Are you REALLY surrendered?

"My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers: my yearly devotional which I love because of the fact that he CONVICTS CONVICTS CONVICTS every time I read it-which I so greatly appreciate. I think that is one of the most lacking factors in devotionals today, the lack of exhortation-speaking TRUTH. It is just all feel good, tickling ears, warm fuzzies. But look at me go, that is a WHOLE other blog topic. I just intended to comment and expound a little bit on a quote or two from my devotion today.

"Have you ever realized that you can give things to God that are of value to Him""

Seems like a simple question doesn't it? Hits closer to home once we REALLY start considering the answer

"To be surrendered to God is of more value than our personal holiness. Concern over our personal holiness causes us to focus our eyes on ourselves and we become overly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, out of fear of offending God..'but perfect love casts out fear.'"

In other words, if you ever find yourself walking on eggshells trying not to offend God, you should probably ask yourself...do you REALLY love Him? (Hence the title of this devotional: "Do you really love Him?") Perfect love CASTS OUT fear-fear of offending God is included in this. This is not to be confused with HOLY fear of God, which is ordained in His Word. But fear of the world, not heavenly fear is what is being pinpointed here. Surrender, TOTAL surrender, is always out of LOVE, NOT DUTY for Him.

Now on to total surrender. If I asked you what total surrender meant...what would you answer? Now let's try this again-if I asked you what total surrender was...what would you answer based on what you know you SHOULD answer as opposed to what you know to be true about surrender. Do not be apprehensive to test yourself-it needs to be done. Ask yourself the hardest possible questions. Have you surrendered to the point that you feel comfortable in your abdications? If so, you have not fully surrendered, to fulfill the true meaning of the word. Surrender is beautiful, yes. But it IS NOT COMFORTABLE. Human beings do not innately have surrender embedded within their nature. It is an act of God, an extension of His power to us, that we are even able to surrender anything. You say you surrender in songs, you say you surrender in prayers...alright-we'll find out won't we? Think of the thing that you value the most in your life right now. For some, it is family. For some, it is booze. For some, it is their cats. For some, it is sex. For some, it is their spouse or soon to be spouse. For some, it is their bank account and their inheritance. Choose your lot. Now-surrender it. If God blatantly asked you to give up your family today, move out of the country, donate 95% of your money without recompense...would you? Are you REALLY surrendered? For those of us that prize vanity as their highest possession-would you readily give up your make-up or image? Those trips to the gym that you HAVE TO make in order to keep that body that you love to look at? You know that job that provides you with a lucrative salary each month? That car that you treasure that gets you where you need to go and makes you look good while going there? That music/band/song that you love but simply cannot be qualified as a pointer to the God of all innocence. Would you give up flirting? What about school? Maybe a fast that cuts out that food that you just cannot see yourself going without. If you knew He was leading you toward a different, unfamiliar school...a different major, when you've already got everything planned out? What about if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God was calling you to a life of singleness, would you surrender to Him? Surrender takes all different forms and shapes for each individual-but it all channels back to the one main Source.

So what is your niche? What is that thing that keeps the channels of surrender blocked between you and the All Powerful? Are you REALLY surrendered? Do you REALLY love Him?

Just as a correction if I am misunderstood in some respects here, the God that I talk about is not a God that takes takes takes. Quite the contrary-HIS NATURE IS TO GIVE. He is a GIVER. So I am not saying in all of this, that if you love something or enjoy something He will automatically take it away. But He WILL keep your hand open by some means or another when you have your fist clenched around the things that you think belong to you. Those things that you think belong to you? HE GAVE THEM TO YOU. You could not have those without Him. I am also not implying that He will allow you to keep the things that hurt yourself and Him, the things that go against His Word. This blog is merely to draw to the surface the things that you are placing above Him in your life. Priorities. Is your hand open for Him to give and take as He wills? Or are you still trusting yourself for knowing what is best for yourself more so than the God of the universe does? He is a just God. He is not out to make us miss out on anything. SURRENDER. Only then will we see what BEST for us REALLY means.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

And said, naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return: the Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

Job 1:21

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and JUST and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness

1 John 1:9