School is back in session – last week, we kicked off a brand new series titled Back to School and led with how to live a courageous life. God wants us to live courageously. He commanded us, as He told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous.”
We can live a courageous life!
This week, we raise the white flag of surrender.
You might be thinking, why in the world would we surrender. Our job is to take the hill, battle the forces around us, and stand firm. While surrender in a battle is not good, we need to surrender ourselves to the Lord to win the war.
Our battle starts in the mind. The mind is vulnerable to having tricks played on it. We need to build strong mind muscles.
Is there anything you need to surrender to Jesus today?
Another week goes by, and the COVID cases rise, the fight over mask-wearing continues, businesses shutter and the air seems to be let out of our hope balloon…and that’s just the discussion inside the Church.
What’s happening in the greater world around us?
The world feels hopeless at times. What the world needs is hope, and it starts with you and me. We can deliver hope to the hurting and the hopeless.
Normally, our thoughts support our natural happy-go-lucky personalities; however, we can find ourselves pulling inward at a time like this.
Scripture provides us hope and a gentle reminder to surrender our thoughts and our lives over to Him.
The kiddos are headed back to school, workers are headed back to the office, and the juggling act has begun again. The merry-go-round of life seems to be speeding up, and we can get lost in our own thoughts and feelings.
I know I can if I am not careful to surrender my thoughts to the Lord.
Scripture says,
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
To win the war, we often have to raise the white flag and surrender our thoughts, words, and actions to the Lord to be obedient to Christ.
In those moments when Satan whispers in our ears falsehoods, roar back with this scripture and take captive your thoughts.
Place your thoughts, fears, doubts, insecurities, and unknowns at the foot of the cross.
Raise your hands in surrender and give it to God – He can handle it. He carried his cross, and He bore our sins.
Then He was raised from the grave on the third day to have life and have it abundantly. That doesn’t mean we won’t experience trials, but we have an assurance that this is not our home.
Application
Today, take a few minutes and surrender what is on your heart to Jesus – your fears, paycheck, job, family, or whatever else comes to mind.
He might be whispering in your spirit – when is enough, enough?
You might be crying out – I can’t take anymore, or why do all these things happen to my family and me?
Jesus came to take our pain, sorrow, grief, hurt, and hopelessness. He banished them at the cross, but free will got in the way. We still make our choices, and pain still exists.
This is why we must listen for His still small voice telling us He loves us, and He’s got this.
Can Jesus really turn hearts to Him? Just ask Kanye West and Justin Bieber – I bet many people thought that would never happen.
He has done it for so many people – famous and non-famous people. To Him, there is no distinction.
I ask you today, what will you surrender today?
Prayer
Lord, my thoughts are all over the place. I find it hard to focus on the good stuff you are doing around me, but I ask you to help me take every thought captive and make it obedient to you. Fill my mind with all the good that surrounds me, and open my eyes so that I may see it. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for your love. Amen
Listen On…
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