surrendering to faith.

Real talk, friends.

I’ve been wrestling the past couple of weeks with faith. Not faith in God, but true surrender to His plan (and not my own). We are in a daily battle, whether we face it or not. I often struggle with what faith looks like and what it does not. I struggle to lay down my expectations and insecurities and trust in where I’m at. Basically, to give up control. I say I trust, but do my actions and thoughts reflect that? 

I read the following this morning:

“There is a life available to us that few find - a life free from burden, fear, boredom, and emptiness. The problem is that the road to life requires a complete sacrifice of ourselves. The road to purpose, passion, joy, and freedom requires that we die to ourselves every hour of every day. Jesus charges us to lose our lives in order to gain life with God.” 

See Matthew 10:39 

“The only way for you to find abundant life in God is to surrender your life for His sake.”

This doesn’t mean surrendering some things. It means all. That includes my desire for love, for purpose, for security, for meaning. We can search the world over only to come up empty. Nothing will ever truly satisfy except for God. He is the only One who was ever meant to fill us. No one person, no thing, no job, no desire, no amount of money, can hold God’s rightful place.

Are you feeling restless in any area? Unsatisfied? Doubtful? Hopeless? If so, ask yourself - are these feelings FROM God? Have I surrendered it TO God? Because friends, He will meet you in it. I promise. Here’s the problem. We don’t like to give up control. We want a quick fix or a solution right now. We want it better. We don’t want to put in the work. I caught myself this week in a struggle. I was angry, and I knew it. My attitude was not right, and I knew it. I actively chose to sit in it, knowing it was wrong. Do you see how deliberate that is? Well, to put it simply - that’s sin. I wasn’t giving it to God or trusting Him with it but justifying my anger because it felt good. But you know what would have felt even better? Laying it down. That required sacrifice and faith. 

You see, faith is sacrifice. It’s sacrificing my plans, my ideas, my desires, and trusting that God’s got a better plan. It’s not seeing in full but seeing in part and believing anyway. If God told me upfront how everything would work out, that wouldn’t be faith. We have to get to the place of saying, “I don’t have to know because God knows and I am in His hands.” The end. We make it so much more complicated than it is. 

“I experience satisfaction only inasmuch as I have surrendered my life to God. God will not fill what is closed off to Him. He does not force His will upon us. Rather, He waits patiently, quietly beckoning us to lose our lives so that He can lavish on us a life greater and more filled with His goodness than we could have ever imagined.”

We have a choice to make, friends. I read a post today that essentially said we don’t have to be perfect, and we get to be human sometimes. I sat on that a minute and thought - no, that isn’t true. We can tell ourselves that to feel better, but the Word is very clear. “Pray in the Spirit at all times,” “Give thanks in all circumstances,” “Bless the Lord at all times,” “A friend loves at all times,” “Pray at all times,” “Be ready at all times,” “Stay alert,” “Put on the full armor of God,” “Be ready in season and out of season.” - the list goes on. All means all. We can’t have both. We can’t pick and choose what we want to follow and believe or toe the line. It’s all or nothing. Believing anything other than that is a lie. I don’t get to decide that I want to be angry, so it’s okay. I must recognize in that moment that it’s a sin and then repent. 

Truth is truth at all times. It is not contingent upon my circumstances. Or feelings. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” 

I sure want to follow Him and not my way. Lord, guide our each and every step. Show us the parts of us that we have not surrendered and give us bold, courageous faith to follow you.

“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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 12:1-2

“Let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1