything we have in Jesus.

In Him, we have salvation from sin and death.

In Him, we have access to the Holy Spirit, who strengthens, guides, and transforms us.

In Him, we have the promise of eternal life.

In Him, we are loved, valued, and welcomed into a relationship with God.

In Him, we can find rest, peace, joy, and comfort.

And through Him, we have forgiveness when we sin and grace to help us continue following Him.

The things of this world will always attempt to entice us. Our desires will continue competing for our attention, and self-deception will continue attempting to convince us that something else can provide greater satisfaction.

But nothing this world has to offer compares to the love, grace, compassion, and relationship we have with God.

In Him, we have all that we truly need.

That doesn't mean we'll never experience temptation, struggle, disappointment, or unmet desires.

It means that none of those things needs to become our shepherd.

We don't have to allow our sinful desires to determine the direction of our lives.

We don't have to continue believing the lies we've told ourselves.

And we don't have to remain enslaved to the sinful patterns that have been controlling us.

Through Jesus, we can experience forgiveness, transformation, and freedom from sin's dominion.

So as we finish this first part of Baited, Trapped & Tamed, remember the defense Jesus has given us.

Deny yourself. Shut down the internal lies. Cling to His voice and truth. And daily choose to follow Him.

Respond

As you reflect on everything we've studied this week, consider the areas of your life where self-deception may have taken root.

What desires have you been allowing to influence your decisions more than God's Word?

Are there sinful behaviors you've been rationalizing, justifying, or attempting to hide?

What explanations have you used to convince yourself that your choices are acceptable, even when Scripture teaches otherwise?

And perhaps most importantly, what have those choices been costing you spiritually, relationally, or personally?

Now return to Jesus' words in Luke 9:23.

What would denying yourself look like in those areas?

What might you need to surrender, confess, or change in order to follow Jesus more faithfully?

Are there relationships, habits, environments, or influences that continually encourage the sinful desires you've been struggling with?

And are you actively spending time in God's Word, seeking Him in prayer, and surrounding yourself with other believers who will encourage you to follow Jesus?

Today's challenge: Spend time prayerfully answering two questions:

What self-deception have I been living in?

What sin have I become baited, trapped, and tamed by?

Be specific and honest with yourself before God.

Then identify one practical step of obedience you can take today.

Perhaps that means confessing a hidden sin, asking someone for forgiveness, establishing a boundary, seeking accountability, or returning to spiritual disciplines you've neglected.

Don't simply focus on what you need to stop doing.

Consider how you can more intentionally follow Jesus in its place.

And remember that repentance isn't simply acknowledging what's wrong. It's turning away from sin and returning to the One who offers forgiveness, freedom, and life.

Pray

Lord, thank You for being my Good Shepherd. Thank You for loving me, protecting me, providing for me, and guiding me along the right paths. Forgive me for the times I've allowed my desires to become more important than Your Word and convinced myself that my way was better than Yours. Expose the lies I've been believing, the sinful choices I've been justifying, and the areas where I've resisted Your leadership. Give me the humility to deny myself, the willingness to take up my cross daily, and the faith to follow You even when obedience is difficult. Help me recognize Your voice through Your Word and respond to the guidance of Your Spirit. Strengthen me to put sinful desires to death rather than allowing them to control my life. Surround me with believers who will encourage, challenge, and help me remain faithful to You. Thank You that my freedom isn't found in doing whatever I desire, but in the salvation, forgiveness, and new life You've given me through Jesus. Remind me daily that You are my Shepherd and that in You I have everything I truly need. Amen.

 

Carry This Into Next Week

As we continue Baited, Trapped & Tamed, we'll examine more closely the deceptive nature of sin and the schemes of our enemy. But before moving forward, carry this truth with you:

The greatest defense against self-deception isn't simply learning to recognize the lies. It's learning to recognize, trust, and follow the voice of our Good Shepherd.

When your desires begin pulling you away from God's Word, remember His goodness.

When temptation promises something better, remember His provision.

When sin attempts to convince you that disobedience will bring freedom, remember the life Jesus gave to set you free.

And when you recognize that you've wandered away, don't allow shame or pride to keep you from returning to Him.

Deny self. Shut down the internal lies. Cling to His voice and truth. Daily choose to follow Him!