54 Bible Verses about Self Denial

Then Jesus said to his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him give up all, and take up his cross, and come after me.

My loved ones, I make this request with all my heart, that, as those for whom this world is a strange country, you will keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh which make war against the soul;

If you have honey, take only as much as is enough for you; for fear that, being full of it, you may not be able to keep it down.

And Daniel had come to the decision that he would not make himself unclean with the king's food or wine; so he made a request to the captain of the unsexed servants that he might not make himself unclean.

Feeling that it was better to undergo pain with the people of God, than for a short time to have a taste of the pleasures of sin;

But they said, We will take no wine: for Jonadab, the son of Rechab our father, gave us orders, saying, You are to take no wine, you or your sons, for ever:

I had no pleasing food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, and I put no oil on my body till three full weeks were ended.

For he will be great in the eyes of the Lord; he will not take wine or strong drink; and he will be full of the Spirit of God from his birth.

For John the Baptist came, taking no food or drink, and you say, He has an evil spirit.

And turning to the mass of people with his disciples, he said to them, If any man has the desire to come after me, let him give up all other desires, and take up his cross and come after me.

And he said to them all, If any man has a desire to come after me, let him give up all, and take up his cross every day, and come after me.

Then Paul said, What are you doing, weeping and wounding my heart? for I am ready, not only to be a prisoner, but to be put to death at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

But those things which were profit to me, I gave up for Christ.

And if your right eye is a cause of trouble to you, take it out and put it away from you; because it is better to undergo the loss of one part, than for all your body to go into hell.

Let your kingdom come. Let your pleasure be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

And when Jesus was going from there, he saw a man whose name was Matthew, seated at the place where taxes were taken; and he said to him, Come after me. And he got up and went after him.

And he went out again by the seaside; and all the people came to him, and he gave them teaching. And when he went by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, seated at the place where taxes were taken, and he said to him, Come with me. And he got up, and went with him.

And after these things he went out, and saw Levi, a tax-farmer, seated at the place where taxes were taken, and said to him, Come after me. And giving up his business, he got up and went after him.

And if your hand is a cause of trouble to you, let it be cut off; it is better for you to go into life with one hand than to have two hands and go into hell, into the eternal fire.

Jesus said to him, If you have a desire to be complete, go, get money for your property, and give it to the poor, and you will have wealth in heaven: and come after me.

Then Peter said to him, See, we have given up everything and have come after you; what then will we have?

Peter said to him, See, we have given up everything, and come after you.

And Peter said, See, we have given up what is ours to come after you.

And everyone who has given up houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or child, or land, for my name, will be given a hundred times as much, and have eternal life.

Jesus said, Truly I say to you, There is no man who has given up house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or land, because of me and the good news, Who will not get a hundred times as much now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and land--though with great troubles; and, in the world to come, eternal life.

And when they had got their boats to the land, they gave up everything and went after him.

And so whoever is not ready to give up all he has may not be my disciple.

But give attention to yourselves, for fear that your hearts become over-full of the pleasures of food and wine, and the cares of this life, and that day may come on you suddenly, and take you as in a net:

But I put no value on my life, if only at the end of it I may see the work complete which was given to me by the Lord Jesus, to be a witness of the good news of the grace of God.

In no way. How may we, who are dead to sin, be living in it any longer?

For if you go in the way of the flesh, death will come on you; but if by the Spirit you put to death the works of the body, you will have life.

For this reason I make request to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you will give your bodies as a living offering, holy, pleasing to God, which is the worship it is right for you to give him.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not give thought to the flesh to do its desires.

I am free to do all things; but not all things are wise. I am free to do all things; but I will not let myself come under the power of any.

And every man who takes part in the sports has self-control in all things. Now they do it to get a crown which is of this world, but we for an eternal crown. So then I am running, not uncertainly; so I am fighting, not as one who gives blows in the air: But I give blows to my body, and keep it under control, for fear that, after having given the good news to others, I myself might not have God's approval.

And going even farther than our hope, they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us after the purpose of God.

I have been put to death on the cross with Christ; still I am living; no longer I, but Christ is living in me; and that life which I now am living in the flesh I am living by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who in love for me, gave himself up for me.

But I say, Go on in the Spirit, and you will not come under the rule of the evil desires of the flesh.

For your life on earth is done, and you have a secret life with Christ in God.

If a man makes himself clean from these, he will be a vessel for honour, made holy, ready for the master's use, ready for every good work.

Training us so that, turning away from evil and the desires of this world, we may be living wisely and uprightly in the knowledge of God in this present life; Looking for the glad hope, the revelation of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ;

For this cause be ruled by God; but make war on the Evil One and he will be put to flight before you.

So that you may give the rest of your lives in the flesh, not to the desires of men, but to the purpose of God.

And Boaz answering said to her, I have had news of everything you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband; how you went away from your father and mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people who are strange to you.

Not looking everyone to his private good, but keeping in mind the things of others.

But now, if you will give them forgiveness--but if not, let my name be taken out of your book.

It is better not to take meat or wine or to do anything which might be a cause of trouble to your brother.

We who are strong have to be a support to the feeble, and not give pleasure to ourselves.

For this reason, if food is a cause of trouble to my brother, I will give up taking meat for ever, so that I may not be a cause of trouble to my brother.

Then put to death your bodies which are of the earth; wrong use of the flesh, unclean things, passion, evil desires and envy, which is the worship of strange gods;

A fighting man, when he is with the army, keeps himself free from the business of this life so that he may be pleasing to him who has taken him into his army.

Let a man give attention not only to what is good for himself, but equally to his neighbour's good.

He has to become greater while I become less.