Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7 (GWT)
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Surrendering your life means:
· Following God’s lead without knowing where he’s sending you;
· Waiting for God’s timing without knowing when it will come;
· Expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide;
· Trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances.
You know you’re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work
things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda,
and control the situation. You let go and let God work.You don’t have
to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more.
You also know you’re surrendered when you don’t react to criticism and rush to defend yourself.
Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You are not self-serving, you don’t edge others out, and you don’t demand your rights.
The most difficultthing for many people to surrender is their money.
Many have thought, “I want to live for God but I also want to earn
enough money to live comfortably and retire someday.”
Retirement is not the goal of a surrender life, because it competes
with God for the primary attention of our lives. Jesus said, “You
cannot serve both God and money,” (Matthew 6:24 NIV)and “Wherever your
treasure is, your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 NIV).
The
supreme example of self-surrender is Jesus. The night before his
crucifixion Jesus surrendered himself to God’s plan. He prayed,
“Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of
suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine” (Mark 14:36
NLT).
Jesus didn’t pray, “God, if you’re able to take away
this pain, please do so.” He began by affirming that God can do
anything! He prayed, “God, if it is in your best interest to remove
this suffering, please do so. But if it fulfills your purpose, that’s
what I want, too.”
Genuine surrender says, “Father, if this
problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your
purpose and glory in my life or in another’s life, please don’t take it
away!”
This level of maturity doesn’t come easy.In Jesus’ case, he agonized
so much over God’s plan that he sweat drops of blood. Surrender is hard
work. In our case, it requires intense warfare against our
self-centered nature.
I love this. There are so many days that I need to hear this. Total surrender is the final goal - but I have such a hard time with the finances. Thank you!
- Haileesmom9
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