Life in Surrender..Craig Denison Ministries

 Life in Surrender

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

Why should we spend time alone with God? Why is meeting with God in the secret place so important? Until we gain an understanding of the immense value and availability of encountering God, we will never consistently engage in this foundational, vital practice. As we discover God’s heart to meet with us in order that we might experience the depths of his love, I pray that your life would be marked by a new grace to consistently and powerfully encounter the living God.

Scripture:“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”Matthew 7:13-14

Devotional:

There is a life available to us as believers that few find—a life free from burden, fear, boredom, and emptiness. The problem is that the road to life requires a complete sacrifice of ourselves. The road to purpose, passion, joy and freedom requires that we die to ourselves every hour of every day. Jesus made the way to freedom open and clear for us. Scripture serves as the perfect practical handbook to walk that narrow road. And the Holy Spirit serves as the perfect guide and friend along the way. We have everything we need available to us;, however, most of us lack a willingness to sacrifice fully so that the seeds of our surrender lead to the fruition of an abundant life.

Jesus charges us to lose our lives in order to gain life with God. In Matthew 10:39 he says, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” The only way for you to truly find abundant life in God is to surrender your life for his sake. In fact, all of creation testifies to this truth. Think for a second of those trying to find their lives on their own instead of in God. Humans have an insatiable lust for affection, purpose, security, and love. No matter how loved a person is by society, it’s never enough. No matter how much money a person makes, they could always make a little more. No matter how driven a person is, there is always more they could be doing. We are lost without God.

Seeing these people makes me evaluate my own life and search for areas I haven't surrendered to God yet. Thinking about their insatiable lust for more makes me look for my own. I need my life to have purpose. I need to be loved, to have freedom, and to feel satisfied. I experience satisfaction only inasmuch as I have surrendered my life to God. God will not fill what is closed off to him. He does not force his will upon us. Rather, he waits patiently, quietly beckoning us to lose our lives so that he can lavish on us a life greater and more filled with his goodness than we could have ever imagined.

Our Father longs for us to be loved completely. He longs for us to be completely secure by trusting him. He longs for us to be fully satisfied. Will you answer his beckoning today? Will you choose to trust him? He is so faithful—more faithful than you will ever fully know. You cannot count all the ways in which he desires to love you. The immense depth of his love is bottomless. But will you spend your life trying to search it out? Proverbs 25:2 says “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” Will you search out the depths of God’s love today? Will you make as much room in your heart as possible for him to come dwell? Will you lose your life today so that you may find it in him? The road is narrow. It will take work. It will take sacrifice. It will take everything. But you will gain immeasurably more in return.

Listen to the Spirit today as you enter into guided prayer and respond in whatever ways he leads you.

Guided Prayer:

1. Take a minute to quiet your heart and mind. Open your hands as a sign of being ready to receive anything God would show you.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

2. Ask the Lord to show you anything in your life that isn't in his will. Pay attention to anything that comes up in your mind. It could be a person, place, thing, habit, recurring thought, etc.

3. Surrender anything in your life that isn’t God’s will for you. Confess any sin that’s holding you back from the fullness of life available to you in Jesus. Ask God for wisdom on how to end a relationship or a commitment. Ask him for grace and help to mend any relationships that he desires to heal. Surrender the entirety of your heart that you would be fully his today.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

You can only experience the fruit of the Spirit through things born of the Spirit. God cannot bless sin and selfishness because it isn't good for you. If God were to bless something that wasn't best for you, you would keep doing it! If a dating relationship isn't blessed, if it isn't born of the Spirit, get out of it. If a friend leads you away from God instead of to him, stop hanging out with him or her. If a lifestyle choice you are making doesn’t have the peace of God in it, quit doing it. Surrender seems to cost so much at the time, but it will be the best decision you ever make. Set your life on the narrow path God has laid out for you. Live your life in response to the Spirit and to his word. The life you find in God will be immeasurably greater than any life you could find on your own.

Extended Reading: Matthew 7

Running Past Snakes: What To Do When You Face a Distraction..DORINA LAZO GILMORE-YOUNG

 Running Past Snakes: What To Do When You Face a Distraction

DORINA LAZO GILMORE-YOUNG

“Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” Proverbs 4:27 (ESV)

A few months ago, I ran in the Diamond 13K race in Central California. The out-and-back course included a mix of shade and sun and a view of the majestic Sierra Nevada in the distance.

Taking off from the start, I found myself running next to my friend Sunny. We were chatting away as we started to ascend the first hill, named The Corkscrew.

Then I saw it.

On the side of the trail, just a few steps away, was a coiled black-and-white snake.

Did I mention I hate snakes?

I tried to stay calm and do the only thing I knew to do: keep running.

“Did you see that?” I asked Sunny next to me. “A snake!”

“I missed it!” she exclaimed, wide-eyed.

I kept thinking about that snake for the next mile, feeling distracted and unsure of my steps.

Was it dangerous? 
Should I have stopped to take a picture? 
Would it be there on my way back down the hill to the finish line?

It was then that a proverb I had read came to mind:

“Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil” (Proverbs 4:26-27, ESV).

The book of Proverbs provides for believers wisdom that King Solomon collected for a young man in his day.

The word “ponder” in Proverbs 4:26 means “to consider well.” In life (and while trail running), it’s important to consider well where we are going. This proverb reminded me to keep my eyes forward and my feet on the path.

After I reached the top of The Corkscrew, I made a decision to stop thinking about that snake. With 7 miles ahead of me, I needed to refocus on my race. If I continued to keep dwelling on the snake, I could get distracted, lose my footing and fall — potentially causing myself injury or ruining my running time.

In putting the snake from my mind, I chose to dwell on other things. (Philippians 4:8) That’s when I started to enjoy my run. The sky was an azure blue, and the trail was lit up with greens and golds. I turned on my worship music and found the cadence of breath and steps again.

By the time I crossed the finish line, I had completely forgotten about that snake.

Later, I realized how much this experience was a mirror for life.

Sometimes as we go along, we encounter a “snake” on the side of the trail. Perhaps it's a simple distraction, like a social media notification during our quiet time, a questionable television show we know we shouldn’t watch, or a task left unfinished that calls to us when we need rest. Maybe it's the enemy himself trying to lead us astray, to discourage us from pursuing our calling or to cause a misunderstanding in our relationship with God.

Many times in long-distance races, a runner called a “pacer” will lead the rest of the runners. The pacer sets the pace for the other runners, but the other runners have to keep the pacer in view, making sure not to speed ahead or lag too far behind.

Friends, these are the moments when we have to make a decision to let Jesus be our Pacer in life and to keep running. When our eyes are focused forward on Jesus and where He’s headed, it’s easier to pivot away from distractions.

And when our minds simply won’t cooperate in the face of distractions, we can remember it was God Himself who created our minds. Let’s ask Him for the perseverance to focus on Him as we take each and every thought captive throughout our days.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being our Pacer and Protector. Remind us that no matter what kind of distraction we face, You provide an escape route. We are chasing after You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Developing a Vibrant Faith..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Developing a Vibrant Faith

Dr. Charles Stanley

Acts 9:1-16

The apostle Paul had a strong commitment to know and serve Jesus Christ. His passion and love for the Lord was obvious—Jesus was always central in his thinking, whether he was working as a tent maker, preaching to the crowd, or even sitting in chains at prison. What fueled his love for the Lord?

Paul's conversion experience on the Damascus Road was a motivating force in his life. Grateful for the gift of grace he had received at salvation, the apostle told many people about his encounter with the resurrected Christ and its impact on him. We, too, have a story to tell of God's mercy in saving us and of the new life we have in Him.

Paul's zeal also came from his firm conviction that the gospel message was true and available to everyone (John 3:16). On the cross, Jesus took all our sins—past, present, and future—upon Himself (1 Pet. 2:24). He suffered our punishment so that we might receive forgiveness and be brought into a right relationship with God. Through faith in Christ, we've been born again, and the indwelling Holy Spirit helps us every day (John 14:26). The more we understand what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf, the greater will be our passion to share the gospel.

Developing a vibrant faith requires time and energy plus a commitment to obey God. Regularly studying the Bible will strengthen your beliefs and give you courage to speak. Caring about the spiritual welfare of others will move you into action. Do you have a passion to serve Jesus wherever He leads?

The Lord of Hosts..Jennifer Waddle

 The Lord of Hosts (Amos 4:13)

By Jennifer Waddle

Today’s Bible Verse - For behold, He who forms mountains, and creates the wind, who declares to man what his thought is, and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth—The Lord God of hosts is His name. - Amos 4:13, NKJV

As we read through different Bible books and passages, it’s easy to overlook certain words or phrases, especially when they occur repetitively.

In a recent Bible study, the title “Lord of Hosts” came up in our text and was emphasized several times within a few verses. It caused us to stop and consider the significance of this title and learn what it meant. From our research, we discovered that the Lord of Hosts is used more than 250 times in the Old Testament and means God of armies. This can refer to angel armies, human armies, and even the heavenly hosts, such as sun, moon, and stars. In a nutshell, The Lord of Hosts emphasizes that God is sovereign over all.

The incredible thing is, God not only rules over heaven and earth, He communes with us and invites into His presence. The thought of God commanding angel armies to fight for us, yet, at the same time, reaching down in sweet fellowship with us, is both awe-inspiring and humbling.

“For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.” - Psalm 91:11

"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.” - Psalm 34:7

This awesome picture of God orchestrating heaven’s armies to surround us and protect us shows the amazing nature of our loving, powerful, and personal Lord. And as we stand in awe and wonder of the Lord of Hosts, we know that one day we will join Him in heaven and live with Him forever.

I pray this is a great encouragement to you today, as you are reminded of God’s sovereignty and intimacy with His creation. For our God is not too far removed or too busy ruling the universe to interact with us. Instead, He dwells within us by His Spirit, comforting, guiding, and protecting.

As you read through Old Testament passages and come across the title, Lord of Hosts, pause for a moment and thank God for His absolute authority and His involvement in your personal life. After all, it is nothing short of amazing.

Heavenly Father, 

Thank You for being our Sovereign God and our personal Lord. We are amazed by You! We give You all the glory, honor, and praise, as we declare Your name—the Lord of Hosts. Thank You for commanding angel armies to fight for us. We stand under the covering of Your grace and provision. You are an incredible God and we love You with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength—in Jesus’ holy name. 

Amen.

A Prayer for When You Don’t Feel Good Enough..Molly Law

 A Prayer for When You Don’t Feel Good Enough

By Molly Law

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. -Psalm 139:13-14

This is something that affects me acutely, and I know that it is something that everyone feels at least once in their lifetime, if not more. As a type-A perfectionist, I can feel “not good enough” several times a day. I’ve even noticed how it affects my interactions with my family and friends. I’m constantly filling in the blanks of what I imagine their thoughts are of me. Even in conversation, I will stop myself — I will literally stop the flow of our conversation — to correct myself, justify or defend what I just said, or add a cliff note, so that they know that I have a good heart or so that they do not detect even a hint of weakness within me.

During one of these long conversations, my good friend caught onto this formed trait of mine and said, “You know, you don’t have to edit yourself for me. You can speak freely and without judgment.” When my friend said this to me, tears began to bud at the rims of my eyes. This was the first time I had heard those words out loud. I had never been given permission or given myself permission to just be me.

The freedom I felt at that moment was the greatest feeling I had ever experienced. This made me think, “Why do I do this? Why do I value myself so little when no one around me feels this way about me?” And if no one around me sees me this way, then I know that my Father in heaven doesn’t either.

I realized that this was learned and formed behavior. Growing up in a broken family, chaos followed us wherever we went. So, to cope with the rejection of my father and the inconsistency of everyday life, I thought that if I could be perfect, if I could control every situation, then nothing bad would ever happen to us again.

But the fallen world doesn’t allow this. There is so much out of our control. This fact, along with the overwhelming standards of beauty, performance, and success, produces a perfect storm of anxiety about not being good enough. I know so many people feel this way, which stems from a variety of reasons and causes, but, as Christians, we know that this is really a lie from the enemy.

Although we may know this in our heads, it is hard to drown out the loud voices and deep-seated feelings to the contrary. This is where the truth of Scripture comes into play. This is where God’s own words penetrate the darkness to tell us how loved we are, how beautiful we are, and how we are so important to the Lord Almighty that he meticulously formed us and bore the scorn of the cross for us.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, 
Thank you for your love and pursuit of who we are. Thank you for loving us so much that you created us and saved us so that we can be with you for eternity. Thank you for finding us when the darkness overtakes us. I praise you for loving me just the way I am — without altering myself to be perfect. I pray that when the world is shouting at us to be thinner, to fit their standards of attractiveness, and to reach their levels of success that we dive into your presence and your Word so that the only thing we see and hear is your truth.

You tell us that “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways” (Psalm 139:1-3). How loved we are by you! Please let us not forget this — the enormity of possessing your love and the knowledge of our worth through your eyes.

We love and trust you with all of our hearts, our Creator and Savior.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Keep on Asking.. Meg Bucher

 Keep on Asking. 

By Meg Bucher

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NLT

Distraught by the emergencies rattling my mind, a piece of truth broke through my panic. When life is caving in, and we stand falsely accused, abused, and reeling from misunderstanding … we wield a powerful weapon …the power of God. 

“Pray in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit in you.” 

The power of God alone can mend a broken heart, a messed up mind, or a hurting soul. Powerful prayer gets shoved under the proverbial rug of our scramble to be someone we know we can never be for the people in our lives. In the midst of our messes, we often forgot their brokenness is not ours to piece back together. We all have to find Jesus for ourselves, and none of us can substitute for Him. 

Today’s verses from the Gospel of Matthew remind us of the power of our efforts to call on the Name above all Names and the ability our faith in God has to move life’s mountains.

The Effort to Ask

“You parents- if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! - Matthew 7:9-10 NLT

Today’s verse repeats the phrase, “Keep on …” Prayer is a continual effort, not a one and done wish list. Paul reminded the early church to pray continuously, be grateful and joyful always. We have a power in us through the Holy Spirit to sustain a constant connection to God in prayer. The Spirit intercedes for us, taking our words and untranslatable cries to the feet of God. God not only hears our prayers, but He has begun answering on our behalf before we are done petitioning Him. Author of our lives, He knows what we need before we ask, and sometimes in spite of what we think we need to pray for. His faithfulness is never-ending, the depths of His love for us unreachable. 

Matthew records Jesus’ wisdom to keep on …never give up hope, and always be in prayer with God. He is our good Father. He isn’t going to give us a snake when we ask for a fish, as the previous verse implies. He sent Jesus out of His love for us in order to make a way for us. Our Father in heaven has a good plan for our lives.

The Willingness to Receive

“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” - Matthew 7:11 NLT

Everyone is also repeated in today’s key verses: Everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be open. Everyone. Jesus was sent to earth for everyone. God loves everyone. He has no favorites. Each person on this earth was created and crafted by Him, with a specific purpose and a good plan for their lives.

If only everyone saw everyone for who they actually are, through the eyes of God and the lens of Love. Valued, cherished and hopefully headed home to the Father in heaven for eternity. Our humanity begs us to compare and contrast our lives, but all jealousy and selfishness do is blind us from the beauty of the human landscape. Amidst the great suffering is great joy. Though the world is fading away, hope has already won. Our willingness to receive Christ Jesus, not only at salvation but each day of our lives, changes the way we live. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” - Matthew 7:12 NLT

The Golden Rule follows on the heels of today’s verses in the Gospel of Matthew. It’s easy to treat the easy people in our lives this way. But others means everyone. Do to everyone what you would like them to do to you. This includes ourselves. Do to you as you would like others to do to you. Realize the unique, remarkable creation each of us are to our Father in heaven. We are each, and everyone loved, purposed, and welcomed into the Kingdom of God. The effort we make in asking …knocking …and seeking …unlocks the full life Jesus died so we would live. Our willingness to receive Him, fully submitting our lives into His hands, pulls the rug out from the enemy- who is here to kill and destroy us. Keep on asking. Live to the full.

For Further Reading:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
• Isaiah 62:6
• Luke 6:27-35

 

Streams in the Desert..L. B. Cowman

  Streams in the Desert

L. B. Cowman

The land whither ye go to possess it is a land of hills and valleys and drinketh water of the rain of heaven; a land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year. (Deuteronomy 11:11-12)

Today, dear friends, we stand upon the verge of the unknown. There lies before us the new year and we are going forth to possess it. Who can tell what we shall find? What new experiences, what changes shall come, what new needs shall arise? But here is the cheering, comforting, gladdening message from our Heavenly Father, "The Lord thy God careth for it."

All our supply is to come from the Lord. Here are springs that shall never dry; here are fountains and streams that shall never be cut off. Here anxious one, is the gracious pledge of the Heavenly Father. If He be the Source of our mercies they can never fail us. No heat, no drought can parch that river, "the streams whereof make glad the city of God."

The land is a land of hills and valleys. It is not all smooth nor all down hill. If life were all one dead level the dull sameness would oppress us; we want the hills and the valleys. The hills collect the rain for a hundred fruitful valleys. Ah, so it is grace and brings down the shower of blessing; the hills, the bleak hills of life that we wonder at and perhaps grumble at, bring down showers. How many have perished in the wilderness, buried under its golden sands, who would have lived and thriven in the hill-country; how many would have been killed by the frost, blighted with winds, swept desolate of tree and fruit but for the hill- stern, hard, rugged, so steep to climb. God's hills are a gracious protection for His people against their foes!

We cannot tell what loss and sorrow and trial are doing. Trust only. The Father comes near to take our hand and lead us on our way today. It shall be a good, a blessed new year!

He leads us on by paths we did not know;
Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow,
Though oft we faint and falter on the way,
Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day;
Yet when the clouds are gone,
We know He leads us on.
He leads us on through all the unquiet years;
Past all our dreamland hopes, and doubts and fears,
He guides our steps, through all the tangled maze
Of losses, sorrows, and o’er clouded days;
We know His will is done;
And still He leads us on.
--Nicholaus Ludwig Zinzendorf