“So, brothers and sisters, because of God’s mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This is your appropriate priestly service. Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is — what is good and pleasing and mature.” Romans 12:1-2 (CEV)

“Yes.”

The answer was not someone yelling or even speaking loudly. In fact, it was not even audible. But it was clear and my answer in response was “Yes.”

I was in my last year of university. Like most forth year students, I was asking, “Now what?” I had my list: grad school, seminary, teacher, student ministry, naturalist…. I prayed and went through a list of pros and cons, considering the options as they related to my passions, desires, and giftedness. I attempted to hold all the options with an open hand: “God I trust You. I know You love me and have the best plan for my life.”

The discernment process involved talking to friends, reading the Bible, seeking wisdom from others, and asking God for direction. After a few months, I was alone in a prayer room:

“God it seems You want me to be in ministry; is that what You want?”

The answer came clear and simple, with deep conviction:

“Yes.”

But more than a call to a specific ministry assignment, God’s call was an invitation to surrender to His love and plan, and to have a deep, intimate, moment-by-moment relationship with Him.

This close relational connection is the secret to direction. Our surrender will be the soil from which God directs. His direction becomes clear as we gain a deep wisdom and understanding of who He created us to be.

Since God’s call is primarily to have a relationship with Him characterized by daily surrender, what we do vocationally or ministry-related is an expression and over flow of God in us.

Father, I surrender. I rest in Your perfect love, wisdom, and plan for my life. I present myself as a living sacrifice. I hold this day and all I desire before You with an open hand. I trust you. Amen

By Mike Woodard
Used by permission

FURTHER READING

Continuous Surrender

Are You Afraid to Fully Surrender to God?

Fully Surrender to the Lord

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“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41: 10)

“God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of cringing fear) but he has given us a  spirit of power and of love and of  calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”  (2 Timothy 1:7 Amplified)

Fear comes to all people. We’ve all struggled with fear. Our greatest fear is the threat of what might happen. Fear is almost always based on the future. But what is the future to God? To Him the future is now! He lives in the eternal now, in which he sees and knows everything, including the future. God is faithful therefore we will be cared for. His plans for us are good therefore we have nothing to fear. (Jeremiah 29:11).

How can we face our fears? Let God love you in the middle of the fear. On a particularly troubled day, I visualized myself being hugged by God while he whispered into my ear,

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  (Isaiah 40: 10).

His prefect love gives me courage to move ahead in spite of the fear. As Rick Warren has said, “Courage is not the absence of fear; courage is moving ahead in spite of your fear.”

So let’s face this day with courage buoyed up by these words,

“The LORD is with me, I will not be afraid; What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6)

By Helen Lescheid
used by permission

If you have never surrendered your life to Christ, you can start today.  Here are a few sample prayers.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to trust you from now on. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Thank you for enabling me to trust you in these uncertain times. Amen.

Another Sample Prayer:

Dear God, today I bring you my life, my hopes, my dreams, my deepest yearnings … You know me intimately. You knew me even before I was formed in the womb. You called me into this world to do good and live the life I was uniquely and specifically created for. I ask for Courage and Wisdom to live this life–the life of my dreams. Show me where to start and help me be open to hearing your Voice today. I ask for a greater consciousness of your Presence, today and every day of my life. Amen.

If you prayed either of these prayers, we would love to hear from you on the form below and we would love to send you some online resources to help you in this journey that are beginning with God.

FURTHER READING

The Side Effects of Fear – by Charles Stanley

His Wings Shelter You – A Devotional by Max Lucado

What or Who is Your Goliath? – by John Grant

How to Know God Personally | Salvation – How to be Saved

The post God is the Answer to all our Fears appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? “ Romans 8:32

Have you ever felt like you are getting the short end of the stick?

God is holding out on me.

I don’t think many of us would say it this way, but I think that this is the attitude of our heart sometimes.

Imagine a small boy who receives dinner from his mother and lets out an exasperated cry. His mother immediately turns around and asks her son to explain the source of his frustration. The boy sincerely explains that his disappointment is with the broccoli on his plate, not with her.

What mother would return to her dinner with relief that she is not source of her son’s aggravation? Very few. Why? Because she knows that although the broccoli may be the point of contention, ultimately the dissatisfaction of her son is aimed at her.

Think about the boss that may have overlooked you for promotion, or the boyfriend/girlfriend that may have dumped you. If you maintained your indignation, you may slowly start to believe that God is holding out on you. Have you experienced this?

We see in today’s verse that although our circumstances may at times veil the generosity of God, the truth is that He gave us that which is of greatest value to Him: His Son! We rest assured that God is not holding out on us; in fact, he is generous and good!

Today, let us fight our thoughts of entitlement and discontent and enjoy God’s generosity.

Father, I thank You that in Your perfect love, you give and take exactly what I need for joy, growth and holiness. Please help me to walk by faith, not by sight; faith that you are not holding out on me but are exceedingly generous in every way. Help me to trust You in the face of paralyzing disappointment and discontent. Amen.

By Thomas Pujol
used be permission

Used by permission www.thelife.com/dailydevotions

FURTHER READING

When Life is Hard to Understand

Waiting on God – How Do We wait? – a Bible Study by Sylvia Gunter

How To Wait When God Seems Slow – by Sylvia Gunter

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“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 
1 John 4:18 (NIV)

Heidi was terrified for her teenage daughter who had run away because of her mother’s restrictions on her life.  Her mother did not know how to show love.  Now, mom was full of fear.

Tears rolled down Heidi’s face as she promised God she would change.  She promised to go to church.  She promised to love God.

Heidi tried to keep her promises.  Attending church she learned God’s perfect love casts out fear.

At home one evening, she bowed her head and invited Jesus into her heart.  Then quietly, the front door opened.  Her daughter huddled against the door.  Heidi rushed to hug her and tell her daughter she loved her.  Her daughter begged to be forgiven for running away.  And that night, love replaced fear.

Dear friend, give your fear to Jesus.  He will give you peace.

By Vonette Bright
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  A Bible Study on How God Demonstrates His Love

•  A Study on the Heart of God by Sylvia Gunter (Alphabet)

•  Salvation Explained

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“The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father’s only Son.” John 1:14 (TEV)

The love of God is intimate and personal.

He came up-close in Christ, and that means we cannot hide our imperfections and faults from him. He knows about them anyway.

This model from God means we need to love each other intimately and personally, looking past the faults and weaknesses of one another, seeing the handiwork of God in each one of us, knowing that we also have weaknesses and faults but that God is active in our lives, too.

When we know and believe that God is determined to love us no matter what, we can stop being concerned about our faults and conform to Christ instead of our fears (Romans 12:2). When we don’t believe that God loves us no matter what, we try to put on masks that make us look perfect in order to hide our faults. When we try to hide behind masks, we undermine God’s plan that we live together in transparent, loving communities, such as small groups.

The reality is, God’s love is perfect, and he wants to cover our faults with Jesus Christ.

God goes beyond merely diagnosing our problems or judging our faults (Psalm 103:10); instead, he steps forward to address the areas of our lives that are broken:

•    Into our emptiness, he brings fullness and completion (Colossians 2:9-10).

•    Into our deficit, he brings supply (Philippians 4:19).

•    Into our death, he brings life (Ephesians 2:1, 5).

•    Into our separation, he brings reconciliation (Romans 5:10-11).

•    Into our imperfect love, he brings perfect love (1 John 4:10).

The more we’re conscious of God’s love, the less self-conscious we become about ourselves. We spend less time and energy looking to appear perfect and have a life where everything is exactly the way we want it to be; instead, we invest more time and energy pouring ourselves into other people, who, along with us, make an imperfect community, but one infused with God’s love.

By Jon Walker
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•   God’s Plan or My Plan? A Study by Don Myers on Discerning God’s Will
•   What Do You Want Jesus to Say When you Meet Him Face to Face?
•   Salvation Explained

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