“If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off…
If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off…
If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out…” (Mark 9:43–48)
These are not metaphors meant to shock for the sake of shock. They’re invitations into spiritual seriousness.
Jesus isn’t advocating self-harm—He’s calling for radical self-examination. He’s warning us that sin isn’t a side issue—it’s a soul issue. And if we’re not willing to cut away what’s killing us, we’ll never walk in the freedom He died to give us.
Freedom…isn’t that what we all want? Financial freedom, health freedom, relationship freedom, spiritual freedom…soul freedom.
There’s a pull—not toward rebellion, but toward resignation. Not overt sin, but subtle drift.
And Jesus, in love, cuts through it all with clarity and asks:
“What are you holding on to that’s costing you My presence?”
Sometimes, we avoid God’s presence because shame is loud. Even though we know His voice is kind, we still hide.
But Jesus never shamed the broken.
He restored them—with honor, truth, and dignity. The only people He came down hard on were the ones standing between others and the Father.
Jesus knows that every sinful impulse is just a misplaced attempt to numb a wound or fill a void only He can reach. And so He calls us not just to resist sin—but to remove it. To lay it down and walk in holiness, wholeness, and freedom.
So here I am…
Believing that perseverance is enough for now.
Believing that one more day of surrender is part of the healing.
Believing that peace is worth whatever needs to go.
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