Take the lead and I will follow. Finally ready now to close my eyes and just believe that You won’t lead me where You don’t go

We Dance, ”You Make Me Brave”, Bethel Music

What if? What if it doesn’t work out? What if I’m wasting my time? Everyone will know I failed, and then everyone will hate me. Do any of these debilitating questions sound familiar to you?

The way that we process information and expectations has taken a negative toll on our mentalities, filling up our heads with disastrous scenarios that will never play out.

We were studying the life of Jacob at group tonight. Jacob wanted to control his life, so he manipulated people. He grew up in a less than desirable family. His mother dominated and manipulated. His father was passive and did not follow God’s will. His brother was very worldly. He had no good role models to follow. So he developed a wrong style of relating to people. Does this give Jacob an excuse? No! We are not helpless victims. We either react wrongly to our environment or we act correctly in spite of our environment. Jacob reacted wrongly to his upbringing.

Jacob’s problem was he thought he could make it on his own without God. We are just like Jacob because we try to handle life on our own without God. Maybe we are looking for a best friend who is going to be there when we need them. But God will not allow us to succeed without him. He will block our efforts to satisfy ourselves and lead us back to Him.

Surrendering my plan and will to God. Surrendering. It’s not an easy task for me It’s an act of humility to let go and let God.

If we surrender to God, what are we giving up?

Surrender means to yield ownership, to relinquish control over what we consider ours: our property, our time, our “rights.” When we surrender to God, we are simply acknowledging that what we “own” actually belongs to Him. He is the giver of all good things.

”God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” Ephesians 3:20 (MSG)

We are responsible to care for what God has given us, as stewards of His property, but by surrendering to God, we admit that He is ultimately in control of everything, including our present circumstances. Surrendering to God helps us to let go of whatever has been holding us back from God’s best for our lives. By surrendering to God, we let go of whatever has kept us from wanting God’s ways first.

Romans 12:1-3 says be transformed; be changed. That’s what I need today. God is calling me to make a total surrender to His Son Jesus Christ. If I want a change in my life, if I want forgiveness and peace and joy that I’ve never known before, God demands from me total surrender. He becomes the Lord and the ruler of my life.

God said, “I know the plans I have for you, … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). That’s what God says. He’s not here to condemn me. He’s here to bless me and love me and take me into His arms and say, “I forgive you. I’ll change your life.” That’s what God is saying, if I will surrender totally and completely. I can’t hold anything back.

I’m looking at the bracelet my sister gave me. The word ”unconditional” is written on it. Have I ever surrendered unconditionally to Christ? Have I given Him my mind and body and my will?

We usually manage try to manage the outcome because it is a type of control that we do to satisfy us or give us significance, a greater control of our own identity apart from God given identity. It’s not just about being “in control.” It’s about security, and intimacy outside of Jesus”

In my life, what does it mean to willingly, even joyfully, exchange my personal dreams for God’s good plans for me? The exchange will require a surrender. He desires that we surrender our own plans to Him so that we can be ready, willing, and available to go wherever he leads — regardless of whether it’s what we pictured or planned for ourselves. It is never easy to loosen our grip on our own desires, but it is the first step to experiencing the joy of embracing God’s will for us.

Letting go. In surrender and trust, we would find His promised beauty for ashes.

Lord, I will receive you into my heart tonight. Forgive me of my past, the things that I’ve done wrong. I want You to give me a new direction in my life. I want You to fill up this empty place in my life.

Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted. Christine Caine, Undaunted