Clearing the View So Christ Can Be Seen
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” - Matthew 16:24–25
Sometimes the hardest part of following Jesus is recognizing what needs to move out of the way. Not everything that looks religious actually helps people see Christ clearly. When the wrong version of the cross takes center stage, it can confuse rather than heal.
Jesus never asked His followers to protect their comfort or image. He asked them to follow Him. That meant letting go of control, status, and self-preservation. It meant trusting that life is found not by holding tightly, but by surrendering.
In daily life, clearing the view might mean examining attitudes we have carried for a long time. It might mean noticing where faith has become more about being right than being loving. It might mean releasing assumptions that keep us distant from people who are hurting.
The cross Jesus carried still saves, heals, and restores. It still welcomes the broken and lifts the weary. But that cross can only be seen clearly when it is not buried under pride, fear, or power.
So ask God to help you clear the view. Ask Him to remove anything in your heart or life that misrepresents His love. When the right cross is lifted, people do not just see religion. They see Jesus.
And that is the cross worth following.
Sometimes the hardest part of following Jesus is recognizing what needs to move out of the way. Not everything that looks religious actually helps people see Christ clearly. When the wrong version of the cross takes center stage, it can confuse rather than heal.
Jesus never asked His followers to protect their comfort or image. He asked them to follow Him. That meant letting go of control, status, and self-preservation. It meant trusting that life is found not by holding tightly, but by surrendering.
In daily life, clearing the view might mean examining attitudes we have carried for a long time. It might mean noticing where faith has become more about being right than being loving. It might mean releasing assumptions that keep us distant from people who are hurting.
The cross Jesus carried still saves, heals, and restores. It still welcomes the broken and lifts the weary. But that cross can only be seen clearly when it is not buried under pride, fear, or power.
So ask God to help you clear the view. Ask Him to remove anything in your heart or life that misrepresents His love. When the right cross is lifted, people do not just see religion. They see Jesus.
And that is the cross worth following.
Subscribe Now for Free Daily Devotions
Recent
Archive
2026
January
When God Feels Silent but is Still at WorkHow to Rebound After a Crushing LetdownWhen Your World Falls Apart After You Did Everything RightGod Is Still Building Roads in the DesertThe Chapter That Comes After TraumaWhen Hope Feels GoneWhen Your Words Start Working Against YouGod’s Resume Is Bigger Than Your SituationWaiting on God is Not Doing NothingBefore Circumstances ChangeGetting In Your Bag When Life Feels UnfairWinning With a Bad HandOverlooked, Insulted, and Still ChosenPrepared in the Field Before the Giant AppearsYou Were Trained for This MomentTaking Off Armor That Does Not FitFormed in the Field, Not on the StageWhen the Battle Is Not Actually YoursWhen You Feel the Urge to Go Through God’s PhoneFaith After Disappointment Still CountsKeep Showing Up Even When You Are ConfusedLocked Doors Do Not Stop JesusWhen You Need an Encounter for YourselfDoubt as a DoorwaySaying What Hurts When God Is in the RoomWhere Faith and Fear CollideShutdown Does Not Mean FinishedWhen Opposition Shows Up Mid-ProgressBuilding Without Responding to the MockeryA Mind to Work in the Middle of WearinessThe Wall Rose Because the People Did Not Quit
February
When Faith Blocks the ViewThe Cost of Carrying the CrossPower Was Never the PointGod Meets You Where You AreFaith That Chooses People Over ProfitWhen the Cross Loses Its MeaningClearing the View So Christ Can Be SeenWhen Worry Becomes a Way of LifeGod Is Not Surprised by Bad LeadershipWhen God Writes on the WallGod Controls the ClockGod Is Watching the ScaleWhen God Writes the EndingYou Do Not Have to Carry This AloneWhen Life Feels Like a JungleWhat You Are Leaning On MattersPeace Comes From the InsideRemember What God Has Already DoneProtecting Your Peace on PurposeWhen You Have to Say It Out LoudTrust Is a Long GameWhen Joy Breaks ContainmentGod Shows Up in Hard SeasonsKeep Moving When Everything Says StopGet Ready for What You Are Praying ForFaith That Is Willing to WorkWorship Is How We Acknowledge God’s Hand
2025
January
Plenty of RoomThankful for Your SeatWho God Invites to the TableThat’s the PointWe Do Not Have a Monopoly on GodStop Talking So LoudLet God Handle the Guest ListA Long-Awaited ReunionSeeing Jesus for YourselfIn Possession of a Personal PromiseGet in the Right PositionReady to ReceiveAligning Your Life for God's PromiseWaiting with ExpectancyGrounded in PrayerStrength in PrayerPatience Through PrayerStay Focused Through PrayerGod's Conditional PromisesGod’s PriorityGrounded in FaithTrusting God's TimingThe Assurance of God's PromisesIs It Well With Your Soul?Health vs. HealingStewarding Your BodyA Holistic View of SpiritualityGod Cares About Your BodyWhat You Put in MattersNourishing Your SoulThe Power of Prevention
2 Comments
Thank you for this….timely for a current situation I’m helping my son to navigate. ??♥️
This message means so much to me this day, as my mother joined the children of God on 2-6-2026. Karen Kleinpeter denied herself seeking diligently the face of God. My beautiful mother with a heart of gold picked up her cross and carried it daily. Showing love, faith and belief to all whom she encounterd. Until we meet in the new heaven and new earth, thank you mother for showing me God's love everyday and thank you for loving me unselfishly love your sons ❤️ ?