KEY VERSE

Matthew 16:24 (The Message Version)

Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am.”

INTRODUCTION 

I used to be a very vocal “passenger driver” or “back seat driver.” How many people can relate with this? Don’t judge me please. For those who might be wondering what a passenger driver or back seat driver is, according to Wikipedia, it is a passenger in a vehicle who is not controlling the vehicle but who excessively comments on the driver’s actions and decisions in an attempt to control the vehicle. 

Okay, I may not excessively make comments, but I definitely make comments. I have come a long way though. I did not realize how much I did it until my husband pointed it out. It made me realize that I had issues with trust and I somewhat always want to be in control. This situation also made me realize that it also applies to the journey of my life. I say I trust God but quite often my actions do not show that I really trust him 100% of the time. 

As Christians, we unconsciously (or sometimes consciously) want to “drive” the journey of our lives instead of letting Him take full control. This 5-day devotional will help you relinquish control to God and let Him ALONE take the driver’s seat of your life.

We have been discussing a lot about discipleship at Ignite JHDC in the last few months and it has really been an amazing series. You can catch the sermons (“Sold Out” & “The Power of Us” series) on our YouTube page HERE.

A disciple is simply a follower of Christ. 

Matthew 4 verses 18 to 20 says -

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Peter and Andrew made the decision that day to “follow” Jesus. They made the decision to go/move with Jesus. Similarly, once we (as Christians) make the decision to follow Jesus, we are making a conscious effort to learn from Him and stay as close to Him as possible. This is the first step in letting God take the driver’s seat of the journey of our lives. Being a follower of Jesus requires our time because we have to spend time with Him, spend time studying the word and really be a disciple. There are so many things tugging at us and pulling our time – school, work, family etc. But in the midst of all this we have to make a conscious effort to carve out the time to be a disciple. We have to make prayer and studying the Word of God a priority. A practical way of doing this could be setting a schedule or putting a reminder on your phone so that the time is carved out and you can be consistent with it. Have you ever had an issue you wanted to address such as losing weight? The first step usually to losing weight is making a decision to actually lose the weight and then actually do the work to lose the weight. Until that decision is made, weight loss will almost never happen. So, I charge you today to make that decision to be a disciple and follow Jesus such that you will be able to hear His voice and know that it is Him.

John 10 verse 27 says - My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

PRAYER: 

Father Lord today I commit to following you wholeheartedly. Please give me the strength to be a true follower of you. Please help me to be obedient to you and trust your leadership. I submit to you today in Jesus Name. Amen

Matthew 16:24 (New International Version) -

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Denying one’s self can be a pretty difficult task because we as human beings have our own will; we know what we want, when we want it, and how we want it. Once we make the decision to be a disciple of Jesus, we have to deny ourselves. This means we have to set aside any selfish interests we have; we have to give up our own way of thinking or of doing things.  Matthew 4 verse 20 says “at once they left their nets…”. Leaving their nets is denying themselves. Doing this means we are turning away from our old selves and operating in our new self in Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3 verses 1 to 10 discusses how our new life in Christ has to be and discusses the things we must rid ourselves of such as anger, rage, malic, slander, and filthy language. Some things might be easier to let go of than others. However, the more time we spend following Christ, we will notice that the harder things to let go over will become easier. The Holy Spirit would help us and gradually begin to convict us when those things we are trying to rid ourselves off come up. 

Denying one’s self also means that we obey God’s instructions even when we do not agree or when we do not understand why. Hebrews 11 verse 8 says “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.” God’s plan is always better than ours. He also knows the end from the beginning. So, we have to trust that His will is best for our lives. The plans He has for us are always of good and not evil.

Only you know the things that you need to deny yourself of. I implore you today to spend some time identifying those things that may be hard for you to let go of that are not of Christ. After identifying them, spend time praying for the Lord to help you rid yourself of those things.

PRAYER: 

Dear God, denying myself might be difficult but I ask today that you help me to submit totally to you. I pray that you help me to deny myself and submit to you. Help me to depend and rely on you in every situation or circumstance that comes my way in Jesus Name, Amen.

What exactly does “cross” mean in Matthew 16 verse 24?

In the Bible, we know Jesus had to carry the cross on His way to being crucified. The cross then represented the suffering Jesus had to go through. Jesus basically consented to pain and humiliation as He carried the cross. HE did this all for us. 

To us, cross could be a hardship, difficulty or some sort of pain or trouble that we must handle. You may have heard someone say– “That is my cross to carry” OR “carry your cross.” For example, if a man has an illness such as diabetes, he could say it is my cross to carry. “It” means diabetes. This is because he has it and he alone has to live with it. No one else can share in the illness with him.

As Christians, when we take up our cross, we also consent to discomfort, pain, suffering, and rejection. I believe taking up our cross is also a way of us identifying and admitting to our weaknesses; acknowledging our vulnerability. We are all really good and talented at one thing or multiple things. But each and every one of us also have weaknesses. We have areas of our lives that we are not so strong that need work or areas we need help. In order to take up our cross, we have to come face to face with those things we consider as our “cross” and look to Jesus to help us. It is not always easy to do this as it might mess up our egos, but we must do it if we are choosing to allow Jesus to be the driver.

Luke 9 verse 23 says- Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” The verse says we must take up our cross DAILY. This means it is not something we do only once, but we do it continuously. For example, do you struggle with an addiction? Taking up your cross would mean praying for direction, seeking help, getting an accountability partner, and consciously facing the addiction. Or maybe you struggle with anger; taking up your cross would mean swallowing your pride, seeing a counselor or a therapist to aid in identifying your trigger points and how to handle them. One more example could be if your relationship with God has gone sour. You can take up your cross by repenting; being honest and open with God and confessing your desire to restore your relationship and live the life God has called you to live.

PRAYER:

Heavenly father, thank you for the gift of your son Jesus Christ who died for our sins. I definitely do not deserve such love, but you give so freely. I choose today to carry my cross and follow you. Help me to give up the things that are hard to let go of and follow you in Jesus Name, Amen

Allowing someone else to control our lives can be pretty nerve racking. As a backseat/passenger driver, like I mentioned in the introduction, I realized I always wanted to be in control as much as possible. I would make comments like “please switch lanes, this lane is too slow” or “you are moving too fast” or “why didn’t you signal?” I could go on and on. But I have learned that I can’t always be in control. Relinquishing control shows that you trust the person driving. You have faith that they will not crash the car. 

Similarly, as Christians if we have decided to be disciples of Jesus, take up our cross and follow Him, we have to let Him be the driver. Him and Him alone. I often find myself praying “God let your will be done” but then in the same sentence I say “but please let this happen and that happen in this order.” Am I really letting Him drive? 

The Bible says in John 3 verse 16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” We have to continue to live our lives trusting God. When we do not, it portrays us as selfish and self-centered. It makes it seem as if we do not need God and we got this on our own or that we are wiser than God.

There are situations we go through that may hurt badly and we wonder why God would permit such things to happen or the situations may be somewhat difficult to bear. It’s the same way Jesus was crucified. He too said in Matthew 26 verse 39 - “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” It seemed as though the load was heavy for Him and He asked God to take it away, but Jesus ended the statement asking that God’s will be done at the end of the day.

PRAYER: 

Dear Lord, thank you so much for being a faithful father. I pray you help me to trust in you and remove all doubt that might be holding me back in Jesus Name, Amen.

This is the best part! After you have completed all the steps discussed in each of the previous days in this devotional, it is now time to Let Go and Let God! Once you live a life in total surrender to God, nothing can move you. Distractions may come along and try to get in the way of our total surrender to God. Hardships, difficulties, illnesses, etc. may come our way but they should not move us because we are totally dependent on God. 

Make a commitment to let God be in the driver’s seat and trust Him to lead you. God has great plans for us, and we just have to trust it. Even when the road is bumpy, He always comes through for us and shows His power. I remember the story of Joseph in the Bible who basically went from rags to riches. He was sold to slavery by his brothers; went through turmoil but eventually he was appointed ruler in Egypt because he let God be the driver. He did all God told him to do.

As you let God take the driver’s seat, commit to doing the things that will help you stay connected to God such as praying, studying the word, worshipping, and fellowshipping. Try not to let anything come in between you and God. After you’ve committed to doing all this, then you can sit back and enjoy the ride!

A few verses I would love for you to meditate on as you enjoy the ride with God.

• Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

• Proverbs 16:9 – In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

• Isaiah 26:3 – You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

PRAYER:

Dear God, today I relinquish all authority to you. Help me to Trust you and let you take the driver’s seat of my life. Help me to truly let go and submit to you. I know the plans you have for me are of good and not of evil. Thank you so much for loving me and being so mindful of me. In Jesus Name, Amen!