Surrender

Surrender: Let Go and Let God Work by Rick Warren
Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7 (GWT)

Surrendering your life means:
· Following God’s lead without knowing where he’s sending you;
· Waiting for God’s timing without knowing when it will come;
· Expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide;
· Trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances.
You know you’re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation. You let go and let God work.You don’t have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more.
You also know you’re surrendered when you don’t react to criticism and rush to defend yourself.
Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You are not self-serving, you don’t edge others out, and you don’t demand your rights.
The most difficultthing for many people to surrender is their money. Many have thought, “I want to live for God but I also want to earn enough money to live comfortably and retire someday.”
Retirement is not the goal of a surrender life, because it competes with God for the primary attention of our lives. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money,” (Matthew 6:24 NIV)and “Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 NIV). The supreme example of self-surrender is Jesus. The night before his crucifixion Jesus surrendered himself to God’s plan. He prayed, “Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine” (Mark 14:36 NLT). Jesus didn’t pray, “God, if you’re able to take away this pain, please do so.” He began by affirming that God can do anything! He prayed, “God, if it is in your best interest to remove this suffering, please do so. But if it fulfills your purpose, that’s what I want, too.” Genuine surrender says, “Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or in another’s life, please don’t take it away!”
This level of maturity doesn’t come easy.In Jesus’ case, he agonized so much over God’s plan that he sweat drops of blood. Surrender is hard work. In our case, it requires intense warfare against our self-centered nature.

Reflexion

Warning – These are random thoughts prone to improper grammar, spelling, etc., but they are straight from the heart……..

• You folks are incredible. I have challenged you over the last few weeks to bring your friends to the Fireproof Event and you have flat come through. I am grateful to God to say that as of today we have over 100 people signed up for this incredible night. You folk have invited friends, family, co-workers, etc. to this outreach and they will experience a night that could change their lives and their marriages. Go God!!! Now that we have invited, influenced, and encouraged it is time to saturate this time in prayer. We need to pray that hearts would be open to the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. God is good.
• It is always awesome to watch God move. In the last two weeks, it is easy to see God is filling in the gaps. The Lord is sending people to worship and soak up the Word and find hope. People are hungry for relationships and a place to belong. We have had so many guests and I pray that you and I will take every opportunity to make an impact on a life. We never know when someone walks through the doors of our church what they may be searching for in their lives; extend a hand, touch a heart, and show we care.
• Please pray for our staff as we seek the Lord’s wisdom in when and how we are to transition to two services. I believe if we are to have a “whatever it takes” attitude about reaching people this will prove itself to be a centerpiece to the puzzle. As you know, we are not striving to grow for the sake of growing, but we must constantly be reminded that Jesus died for people and He has given us the commission to reach them and invite them to come and hear the Good News. I praise God for so many people in our church family who make prayer such a major priority in their lives. Keep it up.
• FBCHS, thank you for allowing me to live out my dreams through pastoring this church. There is absolutely nowhere I’d rather be than right here serving alongside such an incredible group of people.
• A Note from Kevin - Worship Choir will kick-off this coming Saturday, February 7 from 9:00 a.m. to Noon. We will be previewing music for Easter and a special night of worship from the collection "Lion of Judah, Calvary's Lamb". This collection was put together by Travis Cottrell, who we heard at FBCW a couple of weeks ago. We will meet in the Fellowship Hall - bring a breakfast goody to share - we will have coffee and juice. Childcare will be provided. For more information, write to Kevin at hollyspringsworship@gmail.com
  
  What a journey!