Surrendered? In What Areas???
Lately, I am desiring to know God more. In pursuing this desire with the Lord, I am aware that it will come in my time with Him first, not in the works I do with and for Him. Yes, the works will come because faith without works is dead but I want what I do for Him to be born out of my time with Him.
But, in the alone time the question swirls in my heart “Am I surrendered, and if not, in what areas? So, my mind starts taking inventory, not realizing that the question has already been answered.
My inventory goes something like this;
~ am I fully surrendered from my fleshly desires? These desires I learned as I grew up, with the family I grew up with, in the community I grew up around.
~ am I fully surrendered in doing things my way. This is a big one for me. My company’s name is God’s Way Enterprises, Inc. for this very reason. It is a constant reminder to me that His way is the best way.
~ am I fully surrendered from habits that are meaningless or harmful? It is a good idea to daily take a look back at things we do a lot. Established patterns become habits that take us away from God.
~ am I fully surrendered from releasing words from my mouth? It is often not what I say, but how I say it that errs from the ways of God.
~ am I fully surrendered from thinking what I want to think about others? Am I judgemental, critical or loving and kind in my thoughts as I walk away?
~ am I fully surrendered from giving up the outcome of events in my life? Not just giving up the outcome of how events turn out but relationships in my life.
For example, do I try to control how I dress, what I eat, where I go, who I go with, what I read, what I watch, what I study, where I work? Control plays a big part in the release to get to surrender. These are areas the Lord helped me surrender in a long time ago.
This may seem so basic to you or it may seem far-fetched. In essence, it is God proving us faithful in the little things, like how we live our lives – surrendered to Him. As we surrender one area, it becomes easier to recognize other areas we are holding on to.
How can I be full of God if I am full of myself? If I empty myself and position myself in Him, He will fill me with Himself.
Salvation is for you and me individually, but the anointing, the fullness of God in you and me, is for others. The degree to which we are surrendered in an area is the degree to which God can use us.
Why do I hold on to areas of my life thinking I can still find life in them when I know there is no life outside of Jesus? He tells us, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I sometimes wonder if I believe Him if I am still holding on to something or someone in my life who is keeping me from being surrendered.
In Matthew 6:19 Jesus instructs us to not gather and heap up or store up treasures on earth, where moth and rust and worm consume, and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal… but gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven. In v.21, He continues, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Years ago, I was addicted to things. I constantly ordered from catalogs. Don’t laugh, because today people do the same thing from an online catalog. If I was not ordering I was shopping at my favorite stores. I worked hard and thought I deserved it. One day while in a furniture store, a particular piece of furniture had my name on it, and the next thing I knew it was in my kitchen full of beautiful trinkets. Every time I walked by it, I admired this lovely piece until one day I discovered rust on it. In an instant, God made the lesson clear. I learned a valuable lesson listening to the Lord about what holds importance in my life. God humbled me, I returned the furniture, and I have never forgotten that lesson.
In Matthew 6:24-32 Jesus presents a test. Why are we worrying about things that the Lord knows we need? If we seek Him first, well verse 33 gives us the answer. But seek, aim at, strive after, first of all, His kingdom and His righteousness, His way of doing and being right, and then all these things taken together will be given to you besides.
To wrap up, if we pray and ask God to help us seek Him first and do the things that activate our faith in that prayer, we will find ourselves surrendered in every area of our lives, because we desire Jesus more than anything in this world.
We realize earthly things disappear. Get God involved in your daily surrender. Start in Matthew 6 and watch the Holy Spirit do a work in your heart, switching your desires from what fades away to what stays forever.
Until next time, remember that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.
Dr. Michele
September 21, 2024
