Active Faith: The Cost of True Discipleship

Devotional

Day 1: Belief in Jesus Requires Action, Not Just Agreement

True belief in Jesus is not a passive noun but an active verb; it demands that we put our faith into action and follow Him daily, not just claim a set of beliefs. Many have grown up knowing John 3:16 by heart, but the power of this verse is often lost when belief is reduced to mere mental assent. The call of Jesus is not for a one-time profession but for a life that is continually shaped by following Him, putting feet to our faith, and living out what we say we believe. [09:56]

John 3:16-17 (ESV)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Reflection: In what area of your life have you been content to simply “believe” in Jesus without putting that belief into action? What is one step you can take today to actively follow Him?

Day 2: Following Jesus Means Daily Self-Denial

Jesus calls His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him, which means a continual, intentional realignment of our desires with His will. This is not about a daily re-profession of faith, but about crucifying our own cravings and laying them at the foot of the cross every single day. It’s a call to examine what we truly want and to surrender those desires, even the ones that feel most natural or persistent, so that we can pursue what Jesus wants for us instead. [12:48]

Luke 9:23 (ESV)
“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’”

Reflection: What is one craving or desire you need to lay down today in order to follow Jesus more closely?

Day 3: The Desires of the Flesh and the Spirit Are Opposed

Our natural cravings and the desires of the Spirit are in constant conflict, and we must recognize and crucify the cravings of the flesh to truly walk in step with God. Paul lists the works of the flesh—things like jealousy, anger, and divisions—and reminds us that these cravings are not easily dismissed; they must be actively put to death. Only by daily realigning ourselves with the Spirit can we experience true transformation and freedom from the things that pull us away from Jesus. [16:18]

Galatians 5:17-21 (ESV)
“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Reflection: Which “work of the flesh” do you most struggle with, and how can you invite the Holy Spirit to help you crucify that craving today?

Day 4: Counting the Cost of Discipleship

Following Jesus is costly—it may require us to give up comfort, reputation, or relationships—but only by counting the cost and choosing to follow can we truly be His disciples. Jesus warns that starting to build without finishing leads to mockery, and in the same way, calling ourselves Christians without living as followers of Jesus leads to a powerless faith and a watching world that finds our witness unbelievable. We must honestly assess whether we are willing to pay the price to follow Jesus wherever He leads. [24:18]

Luke 14:28-29 (ESV)
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him.”

Reflection: What is one thing you fear losing if you fully follow Jesus, and how can you trust Him with that cost today?

Day 5: Realigning Our Will with God’s Each Day

Spiritual growth requires a daily, honest dialogue with God, asking Him to reveal where we are following our own desires instead of His, and inviting Him to realign our hearts to His will. It’s easy to settle for second best or to hold onto certain areas of our lives, but true transformation comes when we allow God to remove our blinders and reshape us to be more like Jesus. Each day is an opportunity to surrender anew and to let God show us what it really means to follow Him. [36:22]

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Reflection: Take a moment in prayer today to ask God, “Am I actually following You, or am I giving in to my desires?” What is one area where you need Him to realign your will to His?

Sermon Summary

It’s easy to mistake a life surrounded by church, Christian mentors, and good intentions for a life of deep faith. But sometimes, all that familiarity can actually lead to a weak, impactless faith—a faith that’s more about labels and appearances than about real transformation. The heart of following Jesus isn’t just about believing the right things or being in the right places; it’s about daily, active pursuit. The word “believe” in John 3:16 isn’t just a noun, a static thing to possess. In the original Greek, it’s a verb—an action. To believe in Jesus is to move, to act, to follow.

Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. This isn’t about a daily re-profession of faith, but a daily realignment of our desires. Paul lays out in Galatians 5 that the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit are at war within us. The cravings of the flesh—whether obvious or subtle—are powerful, and unless we actively crucify them, they will keep us from truly following Jesus. Cravings aren’t easily dismissed; they demand to be satisfied unless we put them to death.

The tragedy in much of modern Christianity is that we’ve settled for a watered-down version of faith, content with knowledge and appearance rather than transformation. We slap on the label “Christian” but often don’t live as imitators of Christ. The world sees this disconnect and mocks it, because we haven’t counted the cost of following Jesus and chosen to pay it. True faith will cost us—sometimes our reputation, our comfort, even our relationships—but in losing these, we gain everything in Christ.

The challenge is to take an honest look in the mirror and ask: Am I actually following Jesus, or just holding a belief? Am I willing to lay down my cravings and desires, to let Him realign my will to His? Following Jesus is not passive; it’s a daily, costly, transformative pursuit. Only when we allow Him to realign us can we truly become who He calls us to be.

Key Takeaways

1. Familiarity with Christian culture can breed a weak, impactless faith. Growing up in church and being surrounded by Christian mentors is a blessing, but it can also lead to complacency if it never moves beyond knowledge and routine into genuine transformation. The danger is settling for a faith that is modeled but not truly lived, leaving us isolated from the very people Jesus calls us to reach. [04:03]
2. Belief in Jesus is an action, not just an idea. The Greek word for “believe” in John 3:16 is a verb, not a noun. This means that faith in Christ is not something we simply possess, but something we do—actively, daily, and intentionally. True belief always results in movement, in following, in putting feet to our faith. [09:56]
3. Daily realignment is essential for spiritual growth. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves and take up our cross every day, not just once. This isn’t about repeatedly professing faith, but about continually surrendering our desires and cravings to Him. The battle between flesh and Spirit is ongoing, and only by daily crucifying our cravings can we walk in step with the Spirit. [12:48]
4. Cravings of the flesh must be crucified, not managed. Paul distinguishes between desires and cravings—the latter being relentless and demanding. Unless we actively put these cravings to death, they will dominate our lives and keep us from following Jesus. Real transformation comes when we allow Christ to change what we crave, not just what we do. [16:18]
5. Counting the cost is non-negotiable for true discipleship. Following Jesus will cost us—sometimes dearly. If we’re not willing to pay that price, we’re only Christians in name, not in reality. The world sees the difference, and our witness is only powerful when our lives match our confession. True discipleship means laying down everything, trusting that in losing our lives for Christ, we gain everything that truly matters. [28:40]
** [28:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:16] - Humility and the Need for Real Faith
[04:03] - The Danger of Weak, Modeled Faith
[05:12] - The Modern Sanhedrin and Denominationalism
[06:50] - Watered-Down Christianity and Its Impact
[08:01] - The Bedrock of Belief: John 3:16
[09:56] - Belief as Action: The Greek Perspective
[12:48] - Daily Realignment and Denying Ourselves
[15:35] - The Works and Cravings of the Flesh
[16:18] - Cravings vs. Desires: The Battle Within
[18:10] - Actively Pursuing Jesus
[20:33] - The Cost of Not Realigning
[22:02] - Renouncing Desires and Becoming New
[23:24] - Counting the Cost and the World’s Response
[25:01] - Labels vs. Lifestyle: The Call to Authenticity
[26:54] - The Consequences of Not Following
[28:40] - The True Cost of Discipleship
[32:46] - The Challenge: What Are You Unwilling to Surrender?
[34:04] - Invitation to Honest Dialogue with God
[35:29] - For Seekers: Looking Past Christians to Christ
[36:22] - Closing Prayer and Benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 3:16 — "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

- Luke 14:28-29
"For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him."

- Galatians 5:17-21
"For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ... Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these."

Observation Questions

In John 3:16, what does the word “believe” actually mean in the original Greek, and how is it different from how we usually think of it? ([09:56])
According to Galatians 5, what are some examples of the “works of the flesh” that Paul lists? ([15:35])
In Luke 14:28-29, what does Jesus say will happen if someone tries to build a tower without first counting the cost? ([23:24])
The sermon mentions that being surrounded by Christian culture can sometimes lead to a weak faith. What are some ways this can happen? ([04:03])

Interpretation Questions

The sermon says that “believe” in John 3:16 is a verb, not a noun. What does it look like for belief in Jesus to be an action, not just an idea? ([09:56])
Why do you think Paul describes the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit as being “at war” with each other? What does this conflict look like in everyday life? ([12:48])
The pastor said that many Christians settle for a “watered-down” faith that is more about labels and appearances than real transformation. Why is this so common, and what are the dangers of it? ([06:50])
Jesus talks about “counting the cost” of following Him. What kinds of things might a person have to give up or risk in order to truly follow Jesus? ([28:40])

Application Questions

The sermon challenges us to ask, “Am I actually following Jesus, or just holding a belief?” Take a moment to honestly reflect: In what areas of your life are you just “holding a belief” instead of actively following? ([27:52])
Paul lists cravings and desires of the flesh in Galatians 5. Which of these do you find yourself struggling with most often? What would it look like to “crucify” that craving this week? ([16:18])
The pastor said that real faith will cost us—sometimes our reputation, comfort, or relationships. Is there something you feel God is asking you to lay down or risk in order to follow Him more closely? What is holding you back? ([28:40])
The sermon warns against settling for a faith that is only about knowledge and routine. What is one practical step you can take this week to move from routine to real transformation? ([06:50])
The pastor described how cravings are different from desires—they are relentless and demand to be satisfied. Can you identify a craving in your life that keeps pulling you away from Jesus? What would it look like to surrender that craving to Him daily? ([16:18])
The world often mocks Christians when our lives don’t match our confession. Is there an area where your actions and your faith are out of alignment? What is one thing you can do to bring them closer together? ([23:24])
The sermon ended with a challenge to start an honest dialogue with God: “God, am I actually following you, or am I giving in to my desires?” Take a few minutes to pray this prayer, and if you feel comfortable, share with the group what God brings to your mind. ([34:04])

Sermon Clips

Christianity has become a very watered down version of what it was originally intended to be. We focus in church world, as Christians, we focus on our knowledge and our appearance of godliness. We want people to see us a specific way. And realistically, as Christians, as Jesus followers, we can't be content with that anymore. We have to be willing to step outside of that. [00:07:03] (31 seconds)

Because this is this says you can't have this thing without putting action to it you can't hold a belief unless you put action to it jesus he talks to me the response to what god has done has to be an actual action response it can't just be this thing that you hold to it can't just be this this out of the blue belief that you have that you lock on to. [00:10:56] (27 seconds)

Jesus calls us to actively pursue him. You can't follow someone without actually moving. If you stay where you're at in the middle of where you are, you're not actually following anybody. You're rooted in standing your ground somewhere you shouldn't be. [00:19:27] (23 seconds)

The desires of the flesh and the desires of the spirit cannot exist in the same space because they're diametrically to each other. You're either moving closer to Jesus or you're not. That's what is so difficult for us to understand. The only way that we can move is to disown and actively renounce our desires. [00:21:48] (23 seconds)

If you're feeling stagnant in your Christianity, my question to you would be this, what are you craving? Not what's the Sunday school answer of what you're craving. Because here at church, we say, oh, I crave a better walk with Jesus. If you're stagnant in your Christianity, no, you don't. There's something you're craving more than Jesus. [00:22:55] (20 seconds)

If you take a look in the mirror and you look at it and you say, okay, I'm gonna count the cost up on this. What's it gonna cost me? Because the gift of eternal life is free, but following Jesus is going to cost you. It could cost you your reputation, could cost you your family, could cost you your friends, could cost you so much. [00:29:03] (21 seconds)

``If you truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then it's going to cost you and you're going to have to put action to it. If you've never been in a position where you had to actually act on your faith or change anything about yourself, then you need to take a hard look at what you say you believe. Because following Jesus could cost you everything. But the great news is if it costs you everything, you gain everything. thing in return. [00:31:13] (30 seconds)

But Jesus is the one that said it. He said, if you're going to come after me, you've got to deny yourself. You've got to lay everything that you desire, all of your craving, all of those things about the flesh, you've got to lay those things down so that you can follow me. Because otherwise, it's like trying to build a foundation and not actually understanding what it took to build it. And then being mocked to your face. [00:33:09] (30 seconds)

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