A Willing Heart

Mother Nature gives us a perfect picture of what it means to be totally surrendered to God. The flowers bloom where they are planted. The animals interact in the area of the world where God placed them. Even the bugs dutifully fulfill their destiny. God’s Spirit and blessings are often blocked in our human life, however, because of our lack of surrender to Him. We miss out on all that God planned for us before we were even born (Ephesians 2:10).

Each of us is the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16), but we do not allow Him to feel at home in us. We are so caught up in our own agenda, that we spin our wheels and get nowhere fast. We ignore and neglect God most of time. Some of us remember to give Him a few moments of time before we fall asleep, and some even rise up to give Him an hour of time prior to starting our day. Yet, this is not even close to totally surrendering to Him.

We are too used to maintaining control of our life. We do not want someone else to tell us what to do or to dictate the circumstances in which we live. We fear that we will suffer too much pain and loss if we surrender completely to God. We live in anxiety, fearing that He may send us to darkest Africa or coldest Alaska! Thankfully, God facilitates our surrender by freeing us from sin, calling us to Himself, providing all of our needs and helping us to trust in His faithfulness (Mark 9:24).

God sanctifies us and He will also perfect us, but it takes complete surrender to His plans for our life. God requires a willing heart. Then He will do the rest (Philippians 2:12-13). If we live in the moment, without regretting the past or fearing the future, God will fill us with peace, which exceeds our human understanding. He proves to us how gracious He is and that He plans to give us a future full of hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus is our perfect example of a surrendered life.

Prayer:

Father God, even though You required that Jesus go through the cross, You shortened the time He normally would have hung there (Mark 15:44). You also shorten the time of our trials on earth, and You give us the grace to experience them with victory rather than defeat. You give us the faith and courage to face the future by granting that Your divine nature, which dwelled in Christ, dwells in us through Your Holy Spirit. We believe, and You help our unbelief (Mark 9:24). We completely yield our self to You to use for Your glory.

Thought for the Day:

When we totally surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our life, God uses us for His Glory.

The Present Moment

Read: Philippians 4:5-7

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.” - Psalm 55:22

Most of the time people function on automatic pilot! If we stop to analyze our thoughts, they are usually either on the past or on the future. Neither of those topics is very useful for the present moment.

Yes, we learn from the past and we plan for our future, but we do not obsess over them! We do not allow them to keep us from paying attention to the “here and now.” For the Born Again Christian, the past is over and forgiven and we are not promised a future, so dwelling on them is futile and only hinders our effectiveness in the present.

God only promised us this moment in which we draw our breath. We are not guaranteed the next breath! Therefore, give your prayerful attention to the moment as God gives it to you to enjoy. By doing this, we live in awareness of His presence in our lives and follow the leading of His Holy Spirit moment-by-moment throughout the day.

Fully living in the present moment is the ONLY way to stay in tune with the Spirit of God. The problem with dwelling in the moment is that we were hurt by the past, which makes us fearful of the future. God helps us to heal from the painful parts of our past and He also helps us to deal with our insecurities and fear of the future. 

Whenever your inner peace is distrubed by negative emotions, follow the advice of these verses and those already mentioned:

Proverbs 16:3… “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

Proverbs 3:5-6…”Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own

understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.”

Psalm 22:8… “He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let Him deliver him,
since he delights in Him."

In the present moment, we encounter God on a personal level. In this rendezvous, we start to realize the extent of God’s love for us as His unique child. The outcome of sitting quietly in His presence is that we begin to pay attention to what we feel, smell, taste, see and hear in this one moment of time. It is through this attentiveness to what is actually going on around you right now that you develop complete awareness and are fully alive.

This understanding allows us to minister more effectively, because we are in tune with God’s Spirit moment-by-moment. The trauma of the past and the fear of the future have no place in the present moment. Once He heals us, we no longer feel shame for the past and we entertain no worries about the future. We are safe and secure in the arms of God in this present moment, even if the circumstances around us are full of turmoil and conflict.

As we dwell in the moment, we become conscious of our union with God through Jesus Christ. His Holy Spirit inhabits our spirit and leads us moment by moment throughout our day. His perpetual presence permeates our being as we start to consciously live in the moment. Kenneth Grabner, CSC in his book Awake to Life, Aware of God makes a wonderful statement, “If we take no time to be with God in silence and in quiet, we will never be aware of God in the midst of noise and activity."

That is why a daily quiet time of praise, devotion, and meditation on God’s Word is so important. As we emerge from our quiet time in His presence, we radiate joy and walk in peaceful calm in the midst of all of life’s difficulties. We also provide a lifeline to all of those around us. We do not have to arrive at perfection to minister to others in their walk with the Lord. We just need to contain a willing heart for God to use. 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you told Simon Peter that Satan asked for permission to sift him like wheat, but You pleaded in prayer for him, so his faith would not completely fail. Once Peter repented, he turned back to you and was a great strength as he built up the faith of his brothers and the rest of Christianity through the ages (Luke 22:31-32). Thank you for pleading for us as well (1 John 2:1). Strengthen us and keep us focused on You.

Thought for the Day:

God did not put us on earth to amass worldly goods, but to serve as His vessels from which He can redeem others.




Thank you, Beth Howe, for the use of your photo.