let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me."

We often hear about the compromise life and the question comes up What lies
at the root of it? What is the reason that so many Christians are wasting
their lives in the terrible bondage of the world instead of living in the
manifestation and the privilege and the glory of the child of God? And
another question perhaps comes to us: What can be the reason that when we
see a thing is wrong and strive against it we cannot conquer it? What can
be the reason that we have a hundred times prayed and vowed, yet here
we are still living a mingled, divided, half-hearted life? To those two
questions there is one answer: it is _self_ that is the root of the whole
trouble. And therefore, if any one asks me, "How can I get rid of this
compromise life?" the answer would not be, "You must do this, or that, or
the other thing," but the answer would be, "A new life from above, the
life of Christ, must take the place of the self-life; then alone can we be
conquerors."

We always go from the outward to the inward; let us do so here; let us
consider from these words of the text the one word, "self." Jesus said to
Peter: "If any man will come after me let him deny _himself_, his own self,
and take up the cross and follow me." That is a mark of the disciple; that
is the secret of the Christian life--deny self and all will come right.
Note that Peter was a believer, and a believer who had been taught by the
Holy Spirit. He had given an answer that pleased Christ wonderfully: "Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Do not think that that was
nothing extraordinary. We learn it in our catechisms; Peter did not; and
Christ saw that the Holy Spirit of the Father had been teaching him and He
said: "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonas." But note how strong the carnal
man still is in Peter. Christ speaks of His cross; He could understand
about the glory, "Thou art the Son of God;" but about the cross and the