Total Surrender

A thought for today: "Total Surrender"

This is instant and yet progressive. One must purpose within their heart that they will be totally committed and yet one must also be tried and found true to that commitment they made. There are struggles and trials and we will stumble and fall at times, however, it is the after response that is vital. We must get back up and realize that we just stumbled upon a vision of reality of our self. Our Heavenly Father sees our faults and sins that we struggle and battle through, but He also has the solution. When it is time to have a "total surrender" moment He will bring the area to the surface and when it comes to the top we must let it go and not push it back down to the bottom.

We can be on fire and have a passion that releases words of commitment and statements of "I SURRENDER ALL!", but then when a trial comes along and we mess up, one tends to germinate thoughts that bring confusion within our hearts. I know that I am guilty of this! Those moments are not for us to feel like we are the worse person on the earth and that we have messed up and the Lord will not forgive us. Those moments are the Lord quietly speaking to us that it is time to surrender this area.

I have been studying Jonah and also the Kings (in the book of Chronicles). One thing that has been drawn to my attention is all of their desires. That is what the decision of surrendering boils down to, desires! Jonah did not desire to see his enemies come to repentance and experience the mercy of God. He wanted to see them experience the wrath and anger of God. There were some kings who were righteous and there were some kings who began doing the things that pleased the Lord, but eventually forsook God and did not uphold His laws and were destroyed (killed). One king in particular, Joash (also known as Jehoash; 2 Chr. 24). He was taught and counselled by his uncle, a priest, but once his uncle died, he forsook the law of the Lord and his end was not good.

At the end of the day, we will find it easier to surrender if we allow our Heavenly Father to kill the desire to do those things which are wrong. I believe God part of the reason God chose Jonah to go to Nineveh was because He wanted to deal with an area in Jonahs life that was not surrendered to God. At times we will face difficulty because the Lord wants to bring bitterness, resentment, anger, etc... to the surface and have it removed so that when we act we do not act in our own emotions.

Paul better puts it, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." (Rom. 7:19). Do not be discouraged, but when you find yourself doing what you should not do (criticizing others, speaking harshly to others, etc...) cry out to God in that moment and ask Him to lay the ax to that root and kill that desire to do it. Understand too that IT DOES TAKE TIME! The Lord has a different watch then us. Change does not happen overnight, although we do wish it to be true, it does not happen that fast. Do not be discouraged or condemn yourself when you fall or stumble in your walk. The enemy wants us to stumble, fall, and stay down in that pit of discouragement and confusion. Our response after the revelation is vital and may we remind ourselves daily that it takes practice for something to become a habit and a part of us. Practice what the Lord teaches you and you will find one day yourself doing it and wonder, "When did this happen? It is now a part of my life. Praise the Lord!" I know that I have had those moments and so I can tell you that if you have not had that experience, it will come. Just keep doing what the Lord tells you to do and you will make it!

Be encouraged Readers!