“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it’” (Matthew 16:24–25)

Denying ourselves might involve taking an inventory of those things we hold more important than God. This might mean choosing between two good things, doing something we don’t really want to do, or giving something up. Mostly, denying ourselves means leaving behind a sinful life and walking with Jesus every day. This doesn’t always sound appealing, especially to a kid. But Jesus promises us that when we surrender our lives over to him, he will give us life and life to the full (John 10:10). This is the slow process of sanctification—or being made holy. We can’t do it ourselves, we need Jesus.

So while our kids may naturally think of themselves first (let’s be real, we often do too), the truth is, there is something bigger than our kids that is worth following, and that is Jesus. So this week, let’s pray that as our kids grow, they learn to deny themselves and their earthly desires and choose to follow Jesus.

Jesus, you are the king of our hearts and lives. I pray that ______________ chooses to be your disciple and that they always know that the world is not about them and there is freedom in that, release them from the pressure of that. May they evaluate their focus and, with your help and strength, be sanctified to you as they deny themselves, turn from sin, and follow you. Amen.

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Pardon The Mess is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org