A Call To Die Challenge: Day 1

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

- Matthew 16:24

Accept the Call

Welcome to the first day of the Call To Die Challenge! 
 
This is a call to seek Jesus for 40 days by building up discipline and dramatically reducing distractions to see His truth and glory clearly.
 
I created this challenge because I needed to go through it myself. I caught myself in a state of autopilot.
 
I found myself feeling far from God (though He is always with me and all believers) and I found myself dissatisfied with the world’s call to “just get by.”
 
So, I wanted to radically purge distraction and selfishness, and laziness from my day-to-day with a commitment.
 
This is the commitment for anybody else who would want to follow me in it.
 
  • I will read A Call to Die by David Nasser and reflect upon his words (which will be posted on the website daily by 6 each day).
 
  • I will spend time alone with God 2x every single day – one time when reading A Call to Die and another time in the Psalms (you don’t have to get the book if you don’t want to, but I highly recommend it. My posts here will be reflections on the topics of the devotional book).
 
  • I will meditate on God’s presence once every day for at least 5 minutes using the routine in this post.
 
  • I will fast from whatever I believe God has called me to for 40 days (for me this will be scrolling through social media – though I will post, movies, TV, Youtube, etc. – any “cheap dopamine.”)
 
  • I will go on a walk daily either with somebody or I will go on a “prayer walk” alone.
 
  • I will follow an exercise program and meal plan (I will give one you can follow below too if you’d like).
 
If you want to accept the challenge, I would say the first 5 bullet points are non-negotiable. I only include the last commitment because I believe exercise increases our ability to be disciplined and that God desires us to take care of our bodies.

Dying to Self

In the passage above, Jesus calls His disciples to take up their crosses – He called His disciples to die. 

I want to clear up one misconception I have been hearing lately. While the call may look different in a believer’s life, this call is not exclusive to “radical Christians” or pastors only. 

If you are a Christian then you are a disciple. 

If you are a Christian, you are following Jesus.

How can I say this with such certainty?

Because of Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:19-20 – 

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The word Christian came about after Jesus and it was used as a reference to the followers of Jesus aka disciples. These words are synonyms for the same thing. Genuine Christians are also disciples. If this were not the case then Jesus would have used a different word in Matthew 28. So when Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me…” He is speaking to Christians.

When Jesus says this in Luke, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple…” He is speaking to all Christians.

Now, discussion on this would require a whole post in itself, but that will have to be for a later time.

What does this “call to die” mean?

When Jesus instructs His disciples to deny themselves and take up their cross He is telling all who follow Him to seek the glory and desires of God above their own. 

He is calling us to let go of selfishness, to put it to death.

David Nasser puts it this way, “…’ taking up our crosses’ means to value God above all else, to serve instead of demand our rights, and to be humble instead of proud – to the point of death.”

This is a big calling that we will explore in a variety of ways through the next 40 days!

But note these three things:

  • The call to die comes with great benefits here and now as well as in eternity.
  • God will strengthen you to do what you are called to do – ask for strength and trust in His work on your heart.
  • There is abundant grace for the times we fail and this calling is not a requirement for salvation but something that will happen naturally in a believer’s life as they continue to walk with Jesus.
 
What selfishness is God calling you to let go of today?
 
I recommend making a detailed plan for how you can cut this selfishness out of your life. Pursuing Jesus in the way is worth it.

Workout and Nutrition

Here is a full-body workout you can do at your local gym if you participate in this portion of the challenge. I plan to do three full-body workouts Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you are new to the gym, I recommend looking up the exercises before going.

(rest around 90 seconds – 60 if you are pressed for time)

Pull Up 3 sets x(of) 12 reps

Incline Bench Press/Dumbbell Bicep Curls 3×12/12 

(the “/” means this is a “superset” meaning you do these exercises back to back – after completing 12 reps of bench press you immediately get up and do 12 reps of bicep burls. Once both exercises are completed you can rest. Do that two more times to complete three “supersets” – this saves time in the gym).

Leg Press 3×12

Shoulder press/shrugs 3×12/12

Dips (tricep version) 3×12

Weighted sit-ups 3×12

For nutrition, I recommend not going too strict for the sake of consistency for 40 days. 

I will commit to these two rules:

  • The majority of meals that I eat will be homemade (not overly processed foods)
  • If I eat out I will ask for a to-go box and save 1/4 of my meal to eat later in the week.

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