Follow Me!

I know this is a phrase you don’t like to hear. Why? Because it sounds authoritative.

Nobody is trying to boss over you, I wouldn’t do that, however, there is a call out there for every believer and it says “Follow me.” Who are you following? What are the Steps involved in Following? Let’s go on this short journey together.

Follow me is a verb phrase that can be likened to a command and it means “come with me”, “come behind me”, “emulate my lifestyle”, “imitate me”, etc. It was Jesus that called upon people to follow Him and He meant exactly all above when He said that.

4 STEPS INVOLVED IN FOLLOWING

1. There must be a Trust: I could remember while growing up, My parents were always warning me and my siblings never to follow a stranger because we are not acquainted with them. However, if a partner, a trusted person or your parent comes and says Follow Me! You immediately arise and often you don’t question where you’re headed. (Luke 5:27 — “27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.” (KJV)). If Levi had never heard of Jesus or they were not acquainted, he wouldn’t have followed Jesus because they do not have that relationship. Hence, as a believer who wants to effectively function in the command, You need to have trust in Him.
2. Leave Behind Everything: (Luke 5:28 — “28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.” (KJV), Matthew 4:18-22 — “18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.” (KJV), Luke 9:59-62 — “59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (KJV)).
   Imagine that you’re watching a movie or “gisting” when you get a command to “Follow” from your friends or parent, you’ve agreed to go with them, but you still have your mind on the movie or gist you left behind. In the same way as a believer, you claimed to be following Jesus, yet you never leave the world, your past, hurt, pains, etc behind. Can you be going out with your parent and stop by the roadside to pick up every dirt you see? Of course, not. Why? Because you fear and respect them. If you have accepted to walk with Jesus, do it wholeheartedly, stop going back and looking behind. What happens when you keep looking back?
   (John 21:1-7 — “After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. 2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.” (KJV) & 10-11 — “10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.” (KJV)) When you leave the path or constantly go back, you will toil aimlessly and spend years on paths that should be taken in weeks due to a lack of commitment. So if you’d follow Jesus; stick to your Yes and No, you can’t serve 2 masters.
3. Give Him all Totally: Remember, you were called to follow? So the car is His, He is the one at the steering, and He has the authority & direction to where you are headed. Hence, if you’re to follow Him, Let Him lead, all you’re required to do is to commit your ways unto Him, ask questions and know how He speaks with you, so you do not make mistakes. The offer out there might look good, but it might not be right for you. Thus, by giving Him your all, He will be free to guide you on what you ought to do and ought not to do.
4. Follow not because He has given you something or because you have given Him something: Remember, when you want a little child to follow you, you give him/her something and they get excited to follow you. This makes them enthusiastic to follow you. However, the day you cease to give is the day they stop following you. In the same vein, Some believers are users. You only follow God because He has something to offer them. When the ups are up & the downs are down, we are expected to follow. Our followership shouldn’t be based on His provision, security, etc. Beyond that, your gaze should be on the fellowship and relationship that comes with followership. Amen

CONCLUSION

Jesus is our Celebrity and we are His Followers. As believers, we are expected to follow him on all social media(Secret place and gathering of brethren) for prayers, Word, evangelism, worship, righteous living, etc The way you constantly check to see if your favourite celebrity has posted a new thing is the same way you should be committed to Jesus.

You do all in your capacity to get noticed, Do the same way with Him.
Do you know that Follow Me means?

Forget every
Other
Life
Labour and
Openly
Walk with God to

Make
Eternal Life

How often do you obey the command of Following Jesus? How have you been following Him in times past? Question your followership and make amendments where necessary.