The Heart of Worship ~
When speaking of worship we cannot deny the fact that surrender is involved because the very heart of worship is true surrender. Although almost always used in a negative context, surrender is one of the most powerful things you can do. It is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life and when totally surrendered to God, anything is possible. (Philippians 4:13) Surrender is not only required of us but is our duty. Paul, in the Bible urges us to offer our lives as a living sacrifice as our worship unto God. Completely giving ourselves to God is what worship is all about. God wants all your life, not just part of it.
One of the barriers to surrendering wholly to God is often trust. Do we really trust God to be Who He says he is? Having a personal relationship with Jesus is like walking with your best friend 24 hours a day. The line of communication is always open, any time you want to say a word. Listening to the voice of God will teach you to trust Him more and waiting patiently for His answer to a question of yours will deepen your relationship with Him. As you get to know Jesus better, it will become easier to trust Him. As you see how much Jesus loves you, it will be easier to trust Him with your entire life. Romans 5:8 says, "God demonstrated His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He cross reminds us the unconditional love God had for us and the amazing desire to reserve a place for us in heaven if we believe. Completely surrendered over to Jesus allows us freedom, rest, peace, direction, forgiveness, mercy and protection.
Another barrier to surrendering all to Jesus is our pride. We are but mere humans and somehow we think we are capable of being in charge of everything all the time. We feel we need to control things and people in order to get our way and then we blame someone else when things go wrong. What's up with that, huh? It took an almighty being, God Himself, to design and create us yet we are sure we can take care of ourselves, uh, sure. Who are we kidding? We can hardly remember to set our alarm clocks, feed the family dog, have a set of matching socks on when we leave for work, get through a most stressful day, pick up kids from school, have dinner done and get kids off to sleep without realizing we need help from a higher power. And that is just what pride does. It lies to you, tempting you to believe you need no one. God says, "Pride goes before a fall." There's no getting away from this fact. When we struggle to do things our own way, we are actually fighting against God. A. W. Tozer said, "The reason so many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of them- selves. We're still trying to give orders, and interfering with God's work within us." Let's let God be God and accept we are just humans.
Surrendering to God is a difficult thing to do if your relationship with Him does not run deep and strong. Often, surrender involves changing whether it is our minds, decisions or our lives. C. S. Lewis understood the concept of surrender. He said, "The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become - because he made us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be?It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begun to have a real personality of my own." Surrendering to Jesus means saying yes when sometimes we really want to say no. Obedience is better than sacrifice as Jesus reminds us so obey God and surrender your will to Him. Allow God to transform you, protect you and teach you. Allow God to have His way with you for your enrichment that you will see when the trial is over. God says, "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him."
Money is a common issue that is hard to surrender to God's will. But you cannot serve two masters. Where your treasure is that is where your heart will be also. Everything we own and earn belongs to God anyway, so why hang onto something that is not already yours? Surrender everything, leave nothing claimed by you. Even your destiny should be surrendered to God. Our self centered nature creates war every time we give something over to God. Be prepared to stand your ground and remember, obedience is better than sacrifice.
Surrendering is a blessing not only to God but to you. You experience peace like never before; God's peace that passes understanding. Freedom is yours because you are no longer bound by the need to hang on to your own life. God's power is then able to control, direct and guide you in your daily life. Through surrender, victory comes. You feel strengthened and fearless with God on your side. Rick Warren says, "There is nothing more powerful than a surrendered life in the hands of God." James 4:7 tells us to submit to God and resist the devil. Surrendering to God gives us power to weather even the toughest of storms.
Surrendering to God is not only the best way to live, but the only way to live. (Warren, 2002) If you don't surrender to God, you will to someone or something else eventually. Saying yes to God pays great dividends. You become eternally rich and your needs will always be met. Give God your all. He is so worthy of it and it pleases Him so. Surrender is a moment by moment thing some times. Daily we must die to our flesh so that we are able to surrender that which God wants to transform in us. A task He takes seriously. We'd be wise to do the same. Luke 9:23 & 24 says, "He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, Let Him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, follow Me. Whoever desires to save his own life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." We are slaves our almighty Master, God. Let's serve Him well.
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