Day 19: Follow Me
40 Days of Prayer & Fasting
Prayer Focus: Following Jesus Daily
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Luke 9:23 ESV
Yesterday our prayer was:
“Lord, help me obey.”
Today we continue with the invitation at the heart of discipleship:
“Jesus, I will follow You.”
Jesus repeatedly gave people a simple invitation: “Follow me.”
Following Jesus is more than believing certain things about Him. It means allowing Him to determine the direction of our lives.
Follow Him Daily
Luke 9:23 contains an important word:
Daily.
Following Jesus isn't a decision we make once and never think about again.
Every day we choose again.
His way over my way.
His desires over my desires.
His purposes over my preferences.
Jesus said following Him involves denying ourselves and taking up our cross. That means there will be moments when obedience costs us something.
But discipleship has always been about more than convenience.
It is about surrender.
Leave Something Behind
When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, Scripture says:
“Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
Matthew 4:20 ESV
Their nets represented something familiar.
Following Jesus required them to release what they were holding so they could go where He was leading.
Sometimes following Jesus requires us to leave something behind too.
A habit.
An attitude.
A priority.
A relationship with sin.
A need for control.
A comfortable place we have outgrown spiritually.
We cannot follow Jesus forward while insisting on holding onto everything behind us.
Keep Following
Following Jesus doesn't mean we know everything about the road ahead.
The disciples certainly didn't.
They simply knew who they were following.
That's enough for us too.
Our confidence isn't that we know every turn in the road.
Our confidence is that Jesus does.
Today's Prayer Focus
Help Me Follow
Give me a heart willing to go wherever You lead.
Show Me What to Release
Reveal anything I am holding onto that keeps me from following freely.
Teach Me Daily Surrender
Help me choose Your way again today.
Keep Me Close
Don't let me become more focused on the destination than on You.
Today's Prayer
Jesus, today I choose to follow You.
Show me anything I need to release and any area where I have been resisting Your leadership.
Teach me to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow You daily.
I don't need to know every detail of where the road leads.
I just need to stay close to You.
Where You lead, I will follow.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Additional Scriptures
Matthew 4:18–22
John 10:27
John 12:26
Philippians 3:7–8
Today's Challenge
Ask yourself:
“What am I still holding onto that makes it harder to follow Jesus?”
Name it.
Surrender it.
Then pray:
“Jesus, wherever You lead today, I will follow.”
Day 18: Lord, help me obey.
Day 19: Jesus, I will follow You.
