Everyday Step with Jesus

This walk with Christ is one that takes daily action…it is a choice that we make every day to keep on taking the next step on the narrow path, to spend time in His presence, and to renew our minds. This is where the name “Everyday Step with Jesus” came from. I have found, in my walk with Christ, that every day in our walk matters and every day  is a new beginning. We need to remember why we started this walk. This walk leads us to a close relationship with our Father and ultimately leads us to eternal life. But what does taking an every day step look like? Keep on reading…

Action & Discipline

Taking an every day step consists of action and discipline. Imagine you are getting started on a new workout plan, it may take a while to get used to but the first thing we need to do is actually get started, this requires action.  Getting started on a workout plan requires initial action, but to stick to the workout plan requires continuous action and discipline…the same can be said for our walk with Christ. The actions or steps we put in yesterday are the same actions(maybe even a little bit more) that we need to put in today and every day, this is the part that requires discipline. Taking action on this walk will consist of many different things such as self-denial, sacrifice, and submission. The actions that we make on this walk should always be directed and guided through the Holy Spirit. When we try to do this walk with our own strength and understanding we end up tired and frustrated, but when we work with the Holy Spirit we are able to continue on this walk. Jesus tells us: 

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Matthew 16:24-26 NKJV

Self-denial, sacrifice, and submission are three things that we need to perform when we decide to follow Christ, and we must continue to do so every day. The decision to follow Christ is not a one time decision, but a continuous decision that we make when we choose to deny ourselves, sacrifice, and submit to Him every day. These three things go against everything we know and are taught in this world.

Self-Denial 

Self-denial means that we no longer live but Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20 NKJV). This is a verse that is pretty well known, but what does self-denial actually look like? It means dying to our old ways of living. This includes all of the things we did before we knew God that we weren’t aware offended Him and went against his Word. We should no longer willingly partake in these things after we have come to Christ. His Holy Spirit now guides us and enables us to live a life of obedience. Without the help of His word and the Holy Spirit we are not able to do this. 

I’ve shared in a previous post that when I first came to Christ, I had other plans for my life…this required me to deny myself of those desires and plans that I had for my life. In the beginning, it wasn’t easy because I was looking at the things that I needed to let go of, things which I enjoyed. I was looking at this incorrectly. Instead of looking at the things we are letting go of, we should shift our focus to everything that we gain with Christ! The most important lasting reward that we have with Christ is eternal life and nothing in this world, nothing that I’ve let go of can compare to eternal life. If we lose our life for Him, we will actually find it…we will find eternal life (see Matthew 16:24-26 above). 

Sacrifice 

Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice when He took up the cross, like Him we must also take up our cross and make sacrifices, meaning choosing Him and His will over everything else. Jesus actually prayed,

 “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22;42 NKJV)

This shows us that Jesus didn’t want to go through the pain and suffering that He knew He was going to go through, but despite that He was willing to sacrifice Himself for us and submit to the will of the Father. There will be things that we won’t want to endure or let go of, but even when we don’t want to, if we are willing and submit to our Father, it is possible. In reality, the sacrifices that we may have to make in our life don’t compare to the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us, this alone is encouragement in itself. We also know that we are not alone because, when there are bumps along the road, we have our Helper. 

Sacrifice will look different for each of us. It could be your time, sleep, things around you, your mindset, persecution, or even a change in attitude. Change requires sacrifice because it is something that, more often than not, makes us uncomfortable and we struggle with letting the old go. But we must remember:

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, Philippians 3:7-10 NLT

With God, most things are opposite of what we know in this world. When we lose things in our life that don’t belong in our lives, we actually win! 

Submission

When we hear submission, oftentimes we may think of control…again, submission goes against our culture that teaches us to be independent and self-reliant. The beautiful thing about knowing Christ is that we no longer have to be self-sufficient, because we have a Father that wants to fulfill and CAN fulfill all of our needs. Submitting to God means following Him…when we follow we are led, we are directed, we are not alone… we have the One that leads us to eternal life. Changing from the mindset of self-reliance to one that fully depends on Him is something that requires practice and trust. The only way we can truly submit and follow Him is for us to decrease and for Him to increase in us. 

Walking with Him

The Holy Spirit is our helper and we must allow the Spirit to guide us.  Along our walk we may have picked up things that we shouldn’t have. We may have stopped in a dangerous spot…but taking that every day step with Jesus allows us to keep going. No matter where we are in our walk, as long as we go back to His Word, He will be the One to lead us and guide us through the Holy Spirit. 

‘Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.’ Psalms 119:105 NKJV

His Word is what lights up our path to see where to go. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and helps us to understand His Word. We must allow the Holy Spirit to be our teacher, so that with His word and His Spirit we can continue on the path that He wants us to go on. Sometimes the walk in which we are on feels more like a hike, in which we can’t quite see the end target of where we will end up. Sometimes the trail isn’t very visible. When we depend on Him, He makes a road in the wilderness and directs us even when we can’t see clearly and we can be rest assured that He can see clearly where He is directing us.

‘Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:24-25 NIV

The Spirit is our helper and the One that enables us in our walk with Christ. The Spirit leads us and we are to keep in step with the Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the One that enables us to keep going on this walk and it is important to note that everything we do should be with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

Fresh Start

Every day that we take a step in our walk with Christ, it becomes a new start, a new opportunity to learn something new…to get to know Him more, to embrace His mercies that are new every morning. 

‘Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.’ Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV

We are not perfect. We will fail but if we recognize our failures before our Father and repent, He is faithful and just to forgive us. When we fall or stumble in Christ, we are able to get back up with the help and compassion that He offers us. Even those things that we consider failures in our lives, the Lord will turn them around for His Glory. In the beginning of my walk, I was extremely hard on myself (this is something that I am still working on), not wanting to mess up and, when I did, I was my own worst enemy, not letting it go and putting myself down. However, His word says:

‘So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.’ Romans 8:1-2 NLT 

We belong to Him now and He has freed us from the power of sin, we need to know and believe this and not tangle ourselves back up through condemnation. Condemnation is not for those who belong to Christ. We should have a heart that acknowledges our downfalls and repents, but this doesn’t mean that we criticize ourselves to the point where we feel guilt and shame and stay in that place. 

Choosing to follow Christ is an initial decision that should be followed by daily steps in our walk. These steps are required by all of us, we just may be taking them at different times in our walk. Some days may be harder than others to take these steps, but, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is possible. We need to remember that even though we must make an effort to take a step, this effort is not our own but it is the Holy Spirit that enables us to take action. This walk is not just about taking steps aimlessly, but steps that are guided by His Holy Spirit, that lead us to Him. Hang onto His word and if you have stumbled along the way, allow His word, His strength, and His mercy to get you back up on your feet. The beautiful thing is that every day we decide to take these steps with Jesus we are getting closer to Him and closer to our reward…eternal life. If you have started this walk, keep on going, even if you’ve stopped, ask Him to help you and direct you. If you want to start this walk, I hope this post has encouraged you and not scared you away…lol. Following Him is not based on rules but based on the relationship that we have with Him. Yes, this relationship like any other relationship that is worthwhile will require our willingness… our willingness to walk with Him and leave some things behind. As long as we are willing, He is able to work in us and through us.