Each week, we present a devotional that was written by one of our partners. This week’s word of reflection were written by Myrtle Carter.The Word:
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 (NASB)
The Story:
One day, I made up my mind to surrender completely to the Lord. I was ready to do God’s will, but first I had to get an understanding of what it really meant to totally surrender. Now after reading this scripture in Romans, I was on a spiritual high! I thought I was ready to do whatever it took to live no longer defined by the standards of the world, so that I could completely surrender to God’s will for me. But then, life happened, and surrendering was not as easy as I thought. Surrendering required me to no longer live for myself. I had to do an evaluation of who I was compared to who God desires for me to be. The Bible calls us to love, forgive, submit to authority, be non-judgmental, and resist sin through His Spirit, among other things. After reflecting, I realized I would need to forgive past hurts, spend time in prayer and studying the Bible, be held accountable, and trust someone to guide me through the process. As I grew in my relationship with the Lord, I was able to surrender more easily to His will against my own.
The Reflection:
Is there anything keeping us from being completely surrendered to the Lord? What steps do we need to take to become aligned with God’s will for our lives as Christ followers? The desire to surrender is the beginning of learning the difference between religion, and having a relationship with Christ.
The Application:
Let us seek to consistently spend time alone with God praying, studying the Bible, listening, and worshiping. This allows our hearts, spirits and minds to be open for total surrender. We may start out with only five to ten minutes of sitting and listening, but this helps build the relationship between us and our Father.
The Prayer:
Father, we ask that you would help us to relinquish our wills for Yours! We pray that our hearts and minds be positioned so that we can fully and freely embrace Your desires for us. Amen.
