" Jesus said that if anyone wishes to follow him, he must deny himself and take up his cross (Luke 9:23). When we leap to application first, we immediately diminish the powerful relevance of this teaching. When we apply first, we end up seeing taking up crosses as being about dealing with annoying coworkers or enduring a nagging spouse. But these applications skip the primary meaning: taking up one’s cross is about death. This doesn’t mean the passage can’t apply to annoying coworkers or nagging spouses, but interpreting Luke 9:23 as dying to our own desires helps us apply it to situations "

― Jared C. Wilson , Supernatural Power for Everyday People: Experiencing God’s Extraordinary Spirit in Your Ordinary Life