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DENIALS

Fourth Lesson

"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.'" --- Matthew 16:24

All systems for spiritualizing the mind include denia1.1 Every religion in all the ages had some sort of denial as one of its foundations.

We all know how the Puritans believed that the more rigidly they denied themselves comfort, the better they pleased God. So far has this idea taken possession of the human mind during some ages that devout souls have even tortured their bodies in various ways, believing that they were thus making themselves more spiritual, or at least were in some way placating an angry God. Even today many interpret the above quoted saying of Jesus as meaning: If any man wants to please God, he must give up about all the enjoyment and comfort he has, all

1. In today's usage, the psychological meaning of denial, that of refusing to face up to the truth, so predominates that use of this term causes considerable confusion. Whether to accept the reality of something or to deny it is an issue of great delicacy and the reader is encouraged to proceed prayerfully. It seems important to acknowledge the appearance of a circumstance but deny its power over us.