If my children hated everything I did for them, hated how I talked, hated how I looked, hated what I said, hated all I bought for them, hated when I said ‘no’, blamed what I did in their lives on Satan. Would that not be equivalent to them hating ME?

Be careful what you call evil or blame Satan for because you might accidentally begin to hate Jesus Himself.

Often we need to allow Jesus to crush us without grumbling and fighting against him, It is VERY good to “die daily” with him, it is not a necessary evil that mature people put up with.

In Luke chapter 10 Jesus said that “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father…then a few verses later he quoted the first of the 10 commandments “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Attributing himself as God and that the Father himself has handed all things over to himself. To love God above all others is to love every part of him, the wonderful with the sometimes painful. We take the pleasure with the pain, the abundance with the lack, the pleasure with the pain. Whatever it is the Lord has for us we embrace and love.

I have found that is very helpful “to take up our crosses”, to be “meek and lowly” and “take on his yoke and his burden”.  Yes it can hurt initially, but he has a new way and living way for us.

Make ‘death to self’ a top daily priority.

Love first all of Jesus! Even the side of him that calls for the death of your human lives, love his discipline and correction, allow him crucify you every day and he will resurrect you every day also. Don’t expect him to entertain you and constantly bless you with comfort and wealth.

This new and living way is actually his very own life flowing through us, his fruit, his expression, his perspective and his love. Surrendering to his yoke and his burdens is WONDERFUL beyond my ability to describe.