If you are reading this and have read part 1 of “The Surrender” thanks so much for coming back to my blog!!! If you are reading this and have not read part 1, go back and read it right now. After that, come back over here as we close out “The Surrender”.
Ok, so in picking up where we left off last time, I will quickly update you as to where I am with “my surrender”. About 2 and half years ago I decided to give guilt, excuses, and that ole defeated devil a kick in the face and head back to school to pursue my masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. I will most certainly say that it has not been easy but the satisfaction that I get from following the instruction of God alone has been so worth it! Throughout the past few years I’ve struggled with the voices of others who argue that I’ve chosen the wrong degree and even with the voice of my own that I’ve chosen the wrong school. I keep those voices quiet by reminding myself of my clear instruction from God and through the use of his word. The bible says to yell a loud no to satan and a quiet yes to God, it also says that that if we resist the enemy he will flee (James 4:7). I figure aint no point in asking God over and over again to help me remain positive when he has already equipped me with weapons I need to attack back. So the next time the enemy tries to get in your head go ahead and try the above, it’s not a one shot deal so the more he comes the more you rebuke and you just watch that down casted, rejected angel flee! Anyhow I am just a few short months away from starting my internship and have a little less than a year left to complete my degree altogether. While I wish I would have listened to God right away, I’m just grateful for grace and for another opportunity that I had to get it right.
So I shared a little about one of my big surrender moments, but I’m curious as to what your surrender looks like. Have you surrendered yet? Do you even know what you are supposed to be surrendering to? You can’t answer those questions for me since we aren’t having a live conversation, but can you at the least answer them for yourself? Let’s start with question one….have you surrendered yet? If not, why not? Is it fear, laziness, lack, does it oppose your own desires? If so I hope you at least realize that there is no valid excuse…that regardless of your reasoning, you not doing what God has told you to do falls in line with disobedience to God. Stop siking yourself out, saying that you are lazy, that you don’t have the resources… truth is you are being disobedient. I know that stings, it hurts a little, but it is the truth. I need you to know that delayed obedience is still disobedience.
Do you know the importance of timing and listening to our father not just in regards to what he tells us to do, but also as to when he tells us to do it? Do you know that your life could be in danger, that the eternity of someone could be dependent on your obedience; that if Joshua would have crossed the Jordan when he wanted to, he would have drowned; that if Moses would have decided I am going to turn around halfway through the red sea, that millions could have died; that if Abraham would have listened to God regarding tying his son up but stopped listening when he raised his dagger that he would have killed his only son he was promised? Child of God you better stop playing and with your full attention listen and surrender to the will of God!
Maybe you are the one who is confused as to what you should be surrendering to in the first place. Please take a note from my last blog regarding seeking (Matt. 7; 7-8). Also there is plenty that you, that I, have to constantly surrender to. We can surrender our time by praying, reading, and fasting more. We should all be surrendering our flesh to please God so that the things that break his heart will break ours as well. To the ladies we could surrender our attitudes, our need to seek attention. To the fellas you can surrender your pride or maybe an unwillingness to communicate your feelings and emotions to those in a rightful place in your life who are worth sharing with. We all have something that we need to surrender more of and so there are no excuses.
As I end this post I say that if you have surrendered keep on doing what you are doing and that if you have not surrendered, it’s time to change up the game. Stop allowing the devil to have rule and reign over your life. He will only stop you from being great if you allow him to. I am at such a great place in my life, I feel so accomplished and so successful. Not because I have acquired all that I desire, not because of the amount of money in my bank account, it is only because I am where God wants me to be, and there is nothing else that compares to that. Where HE is, that’s where your desires are, where your promises are, where your morning is. Surrendering to God will grant you access to the life he has always promised you, your land flowing with milk and honey, the place where he is restoring all the canker worm and caterpillar ate (Joel 2:25).
My surrender turned my dreams into my reality, never thinking that my disobedience to God was taking me in the complete opposite direction.
Where could your obedience to God lead you?
Where will your continued disobedience lead you?
Think about those questions and make the decision to Surrender!