6/27/2011

Surrendering Everything to God



Surrendering Everything to God
By Dr Mark

The standard of practical holy living has been so low among Christians that very often the person who tries to practice spiritual disciplines in everyday life is looked upon with disapproval by a large portion of the church. And for the most part, the followers of Jesus Christ are satisfied with a life so conformed to the world, and so like it in almost every respect, that to a casual observer there is no difference between the Christian and the pagan. (Hannah Whitall Smith, 1875.)

God calls us to surrender everything to Him. Andrew Murray called it "Absolute Surrender". So what does it mean to surrender all to God? There are two sides to the equation. First, we must be willing to do whatever He desires for us - in others words we must be willing to be obedient to whatever He commands. Second, we have to learn to allow God to do whatever He wants to do in and through us. This second part is the one that from an intellectual position seems to give some people problems. The question arises, can we really keep God from doing whatever He wants to do in our lives. The answer is Yes we can.

Let's look at a couple of areas where we see this illustrated in scripture:

MK 6:4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

2 Peter 3: 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

From the two passages that we've just looked at we see that there were times when Jesus wanted to do miracles and He wasn't able to because of the peoples lack of faith. Also, we see in the second passage that God wants everyone to be saved, but it's not going to happen. So from these two scriptures we see that there are certainly times when God wants to do things in people lives, but because of choices each person makes, He may be limited in what He will do.

We need to examine ourselves and be sure that we are not doing, or believing anything that might limit what God can (or will) do in our lives. We can ask questions like: Is there any on-going sin in my life? Is it possible that there are things God wants to do in my life that my lack of faith would hinder Him from doing? If so, what can be done to increase faith? Begin by confessing the lack of faith and asking God to remove it.

MK 9:17 A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."

MK 9:19 "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

MK 9:20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

MK 9:21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"

"From childhood," he answered. 22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

MK 9:23 " `If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

MK 9:24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

When Jesus was talking to His disciples He told them that it was important to count the cost. Listen to what He said:

LK 14:25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

LK 14:28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

LK 14:31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Surrendering our will to God is very difficult for many of us because we want to be sure that we are in control and we think that we know what's best for ourselves, so surrendering our will is often tough. However, God has called us to surrender everything to His care.

As we consider some passages that deal with this process we'll note that in many places we're told things like: put off one thing and put on something else. What I'd like for us to spend the next few minutes doing is going through the book of Romans and examining just a few of the places where Paul dealt with this concept of surrender.

Romans 3: 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Romans 3: 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

RO 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

RO 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Romans 6: 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

RO 6:19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.

RO 7:1 Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who know the law--that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? 2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3 So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.

RO 7:4 So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

RO 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Romans 10: 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Romans 11: 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

Romans 13: 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

These passages teach us that we are to die (spiritually) to the world, to sin, to self, to the law and that we are to live for God. We are called to focus on God's grace and His amazing willingness to reach out to us when we were still living in sin and when we were still His enemies. We're to get rid of the flesh and to clothe ourselves with Christ.

Have you surrendered everything to Jesus as both Lord and King? If not, what are you waiting for?

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The Beauty of Surrender to God
by Sharat Thakur

Faith is giving Divine a chance to act. We all say that God is omniscient and omnipresent, but when it comes to surrendering everything on to Him, we tend to question his existence. In this matter, the atheists are better as they do not believe in God’s presence at all. Whats the point in believing on someone, and yet not having faith on Him. When we say that God is there, why cant we give Him a chance to bestow his love. We create images of God in our own mind, and try to believe that these are mere images, and nothing more.

How will God bestow his Love on to us? A very simple principle that works here is we have to follow the divine principles that God has laid down for us. Belief in God should stimulate us to know His virtues and his manifestations. We need to keep remembering God all the time. Many people complain that inspite of doing Spiritual practice and following the company of saintly people, they have not realized God. This is because of lack of faith and reverence for God, and also because of lack of remembrance of God.

We need to bestow and surrender all that we have onto Him, be it good or bad. A deep trust has to be birthed from the inside of us that recognizes that whatever happens to us, whether it is good or bad, God is in control and He can make something good out of it that would align to His will and purpose. Complete surrender to God’s will is the answer to have his blessing bestowed on to us. We have to realize the ever transcendental nature of God. We have to realize that God is all encompassing. God is all pervading, he knows everybody’s thoughts and action, he is supremely compassionate, supremely loving. God is the Supreme person, the Supreme Reality and the Supreme Spirit.

Surrender everything to God and see how life becomes full of meaning and purpose. All the actions, all the thoughts, all the feelings – bestow on to his Supreme feet. Have faith that whatever he has given or whatever he will give, is all that we require. Open your heart to receive His love. He is always there for us, we have to give him the chance to act, we have to have complete faith in His love.

Surrendering to God does not mean that we should stop doing what is expected of us. Rather it means, that we should keep doing our duty, without getting perturbed by life’s ups and downs. In everything we should be thankful to Him. There should be no need to worry about anything when you have surrendered everything to God.

So rise, awake, act, surrender and give God the chance to act.

6/25/2011

The Bible or the Cellphone?












What if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it with us always wherever we go?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we didn't miss checking it for messages everyday?

What if we forwarded and shared its messages to others?

What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

What if we gave it to people as gifts?

What if we used it as we traveled?

What if we used it in case of an emergency?

This is something to make you go… hmmm… where is my Bible?


Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t ever have to worry about our Bible being disconnected due to unpaid bills. Jesus already paid the bill!

And... it has more than a global coverage. It is universal.

You don't have to turn it off or on, it's always on.

It needs no recharging for it never runs out of power.

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And what if we are hooked to the Bible like we are so hooked to the internet?

6/17/2011

You Are Blessed by God



What does it mean to have God’s blessing on your life? This is a question every individual needs to ask. The implications are enormous, once you understand what God’s blessing really involves. The blessing of God is powerful and life-changing, while the loss of God’s blessing is more serious than we have probably imagined. It will be fruitless to attempt to do something – even something great and noble - if the blessing of the Lord does not rest upon it. Yet with the blessing of the Lord, even our small steps of service will be taken far beyond what we could accomplish by our own effort alone. Every individual has gifts that God intends to use. Accompanied by His blessing, these gifts can have a powerful impact.

The blessing of the Lord is transforming, and is centered on Christ. The blessing of the Lord is not for selfish purposes - it is to touch the needy and the hurting, and to bring honor and praise to God. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise Him all creatures here below!” is a familiar doxology in many parts of the world. As we understand and experience the power of His blessing, may our lives bring glory to the source - the living God.

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Before God formed you, He blessed and consecrated you.

Your are the beads of pearl nestled in the orient sea.
Like the colors of Eleazar's vestment you were clothed.
Deep blue sky and white clouds are colors in your firmament.
Colors of crimson and of gold your robe is adorned with.
With the sun and the stars, your cloth is woven.
With the Covenant you were sealed; making you His own.

You are greatly blessed; and your season is drawing near.
In and out, near and far, your seeds shall flourish.
Their fruits shall replenish and restore barren lands.
And when nations shall have seen your luster,
Eyes will see and ears will hear the Lord's glory.

6/07/2011

Praying: Conversing With God

By Jay Lowder
Crosswalk.com

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” - Ephesians 6:18

I have spent 20 years in full-time evangelism, traveling the world sharing God’s Word and speaking with people about life and spiritual issues. The hurts and frustrations of individuals run the gamut, but when it comes to our spiritual walk with God, one of the most common points of discussion is prayer.

There is a misconception about prayer that often hinders individuals from fully benefitting from this intimate act in which God desires us to take part. Too often, we view prayer as a reverent, eloquent monologue during which we use “thee’s” and “thou’s,” and we forget the essence of prayer is a simple conversation.

Communication is at the heart of our lives. Without it, our relationships would fail and we would live in isolation and frustration. Yet, every day we have successful conversations with friends, spouses, coworkers and even strangers.

God wants us to have this same type of conversation with Him, and applying some key principles can help strengthen your prayer life and relationship with God.

Avoid a Monologue

It is very easy for us to speak our prayer to God and move on with the next task, waiting for him to provide the answer. But if you really think this through, the concept seems a little odd. You would never call your best friend and speak for 10 straight minutes only to hang up without giving him or her opportunity to reply; so why would you do this to God?

Prayer is a two-way conversation. We need to practice the art of listening.

How do you listen to God? Sit alone, be quiet and wait on God to respond. Look at the example of Isaac in the Old Testament. He was not accustomed to waiting and hearing from God, so when God spoke, he did not even recognize His voice.

When you hear the voice of your best friend, you know they are in a room without even seeing them. If we take time and get alone with God and wait to hear from Him, we will hear Him. And the more you hear from Him, the more you recognize His voice.

God chooses to speak to us all in different ways – through Scripture, music and even other people. But if we aren’t listening for His voice, we may miss the good things he has to tell us.

Get Face-to-Face

We live in a technologically driven world. You can text your best friend, send a Facebook message or call them on the phone, but when you converse with them in person, there is a completely different connection. The same goes for our relationship with God. Intimate relationships require “face-to-face” connections.

Getting to know God and developing an intimate prayer life requires that we meet with Him in a place of intimacy. This will mean something different for every person. Just as a husband and wife may return to a special place on an anniversary, perhaps the intimate place you spend time with God is the place where you first met Him; a quiet place in your backyard; a favorite chair in your home; or a small closet in your bedroom. No matter where that place is for you, the important thing is that it’s yours and God’s – a place where you can have intimate conversations with Him.

Honesty is the Best Policy

What differentiates a relationship between a best friend from that of an acquaintance is honesty. For those closest to us, we are able to freely share our emotions, exposing the other person to a level of intimacy not known by others. We let our guards down and are honest with who we are – good and bad. God wants this same level of relationship.

We often think that in order to have this type of relationship with Christ, we must get our “lives together” before God would even want to talk to us. This is a lie from the enemy. In Isaiah 64:6 it says that the best we have to bring to God are like dirty rags to Him. Even on your very best day, you still aren’t good enough, but that’s okay because that is where God wants us. In grace and mercy He sees us blameless before Him because of His son, Jesus.

God is our creator. He knows about our fears, excitements, joys and concerns, but He wants us to tell Him about these things personally. We have to learn to be honest and tell God what is going on in our lives because He already knows and accepts us where we are.

Consistency is Key

For the most part, those who are near and dear to our heart are in our lives on a consistent basis. It’s rare that I go even a day without talking to my wife, even when I’m traveling, because I want to know how her day was. I’m eager to connect with her. In this same way, God is eager to connect with us and wants us to be consistent in our conversations with Him.

Forming a habit – good or bad – takes time, but once it is formed, it’s hard to quit. When you first begin praying consistently, it may be hard and out of the norm. You may not know what to speak to God about or how to listen to Him. But as time goes by, it becomes a staple to your day and you will begin to be able to converse with God with ease because you have formed a relationship. You will be eager to speak with Him.

So what is stopping you today from having an intimate prayer life? Don’t let anything hold you back from having a deep, personal conversation with Christ. He created us as a people who love community, and He wants to have that same intimate relationship with us.

Evangelist Jay Lowder is the founder of Jay Lowder Harvest Ministries, an organization dedicated to reaching diverse groups of people with the message of Jesus Christ. Through his ministry, Lowder travels the globe to football stadiums, schools, churches and even under shade trees in Africa to provide a message of hope to the hurting. He resides in Wichita Falls, Texas, with his wife, Melissa and their three children Lane, Kayley Faith and Graham.