Month: November 2011

I looked up the words “I surrender” by using a commonly known search engine on the internet. There were over 2 million results! I started looking at each page of those results. I decided to stop at page 12, when I noticed that ALL of the entries to that point referred to God and Jesus, and to surrendering our lives to Him!

I would like to propose a question to you: Are you here to do your own will or God’s will? It’s truly a matter of surrender.

Jesus said: “For I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me,” according to John 6:38 (KJV). Jesus is referring to God. Jesus was in full surrender or submission to His father. We are to be living this way, too.

Jesus is our example of the Christian life. Are you surrendering to God in agreement with His will over your own? To submit to Him is surely humbling!

When I first began to follow Christ, I heard many new, modern Christian songs, and I heard some old hymns, too. As I really began to listen and really hear the words of the songs, they suddenly took on new meaning, and my life began to change.

To follow God, I would have do it “His way,” unlike the old popular song of doing it “my way.” I would finally submit to the Lord and surrender EVERYTHING to Him! Why and how?

Did I actually wish to surrender all of myself to God when I first asked Him into my heart? No, not really. I still had my owns ways of doing things, and my own plans for my life, although there was something different. I was saved. I was born again. But I was still living for myself more than I was for God!

I gradually realized that I could not do the same things that I had done before. I didn’t think the same way either. Reading my Bible was changing me! God was now in my heart. I began to get uncomfortable with my old lifestyle. Why?

Suddenly my ears were opened, and I started to hear things through my new, spiritual eyes, such as the words of the songs. The same thing began to occur with my eyes, my heart, and my mind! Yet, my surrender was still being sanctified. God was surely changing me, but slowly at first. He was helping to make sure that I wouldn’t fall back into my old patterns of living.

It was then I had a miraculous dream. I was dreaming that I was at my house. I was standing outside and there was a huge fire coming. It was getting closer and closer! I saw that I was about to lose everything in my home! I decided to quickly run into the house. I thought to myself, “What should I take?”

One of the strangest things about the dream was that there was all this computer equipment everywhere in the living room. That was not normal. Should I try to take them? I couldn’t possibly take them all in time! Should I go for the jewelry instead? How about my photographs? What’s the most valuable? I panicked!

Then, I suddenly thought of my dog. Oh my! I tried to find her, but she wasn’t anywhere to be found.

I had these haunting thoughts that I should take something with me, but what did I do then? I suddenly found myself thinking that none of it really mattered anymore. Then I did something unimaginable! I never, ever imagined that in that situation, I would or even could do what I ended up doing next. So what did I do next in my dream?

I walked out of my home totally empty handed! Totally! As I was walking away, I turned to look back, and saw that my house was now fully engulfed in flames. The strange thing about it was that it didn’t even bother me! It was so amazing!

When I awoke, God gave me understanding of all the symbolisms in my dream. There was even more meanings in it for me than surrender. For now though, we’ll stick to the subject of surrender and what it truly meant to submit to God.

After this amazing dream, I spoke (prayed) to God and told that Him I was truly and finally ready to surrender it ALL to Him: EVERYTHING! I was ready to give God my life! I was ready to give Him all my heart, all my mind, all my soul, all my strength, all my love, all my dreams, all of myself, all my possessions, all my talents, all the people (in or not in my life), all my work, all of my child, all of my thoughts, all of my feelings, and all of my will, oh, and even my dog, too!  I add this tidbit because in the dream when I couldn’t find her, and I had to leave the house without her, it made me realize that I really, truly had to give up EVERYTHING for God. If I left anything out, I mean EVERYTHING!

It was then that I first began to really trust God and I gave him my tithes, my will, my house, and my EVERYTHING. I really wanted Him to lead me down the paths of righteousness.

That is when the flow began to rush in, as I began writing for God! He had me writing pages and pages every day for 2 years! To this day, I am working on all of these writings to publish them into several different books for His glory and for His Kingdom. He has given me a passion to write for HIM!

I did not realize at the time that in surrendering to God, my submission would eventually be followed by much temptation! Yet, I knew that God would keep me and hold me from falling. He would help me resist the temptations. How?

In James 4:7, the Bible instructs us to “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” It’s really that simple!

Submit and surrender can also be interpreted as yield, which means to be ready to stop. We can stop from falling into temptation by giving ourselves to God. We can give Him all authority over us and everything in our life.

In many places throughout the Bible, we are shown that to forsake all and follow Christ is to surrender to life eternal, and it’s all so wonderful and good.

I pray for you to be able to do this, too. I pray for you to give up EVERYTHING and give it all back to God. Totally surrender and submit yourself to Him, and then just watch the miracles take place in your life. I guarantee you, He will do His part if you’ll do yours! Your whole perspective on life will change. You will see, hear, and think differently after you fully surrender.

If you have never heard the hymn, “I Surrender All,” please check it out. Commit yourself freely to Him. Trust God. Trust that Jesus Christ has saved you for a purpose and that He loves you. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you today and every day from this day forward. We are to become God’s disciples, but until we fully surrender or submit ourselves and everything, we cannot do it His way.

It is not uncommon to have to continually surrender again and again throughout our lifetime, so don’t fret. Just keep submitting and surrendering ALL to Him!

Until we virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself.

God’s Word for Today: “Any one of you who does not forsake all (give up everything/everyone/surrender/submit) cannot be my disciple.” — (1 Corinthians 13:3)

Copyright © 2011 by Patricia Shehan

Have you ever had a relationship in your life? Of course you have! It may be a relationship with a friend or a spouse or someone special in your life. The point is that you know what it’s like to “be connected.”

A good relationship often begins with a good friendship. When you make a new friend, you get to know each other by talking and spending time together. You begin to find out what your friend likes and dislikes. You start to understand what makes them happy or angry.

When I was a young child, a girl of the same age moved in next door. We began a very special friendship. For privacy, I’ll call her by the name of “Jane.”

Jane and I became inseparable. We did everything together.

I found out that Jane liked to swim, bicycle, and jump rope, just like I did. We spent a lot of time playing together. We talked, and we shared a lot of our hopes and fears.

I also found out that Jane would get upset with me when I couldn’t spend much time with her, but later on she would forgive me. It wasn’t my choice at the time.

Spending time with the Lord is our choice, and it is a very important choice! God desires for us to spend time with Him just like our earthly friends want. God even forgives us when we fail, if we ask and repent (turn away from our sin).

Maybe you didn’t realize that you can have this relationship with God through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ? I didn’t know it before either! You can now!

Jesus is your best friend if you allow Him this place in your life. You can have a relationship with Him and this should be first and foremost in your life, which will honor and glorify Him, and help you, too.

Our relationship suffers when we don’t spend time with Him and pray. We cannot grow strong without God, who is more important than anyone or anything else. After all, He did create us!

The Scripture tells us: “You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.” (Exodus 34:14 — NLT)

Jane and I had lots of things in common and we formed a special bond together.

In contrast, our spiritual relationship with the Lord, although similar to our approach with a friend, is way beyond this world and our fellow man! While getting to know the likes and dislikes of God, we will begin to understand what makes Him happy or angry. We need to repent from sin and learn to do what is holy. God will help us through the conviction of the Holy Spirit and by reading the Bible and praying to Him.

We can share our hopes and our fears with Jesus. Our relationship can bring the kind of contentment that only the Holy Spirit can provide through God’s peace and His fulfillment.

Our relationship with Jesus is a friendship with the one “who sticks closer than a brother.” (See Proverbs 18:24).

Pursuing a relationship with the Lord is so rewarding. Allow God to teach you His ways. You can become inseparable from Him and do everything together! He will provide His peace and His joy in doing so.

If you will “draw close to Him, He will draw close to you.” (See James 4:8)

This connection with God will cause you never to be alone. For God will “never leave you or forsake you.” (See Hebrews 13:5)

You will learn to obey and trust God, and He will guide your path. Allow God to work through you and change you to cause a purity of your heart, soul, mind, and spirit to commune with Him.

“Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their Savior.” (Proverbs 24:4-5 – NLT)

Our Heavenly Father, our God, is beyond any concept of an earthly father. God is so much more. Why wouldn’t you want to have this wonderful connection in this relationship with Him?

Only sin separates the will of the flesh of a person from the Spirit of God. We have the ability to allow God to change this in us through His power and our surrender. Submit to the Lord!

Once we become friends of God and have this rich relationship with Jesus, then we will desire whatever God wants us to accomplish (for example, what I’m doing here in this blog, by sharing it with you!):

“So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.” (Colossians 1:28 – NLT)

Until we virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself.

God’s Word for Today: “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke 12:21 – NLT)

^{Copyright © 2011 by Patricia Shehan}