Deny yourself
Message extract from January 1973
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To begin with, commonly speaking, and also to end with, for most people, they have it this way, that there are many difficulties, many barriers. This person is like that, and that person has done this and said that, and there are so many difficulties.
It’s not true; it’s not correct. It’s absolutely wrong. And that’s written here, in this word. But it’s this, that people are so superficial, so we don’t see it.
It’s not written, “If anyone wants to come after Me, then let him manage all these difficulties and situations.” No, “deny himself,” it’s written. This is a glorious nugget. There is only one difficulty under the sun; there is only one barrier under the sun. There is only one single problem and one complex: that is ourselves. Shorter and simpler and better it simply couldn’t be.
And after that comes this sentence, that he who has overcome himself has overcome all things. Everything is included here. The worst, they complain about their difficulties of so many kinds, and they preach about their illnesses all day long, and also about other people. This one is so difficult, and that one is so difficult, and this one has done this, and that one’s like that, and that one’s like this, and if this hadn’t happened, it would be better with me. It’s absolute lies, all of it! If I deny myself if I don’t get my way, then I’m on the way of life; I’m on the narrow way. I’ve gone through the narrow gate and I’ve come onto the narrow way. And there I have just as much room as I could possibly use, on a very narrow road. There it’s so advantageous; it’s so good and fun!
There I have gotten rid of all that luggage, all that I owned and thins to preserve and defend, and so on. There are no problems there; there are no complexes, no difficulties, no delusions of any kind. And then, think, everything that you’ve gotten rid of; it’s all that you haven’t gotten rid of that causes the problems. For example, all the money that I don’t need. It’s just problems and difficulties every time we’re to give in the collection or whatever it may be; there are difficulties. And then there’s my honor that I’m to take care of. Pretty much everyone – practically speaking all believers and most of the friends – are interested in what people think about them and what their opinions are of them. And therefore they often can’t give their testimony either; they’re wondering what others will think. And therefore they can’t be converted to God, because they’re wondering what their family or their friends will think then. Every single one of us, as people, we are crazy!
And that is the whole difficulty. In the depth and width and height, where everything is included. There is only one difficulty under the sun: myself, that is, my will, my desires, my preferences, everything that I think, my opinions – myself. To deny that, and then my whole heart is filled with God’s word. My heart is to follow His word. Then I’ve come through the narrow gate, onto the narrow way, and there I have such a good time! There, we thrive.
