Denying Self...an exercise in preparation

This past weekend my wife spoke on the persecuted church at a church in Miami, FL. This church was doing something very unique in an exercise of "Denying Self". They had made the decision to not serve donuts with the coffee for 7 weeks, saving the church approximately $500.00. They are going to take this money and give it to the persecuted church. We commend this church for having the courage to carry out this exercise within a culture that pretty much denies itself nothing. Richard Wurmbrand, in his periodical "Preparing for the Underground Church - Now", states the following;

"I personally use an exercise. I live in the United States of America. Can you imagine what an American supermarket looks like? You find there many delicious things. I look at everything and say to myself, "I can go without this thing and that thing; this thing is very nice, but I can go without; this third thing I can go without, too." I visited the whole supermarket and did not spend one dollar. I had the joy of seeing many beautiful things and the second joy of knowing that I can go without.

I wonder how many of us who also live in this United States and have the same access to "supermarkets" have ever given this a thought. Could we even fathom the thought of "the second joy of knowing that I can go without?" Perhaps this should be one of the challenges we take on in preparing to stand in the difficult days that lie ahead. Jesus says it best:


Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.