Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 ESV

The best way to get somewhere you’ve never been is to follow someone who has.

I'm telling you this straight. The Son can't independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. John 5:19 MSG

I'm not making any of this up on my own. The Father who sent me gave me orders, told me what to say and how to say it. John 12:49 MSG

Jesus taught us how to follow by following!

When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he returned to Galilee. He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills. Matthew 4:12-13 MSG

This move completed Isaiah's sermon: Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, road to the sea, over Jordan, Galilee, crossroads for the nations. People sitting out their lives in the dark saw a huge light; Sitting in that dark, dark country of death, they watched the sun come up. Matthew 4:14-16 MSG

This Isaiah-prophesied sermon came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here.” Matthew 4:17 MSG

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20 NLT

Knowledge and history alone will never be enough to cause you to follow Jesus.

A present personal encounter with Jesus is essential to our effectively following Him.

We should focus our effort and energy on following Christ completely rather than wasting it on debating with Him about the directions.

We tend to follow more willingly when we’re in a bind!

“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. Matthew 14:28-29 ESV

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Matthew 16:22-23 ESV

The mindset of a Christ follower comes from a mind that’s set on Christ.

Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 ESV