Why is letting go of certain things so difficult?

Matthew 10:37-39“If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”

Following Jesus sometimes means breaking away from family members and friends who do not share our beliefs and values. This can be difficult because we love them. But Jesus must be Lord of every part of our lives; we must not “cling” to anything in this life.

Matthew 19:23-24Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

Jesus said that rich people find it difficult to become his followers because they often want to hold onto their money and possessions. In effect, money is their idol, their god, so giving up their riches and their determined pursuit of wealth requires that they turn their lives upside down. As a result, they miss the Kingdom of God and the eternal riches that come with it.

Philippians 3:19They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

Many people cannot give their lives to Christ because they are enslaved to their physical appetites and believe that life on earth is all there is.