In these past few months of preparation for the World Race, the Lord has really been working in my life. My willingness to say yes to God has been a huge factor in growing my relationship with him. Yes, I still make mistakes, but by giving every part of my life to God has allowed him to mold and transform me into who he has called me to be.
My willingness to say yes…
Has changed my heart and mindset.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Let’s read that first part again. Paul is telling Timothy that all scripture is breathed out by God. Not something we think about every time we read the Bible or listen to the Sunday sermon. When we read the Bible, we have the tangible word of God in our hands. The one who loved you before you were born and before you even took your first breath has given us a guide to living a life fully devoted to him. God never called us to walk alone, he promised to walk with us.
Making myself sit down and read has always been a struggle for me. I’m not what you would call a bookworm. Before I was in the Word and living it out, my heart was not where it was supposed to be. When we begin to fill our lives with the desires of the world instead of what God has promised us, our hearts and minds no longer align with Gods plan. It wasn’t until I was willing to say yes to reading the Word, that my heart and mind started to be transformed.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” What we fill our hearts and minds with, will eventually reflect who we are on the outside. What we listen to, what we watch, and who we hang around all affect our heart. Choosing to say no to the things of this world and yes to God may seem impossible to some. Maybe the fear of what others will think of us is hindering that “yes” to God. Deuteronomy 3:22 reminds us, “Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.” Nothing we can do could ever turn God away from us. Nothing we can do could ever ruin God’s plan for our lives. We can look everywhere, find love in everything else but God. Eventually we will realize the temporary happiness can’t compare to the joy of the Lord. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Because of my willingness to say yes…
I have completely surrendered.
The word surrender is always being used by Christians. From an outside perspective it might seem a little intense or scary to use this word. In society the word surrender means to give up or experiencing failure because we aren’t strong enough. The truth is we aren’t strong enough, but with God we can be. Failure isn’t God’s plan for us. Surrender to God does not come out of condemnation. By surrendering to God, he wants us to hand over everything in our lives to him. Not because he doesn’t want us to enjoy life, but he wants to be a part of our lives by molding us into the best we can be because he loves us.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
God has been patiently teaching me to live a life of surrender and continues to help me see things from his perspective. I don’t always understand the “why” of Gods actions, but again we aren’t supposed to. By surrendering my life to him I have chosen to humble myself and put all of my trust in the one who is the definition of perfect love. Life can be difficult. We will experience hurt, brokenness, and sometimes we stray away from God. Through every circumstance we can put our trust in God and hand every situation over to him. That’s the beauty of living a life of surrender.
Wherever you are at in life, God loves you. He is the only one who knows everything about you and still wants to show you his grace and love on you. God doesn’t make mistakes. Remember that. He wants to be with you every step of the way through all your struggles. All you have to do is say “yes.”
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
