Scripture
“What do you benefit if you gain the whole world and lose your soul?”
Observation
Jesus begins to speak openly to his disciples about his coming death and resurrection. Peter rebukes him for saying such things.
Jesus replies, saying “Get behind me Satan!”
Jesus then invites the crows to join the disciples. He lays out a choice- turn away from sin and deny yourself to folly Jesus or else try to save your lifestyle and lose you soul.
Application
Just a few verses before this passage Peter has the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah. Confronted by the meaning of this revelation- that Jesus must go to the cross- Peter reverts to human thinking and pleads with Jesus not to go that way.
How quickly we can revert from the power of God's revelation to the sin-infected human wisdom.
Growth in the Spirit means letting go of our own ways and following God's ways- all the way to death,
Following Jesus means letting go of my own security and holding to Him. It means making a choice between the fleshly parts of our being and eternal life in the Spirit.
We are like people in a flood standing on the rooftop. A helicopter comes to rescue us. We then have the choice to leave the seemingly safe place on the roof to dangle from a rope or else to trust what seems to be the safety of solid ground beneath our feet.
Jesus offers us eternal salvation but at the cost of letting go of everything that seems to offer safety.
Prayer
Lord I choose you today. I let go of all the seemingly easy ways to live and I choose your way of life. You are my security and safety. Amen.
New Life Narrabri 
Amen brother, it's about going past our own will into His. Great Reflection. and it also made me think how we can revert from the power of God's revelation to the "sin-infected human wisdom".
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I read the book of Joshua a couple of weeks ago. It is interesting the number of times he just decided to do something without seeking God first. The results were always disastrous. So there is an example of someone who could be listening to God one day and running off in his own wisdom the same day.In my own case, I know that I have moments of being really in tune with God's Spirit, together with a nearly infinite capacity to do my own thing.One day, after I die, I will be set free from my own self-direction.
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Amen on being set free from my own self-direction. I've heard it told about God's word being a lamp unto our feet, that He only gives us enough light to see ahead one step at a time so we don't screw things up in our self-direction – with our infinite capacity to do God's will our own way.and i hear ya on Joshua, makes me want to read the book now.
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