What a wonderful way to live. Trusting in God with our whole heart for everything. Complete trust requires complete surrender. He instructs us so well. Leaning on our own understanding will never allow us to surrender to all He has for us. However, when we submit to Him we will be able to know our path. Self reliance is a futile path. Dependence on God is the only way to truly walk a straight path. When we run to God and away from the world our bodies reverberate with life. Surrender is the most difficult thing we will learn to do in this life. It means denying ourselves the ease of following cultural norms and what the world around us is doing. The reward for surrender is greater than any comfort we can gain from following the world. Our reward is freedom. This freedom comes from our surrender of our worldly understanding and is gained through trust in God’s voice that we can tune into for everything.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Proverbs 3:5-12 NIV
We honor God by giving Him all our firsts. The first of our earnings. The first of our time each day. The first thoughts of everything we endeavor to do. When we do this God gives us plenty. He will always provide for us and our trust in His provision is the first step in giving Him honor. It also helps us in learning how to give Him all our firsts. God wants us to have abundance, not just His provision. However, in order to lean into abundance we must surrender to Him. Giving our firsts to Him is surrender in action. Becoming disciplined in this way will shape our lives toward the straight path He has for us. This is why when we go our own way it may not work out. God is gently nudging us back to Him. Every situation we view as difficult is an opportunity to surrender our understanding and lean into the lessons He has for us. In doing this we learn the power of His love for us because we learn the power of surrendering our understanding for His.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves.
Proverbs 3:9-12 NIV
Considerations for your planner:
- What do you trust in God for? Write everything down that you trust Him for.
- What are the firsts you can give to God? Take account and write everything down that comes to mind.
A Story of Freedom through Surrender:
I asked the Lord for a sign of what I should do with my life and I got a sign. The sign was full of years of mental and financial pain. In the end of the years I could see how God answered my prayer.
We may not understand God's answers to our prayers, but we must always believe because only God knows what He is doing. This trust in Him took the burden of pain off me.
God gave me a wonderful life after I just stuck with His plan for me. Thank you God for your plans for my life.
- Anonymous
Strengthen the Christian Planner Family by sharing your experiences. We'd love to hear a story about God's work in your life. Use the form linked below to submit your story.
