Holy Week Sacrifice: The Cost of Becoming “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23 (KJV) Family 🤍 This is not just another week. This is a time where we reflect on: sacrifice discipline surrender and what it really means to walk in new life And I want us to stay anchored here… We can’t talk about resurrection later in the week if we don’t first deal with sacrifice. Sacrifice is not just something Jesus did. It is a posture we are called to live. God has a way of dealing with things in us that we’ve been overlooking. Not loudly..but clearly. So pay attention to what keeps coming up. Not everything but that one thing you keep pushing past. That thought you keep entertaining. That habit you keep excusing. That response you keep justifying. That attachment you keep protecting. Because sacrifice will always locate the area where you’ve been choosing comfort over obedience. And if we’re honest, some of us don’t have a clarity problem. We have a surrender problem. We know what God showed us. We heard Him the first time. But we’ve been negotiating with it, instead of releasing it. And this is where becoming gets delayed. Not because God isn’t speaking but because we’re holding onto what He already addressed. Sacrifice is not just about letting something go externally. It is about breaking agreement internally. Because you can say you’ve let something go but if you’re still thinking it, feeding it, revisiting it… You’re still connected to it. Becoming requires a clean break. This is why sacrifice feels uncomfortable. It feels like: • tension • resistance • stretching • exposure Because something in you is being challenged. Your patterns. Your emotions. Your character (“this is just how I am”). What feels like pressure is actually God refining your capacity. Because the version of you that is asking for new life cannot be sustained by the same agreements you’ve been living in.

DAY 4: Restored from the Inside Out Sometimes what needs rebuilding isn’t around us—it’s within us. Sand is just eroded rock. The things that wear us down—fear, hurt, shame, sin—don’t happen overnight. But slowly, quietly, we stop praying. We pull back from people. We carry wounds God never asked us to carry. The word also says God gives beauty for ashes. But sometimes we’ve lived in the ashes so long, we’ve forgotten what beauty even looks like. Friend, don’t settle for erosion. Let God bring healing—emotional, spiritual, even physical. He’s already made the way through Jesus. He’s not asking you to fake it. He’s asking you to trust Him enough to let Him in. Restoration starts when we open the door to the Holy Spirit. Reflection Questions: 1. What’s been eroded in your inner life? 2. Are there wounds you haven’t invited God into yet? 3. What would healing look like for you today?

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Lent Challenge Day 40 Dedication Day Fast from: Returning to old habits Focus: Rededicating your life to God Scripture: Romans 12:1 Reflection: How will I carry what I’ve learned during this fast into my daily life? Prayer: “Father, I dedicate my life, my heart, and my future fully to You.”

Let it Go... How many times have you been told to, "Let it go" especially after a situation where being angry enough to take action was warranted? As hard as it may be to let go, it really is best to heed this advice because it could be a matter between life and death. Or, it could potentially cost you. How fair is that? It's not and it really isn't about fairness either. Justice can be pursued in a dignified manner and peace can be the final result of a matter. It is very possible to be angry and still be diplomatic (Ephesians 4:26). Letting it go is not for the other person; it is truly for you. Forgiving and moving on helps you to keep moving forward in life. So, don't hold on to wrong-doings toward you. Free yourself from the grips of negativity that can be attached to the experience and turn it into positivity. Prayer Lord, we are so grateful that you make all situations work out for our good. So, even in negative encounters, we are claiming the victory that positivity will always shine from them. In Jesus' name. Amen.