Denying and bear the Cross

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mark 8:34)
Jesus mentioned self-denial and cross bearing, what did he really mean? When Jesus referred to self-denial, he was not talking about denying ourselves some luxury item or denying the reality of self or the needs of self. Rather he was focusing on the importance of renouncing self as center of our life and action. In other words, self-denial is the decision of each of his followers to give over to God his or her body, career, money, and time. Self-denial is a substainer willingness to say no to self so that we can say yes to God.
Remember one incident where Jesus was telling the crowd about his died, Peter pulled him back and said this could not be happening to him. Peter and other disciples had begun to realize that Jesus is the Messiah and to them the Messiah can't fail. I do see some "selfish reason" in Peter when he say that.
It is frightening to see how easily we can suddenly take on the perspective of Satan. This happens when we try to keep others from doing God's will. One of Satan's most effective strategies is to get Christians to consider their own self interest as equivalent to God's will. What better poly than to push our selfish desires under the banner of the cross?
Taken from Jesus Christ Disciplemaker by Bill Hull
Application: Learning to be self-denial is not easy let alone taking up the cross that led to death? But we as Christians are called to be take and follower the way of our Lord. "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
Good Friday and Easter is just round the corner, lets use this period to remind ourselves why does Jesus had to come to earth and die on the cross. That's self-denial and taking up the cross at it peak.