What Might I Need to Leave Behind to Follow Jesus?

Following Jesus may mean leaving behind whatever keeps you from trusting and obeying him freely.

What the fishermen left

Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James, and John while they were working by the Sea of Galilee. They left their nets; James and John also left their father and the family business (Mark 1:16–20).

Their “nets” were not evil. They were their livelihood, security, identity, and plans.

So the question is not only, “What bad thing must I stop doing?”

It is also:

“What good thing have I made too necessary to surrender to Jesus?”

What that can look like

It may mean leaving behind:

• Known sin you have been excusing or hiding.
• Control—insisting that your future must unfold on your terms.
• Approval—needing others to validate you more than you need to please Christ.
• Comfort and security when they keep you from obedience.
• An old identity built on success, failure, wounds, status, or self-reliance.
• Relationships or patterns that draw you away from faithfulness to Christ.

Jesus does not call every Christian to abandon a job or family responsibilities. In fact, believers are commanded to love and provide for their households. But he does call every disciple to place him above every competing loyalty: “Whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27).

The deeper surrender

Ask the Lord plainly:

• What do I fear losing if I obey you?
• Where am I delaying a clear step of obedience?
• What am I gripping as if I cannot live without it?
• What would trusting you look like this week?

Christ never calls you to leave something behind merely to make you empty. He calls you from lesser masters into life with himself.