God’s Plan

SURRENDER

Jeremiah 29:11-12 – “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.’”

This scripture is a great companion to the one that I noted in my previous post (This Little Light of Mine):

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

My husband and I recently celebrated our one year anniversary (we’re marriage veterans now! 🙂 ). I know I’m still technically in the newlywed/honeymoon phase, but I have to say that I really do love being married. I highly recommend it (with the right person 😉 )! Despite the joy that my husband brings to my life, our journey this past 1.25 years has had its challenges, and life has definitely thrown us a few curve balls; but with God’s strength, we have made it through each and every trial.

Since we first married, my husband and I have been praying and hoping for a specific move of God; and as yet, the move we seek has not manifested. We have experienced disappointment and frustration because of this delay, but we remain steadfast in our hope, because we know that God’s plan is to prosper us and give us hope and a future. This faith has given us certainty that, at the right time, God will move in a miraculous, undeniable way!

Now, while we would prefer that this move happen sooner than later, we have to remind ourselves (often) that God’s perfect timing, His perfect plan, is always better than anything that we could imagine. Ultimately, we have to trust Him, leaning not on our own understanding, or on our own vision of how and when things should be. We have to maintain that trust…that faith…when (even in the temporary) the miracle doesn’t manifest.

God is sovereign. He is in control. And if we say that we surrender our lives to Him, we must do it completely, even if it means a delay, or even an outright denial, of our most ardent prayers. God knows best, and as always, we must remember that ultimately, everything will work for our good and His glory.

Shine Your Light!

SONGS

I Surrender – Hillsong United

I Surrender All – Israel Houghton

It May Not Seem Like Much, But It’s All He Ever Wanted

Tied up in Knots

SURRENDER (Part 3)

I just read a devotional from Joyce Meyer in “Promises for Your Everyday Life” that equated the problems in our lives to a series of knots in numerous shoestrings. She pointed out that just as it took a length of time for us to get all tangled up in our knotted mess, it will take time to get to a place where we unravel those knots and are free from the tangle. Thankfully, God is hard at work helping us to break free, and he unravels each knot with his infinite patience…never giving up, never making the situation worse…in His perfect timing, He slowly works to make us whole again.

I thought of a similar analogy involving my bi-weekly massages and these incessant knots that my therapist always finds in my shoulders (that’s where I hold my stress). They’ve been there for years, and many a therapist have gone about trying to break them up and relieve my pain…but I always refuse to let them! Why? Because it HURTS! I have spent YEARS growing those knots through my stress and worry and poor self-care, and they do NOT want to go away easily. They’ve become a part of me, and I’ve grown accustomed to them. Besides, it’s easier to deal with the occasional discomfort and limitations of the knots than the painful process of working them out.

It’s the same way with God, when he tries to relieve us of our “knots.” The process can sometimes be long and painful…and those knots might even feel like a part of us now, because we’re so used to them. But if we can endure the painful process and get to the other side…allowing God to do His work in us, then we are so much better off for it! In the end, we are freer, able to bend and stretch and grow in so many more directions…stronger because now our (spiritual) muscles can bear more, and we are better prepared (without those incessant knots restricting us) to go about the business of fulfilling the calling that God has placed upon our lives.

Is God trying to loose a few knots in your life? Are you resisting the process or opening yourself up to endure the discomfort so that God can take you to a better place in Him? Don’t stay tied up in knots! Surrender to the process, and let God do the work in you to set you free from the tangled mess!

Philippians 1:6 – “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians 2:8 – “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Jeremiah 18:3-4 – “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.”

Psalm 66:10 – “For You, O God, have proved us; You have tried us as silver is tried, refined, and purified.”

Song: Potter’s House by Vashawn Mitchell

Song: Refine Me by Ayiesha Woods

Thoughts, reactions, or testimonies? Leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Shine Your Light!

Wonderful images taken from

1. http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=48861
2. http://www.robertcorneliusphotography.com/blog/but-i-didnt-push-the-button

The Everyman

SURRENDER

The other morning, I was thinking about how much Jesus was like the “everyman.” He wrestled with anger and fear; He felt disappointment when His friends let Him down; He experienced loss, rejection, false love, and betrayal…trying situations and emotions that most of us have experienced at one point or another in our lives. But the difference between Jesus and so many of us (outside of His being the Son of God and all 🙂 ) is that He knew exactly where to turn when He endured these earthly trials. He turned to His Heavenly Father and gave himself over, fully, to God’s will and His way. He surrendered Himself completely to God’s plan for His life; and in return, God gifted Him with abundant wisdom, unshakable peace, boundless courage, unfailing love, and a power beyond anything the Earth had ever seen!

What wonders could we accomplish, what mountains could we move, what strongholds could we demolish if we were only willing to give God our whole selves…holding NOTHING back? We would be earth shakers, mighty warriors of God, bringing His light and His love to a desperate and dying world and demonstrating with clarity to all around us the power and freedom that lies in complete and total surrender to God.

Luke 22:43 – “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Thoughts, reactions, or testimonies? Leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Song: He Wants It All by Forever Jones

Shine Your Light!

Not As I Will…

Surrender

Matthew 26:39 – “Not as I will, but as You will.”

Early this morning, I found myself praying for clarity about the relationship between faith, authority, and power and submission to God’s will. This is an area I’ve talked about before, but I continue to have conversations with people who tell me that if I petition God for something that I desire and fail to believe with certainty that request will come to pass, I am demonstrating a lack of faith. But here’s the thing…I know…with complete and total certainty…that God can do any and every single solitary thing that He sets His will to do. I have no doubt about that whatsoever. What I question, though, is whether my request ALIGNS with His will; because if it doesn’t, I know there is a very real possibility that the answer to my petition will be a firm “No” or “Not yet…” And I’m okay with that.

In these moments, I always think about Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, when He prayed, “Not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39) before He was handed over to the chief priests by Judas. He could have called down “12 legions of angels” (Matthew 26:53) to save himself if He so willed it, but He knew that it was more important for His Father’s will to be fulfilled. He desired God’s will above His own, and I believe that is also what is required of us.

I think it’s safe to say that when we’ve received a specific promise, vision, or Word from God, we can be confident that in time, it will come to pass; but when a request comes solely from our flesh, we must be willing to give it to God and accept His decision about whether it aligns with His will. Of course, there are times when we fail to surrender in this way, and God fulfills our requests anyway. We’ve all been there, and it rarely turns out well for us in the long run. In the end, we’re better off if we first seek His will and are willing to hear a “Yes,” a “No,” or a “Not yet.” The answer may not be one that we want to hear, but we can take comfort in knowing that if God closes a door, He does it out of His divine wisdom and His unending love for us.

Thoughts, reactions, or testimonies? Leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Give It to God…

SURRENDER 

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Matthew 11:28-30 –  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Reflections: The other day, after averting crisis number 1,892 :), I realized that I tend to follow a pattern, of sorts, when unexpected challenges pop up in my life. First, I may experience a brief moment of panic as I realize what’s happening, and then I get this laser focus as I set about trying to find a solution to the problem at hand…in my own power. Oh, yes, I may mumble an offhand, “Please, God!” as I go about this process; but oftentimes, it’s not until I hit a wall in my own efforts that I stop, find my center, and turn my focus and attention to the one who promises to take all my burdens, handle all of my cares, and assuage all of my fears.

In that moment, any remaining panic or frustration is replaced with a sweet peace, as I FINALLY seek God in the midst of my storm. As I begin to surrender my problems to Him, it becomes so much easier to accept my limitations and trust God to work it out and see me through. And you know what? He ALWAYS DOES! EVERY time! WITHOUT fail! Sometimes He is subtle with His solutions, and other times, He works in ways that are nothing short of amazing! It makes me wonder why I insist on going through this habitual process instead of just seeking God in the first place. 🙂

If you, like me, tend to try to solve your problems in your own power before tapping into the Power of God, maybe it’s time to adopt a new approach (I know I’m giving it a go!). 🙂 We’d save so much time, energy, and STRESS if we would lean on God instead of relying on our own strength, if we would focus on Him instead of our circumstances, and if we would trust Him to guide, direct, and see us through whatever problems we may face instead of thinking that we can do it all on our own. Who really wants to do that anyway? 🙂 He’s our Way Maker, and He promises that if we surrender our cares to Him, He will give us peace, clarity, and rest for our souls.

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Shine Your Light!

Thoughts, reactions, or testimonies? Leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!