No man taketh [my life] from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. (John 10:18) In this sense, no one will take your life from you. If you don’t lay it down voluntarily, you’ll still be in control of it. Your cross, dear brother, is not your wife—unless you have power to lay her down and take her up day by day. Nor, dear lady, is it your husband. Nor is it the sickness you did not choose and cannot be healed of. Your cross is the place where you can make the decision not to please yourself. I could tell you how, time after time in my own experience, when I’ve had that inner struggle and have made the right decision, blessing has followed. Then—and not until then—I have been able to minister. I cannot minister as long as I am pleasing myself. The old ego in me has nothing to give to anybody. It has to be dealt with before the ministry of God can flow out of my life. And Jesus reminds us, “You need to do it every day.” (...