Photo by Jackson Summer on Unsplash
The journey began the first week of January 2025. It is to surrender ALL to the Lord.
It goes deeper than the religious expression of saying, I surrender my life to you, Lord (and I am not talking about a salvation experience).
I surrender I am speaking about goes deep into my heart and life. It is surrendering what my eyes see, my ears, heart, and mouth speak.
It was not my intention to write about it, but I have a strong prompt from the Lord (God the Holy Spirit).
I have been pondering something I recently read because it makes a lot of sense in light of surrendering.
It involved spiritual warfare, battling the adversary, the devil, and my obedience to the Lord’s plan.
If I only partially submit to God’s plan, I am particularly vulnerable to adversarial attacks.
A proverb of Solomon puts it this way.
God’s name is a place of protection – good people can run there and be safe
Proverbs 18:10 The Message
However, I prefer this translation for this instance.
The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10 The New King James Version
I like the picture it paints of someone running into a tower and closing the door behind them.
However, if I am only partially submitted to God’s plan, my coat will get stuck in the door, preventing it from shutting properly.
In this case, I have left an opening for the adversary to attack me.
To be sure, I am safe in the Lord, but willingness to surrender to his will, plan, and purpose for my life determines how safe I will be.
This is such a revelation because I am in the tower of the Lord. Why are the attacks still coming?
They continued because I left open the door.
This is the picture painted in my mind, and it explains why I continue to fill the attacks.
There are so many things to consider with this, like God’s grace, mercy, and protection, and this isn’t the place to discuss them in depth.
For me, it is a place of deeper surrender of my life that allows me to experience a more profound presence of God.
As I have said, it is my journey.
In the garden encounter of Matthew 26, Jesus cried out to God for the cup of sorrow he was about to drink to be removed. However, his relationship with the Father and the plan to be accomplished prompted Jesus to say, “But your will be done.”
A brief rabbit trail
Do you remember how big a deal it was when you drove into the mall parking lot and asked the Lord for a parking space close to the entrance? (I do.)
I remember how excited I was when I found it!
However, my walk and relationship with God have matured, and weightier matters are now my prayers.
The point is that the Lord meets us where we are.
Perhaps my journey does not resonate with you; that’s okay because you can still glean insight into a close personal relationship with the Lord by following along.
On the other hand, if my journey strikes a chord, you can be encouraged that you are on the right track and are not going through it alone.
My mother dedicated me to the Lord before I was born and raised me in a church setting. I have walked with God my entire life (sometimes closer than others).
I mentioned Reese Howells, the revivalist of the mid-20th century, and his “willing to be made willing” statement to the Lord.
It is vital to realize the intent of your heart in your walk with God and your close personal relationship with him as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It is also helpful to remember that an eternal God with an eternal plan for his creation (humanity) is patiently working (in the human realm) to fulfill that plan in every life.
The beauty of being a Christ-follower is how uniquely different you are, and God is purposefully positioning you to walk in, live in, and accomplish his plan for your life.
The surrender challenge
The surrender challenge is allowing God to be in charge. This year, I am deeper in surrendering my will, plans, and purposes.
It becomes a question of how much I trust him to want what is best for me, even (or maybe especially) when I have a great idea of what it should be.
The lesson is, whatever your challenge is (or challenges are), the Lord will meet you right where you are.
Maybe it is finding a parking space close to the Mall entrance or surrendering what you allow your eyes to see.
Whatever it is, you are positioned to succeed.
Stay tuned and find out where next week’s journey takes me.
In this journey of surrendering ALL, I have tagged the line; I surrender, followed by the expression of uplifted hands (in a surrendering position). It is becoming my mantra for 2025.
Next time, I will pick up the journey because it is interesting.
The journey has begun with some fear and trepidation (which is silly because he is the Creator God who made humanity and has a divine plan for them).
I invite you to follow along because it promises to be an exciting year.
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