Jack didn’t like his English class.
When my eldest grandson was six, he really struggled with English. It was his least favorite subject in school because he didn’t understand how it worked. He said there were no set rules for it because it had too many exceptions. He said, “Words are used in so many different ways and can mean so many different things.”
He’s absolutely right.
Our language does have a lot of words that can mean different things.
For example, the word love. We love our spouse but we also love coffee. We love our children but we also love to go shopping. Same word. Totally different meaning. I know I can’t do anything to change how the English language is structured but I can do something about the way I speak it from my mouth.
Lives today are so busy. We have so many things to keep up with and so many things to do. In the past, I haven’t always stopped and truly thought about the meaning of my words and how they may have affected others.
Have you ever felt that way?
Sometimes we say things so flippantly. Do we really mean it when we say we’ll pray for someone going through a hard or painful time? Do we actually pray for them or do we say it just because it sounds good or perhaps, we fully intend to actually pray for them but then get caught up in life and never get around to it?
I have pondered this very thing in my own life for quite some time. I don’t want my words to be flippant. I don’t want words to come out of my mouth just because I think they are what others want to hear or because I’m angry or frustrated. I want the words I speak to be genuine, sincere, and absolute. Instead of saying something to possibly fill an awkward silence, I need to wait until the Spirit speaks a word into my heart then share it. Then, if He leads, pray right then and there. If He doesn’t speak, I need to be quiet. I want to be sensitive enough to hear Him and listen intently to what He wants me to do when He wants me to do it.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” ~ Psalms 19:14 ESV
Take a few minutes and really think about what this verse is saying. The mediation of my heart.
What do I allow my heart to meditate on?
Meditate means:
to engage in contemplation or reflection; to spend time in quiet thought; to plan or project in the mind.
So, what do I spend my time thinking about? What is acceptable in God’s sight? Are the things my mind dwells on and the words I allow to come out of my mouth acceptable to my Lord? My desire is to always be pleasing to Him but I know that many, many times, I fall short of His ideal. I’m so thankful for His amazing grace and forgiveness.
In Matthew 12:34, Jesus said out of the overflow (or abundance) of the heart is what we speak. I want to think like Jesus does and speak love and blessing but more often than not, something flippant comes flying out of my mouth before I even think about what it may mean or even how it may sound.
“But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”
James 3:8-10 ESV
I am so thankful for God’s living word. The verse above is as true today as it was back when James penned it. Times may have changed but people haven’t. That’s why I need to allow the Holy Spirit of the Living God to flood my heart and mind with Himself so my words can be pleasing and acceptable to Him. Along with that, I need to allow Him to convict me over things in my life that need to go. To have a willing heart to surrender things that don’t bring Him honor, glory, or praise.
“All to Jesus, I surrender. All to Him, I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him. In His presence daily live. I surrender all. I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Savior. I surrender all.”
~ Lyrics by Judson W. Van Deventer (1896)
~ Music by Winfield S. Weeden
This is a beautiful old hymn and one of my favorites.
What does it truly mean to surrender, as this beautiful hymn says? True, heart-felt surrender; not to just say it or think it because it sounds good or makes one feel better.
Surrender: the act of allowing yourself to be influenced or controlled by someone or something; to yield to the power, control, or possession of another.
Isn’t that what we did when we believed the gospel, repented of our sin, then asked Jesus to save us? To give Him control?
In our world, there are outward acts or universal signs that represent surrender. Waving a white flag, raising both arms into the air, or throwing in the towel. But what, exactly, does it mean to surrender things to God? Is there an outward act or a sign we use to show this? Can you change your mind and walk away as if you never surrendered at all? Are there consequences to that choice? In a public setting, the only outward act or sign that may suggest surrender to God, would be to get on our face before Him or raising our hands to Him in praise. I
suppose we can change our minds about it but does that really change it? I believe there are consequences to when we surrender things or situations to Jesus then pick them back up before we say amen, or when when we try to carry them on our own, or when we make a promise or vow to God that we don’t keep. As human beings, we will eventually come to the end of ourselves and/or our resources, get frustrated, and, in the end, have wasted a lot of time. Time that Jesus could’ve been at work on our behalf.
I remember one time, when we lived in Alaska, I couldn’t sleep and apparently, I was tossing and turning so much my husband (as he was at that time), turned over, looked me directly in the eyes, and said, “How long are you going to lay there and not listen to what God is telling you to do?” I was surprised at his words but it was exactly what I was struggling with and exactly what I needed to hear. The Spirit had disrupted my sleep because He wanted to show me something in His word but I was stalling. At that time, my second daughter was a newborn and I was so afraid she was going to die of crib death. I was afraid to leave her for even a few minutes. I slept with my hand on her so I could feel her breathing. (Not really sure why I felt that way about her but I lived in fear most of the time during that point in my life. I was very insecure and didn’t trust God then as I do now.) But after hearing my (ex)husband’s words, I got up to find my bible. It was on the kitchen table, right where I’d left it the evening before. I picked it up and opened to the following scripture:
“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.”
~ Deuteronomy 23:21 ESV
That was a number of years ago and I cannot remember now what I had promised God I would do but that scripture is perfectly clear! I do remember those words scared me and I ran back to my bed and pulled the covers up over my head. Not sure what I was thinking. It’s not as if I could’ve hidden from God under there. The outcome of that evening had a profound impact on my life and I did ask forgiveness for whatever it was I had not followed through on. The way I felt upon reading those straight forward words is etched into my memory forever! (And, for the record, my (ex)husband did not remember asking me anything! When I told him what happened, he was as surprised as I was.)
When I surrender things to God in the quietness of my heart and, since no one else knows, is it okay to go back on my word because time has passed and I feel better about things and perhaps think I can now handle them on my own?
Or
When I surrender things to God in the quietness of my heart and, since no one else knows, should I leave them there because He knows my heart better than I know it myself and can handle them for me better than I can because He knows the outcome and I do not?
Something to think about.
When I surrendered my marriage to God back in July of 2017, no one was there to witness it. It was a heart moment between me and my Lord. I had been in that exact place about six months prior, and, at that time, chose not to surrender and made excuses for why I couldn’t. But the second time was different. Somehow the second request seemed more urgent and came with a question the other had not. I chose my Savior not because I had to or because He forced me to do so. That is not His nature. I chose my Savior because I wanted to. It was a quiet exchange of giving up my will for His and once that was done, peace ensued.
Surrendering to God is a heart thing. It’s a one-on-one choice. No one else may ever know but you and God will.
I have found when I really, truly surrender something to God, I will have peace that passes all my human understanding. But if I’ve only half-heartedly, maybe surrendered, I will be restless and the Holy Spirit will make it crystal clear that my commitment was lacking at best. I’m so thankful for His indwelling Holy Spirit that lives in me and has sealed me! Since He has taken up residence in my heart, He can just impress on me what or where I need to change to let Him have control. He speaks quietly and gently to my heart and shows me which way to turn or tells me when I haven’t truly let go of something that I need to let Him have.
“In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.” ~ Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV
Sealed with the promised Holy Spirit Who is the guarantee of my inheritance!
Surrender is not always an easy thing to do yet very necessary if we are to live the way Jesus wants us to.
When I decided to file for divorce, I knew Jesus was my only hope. I stepped out in faith and surrendered everything to Him. I knew my very life depended on His provision and I just let Him have me, brokenness and all.
Now that I’ve experienced some healing, I’m a little more comfortable with where I am, and my life is somewhat back to a normal existence (whatever that means), there have been a few times, just recently, I have chosen to pick up a few past offenses that I have no business carrying. I surrendered them a long time ago and God had already healed me from them. So, why did I choose to pick them back up? Quite honestly, I started to feel sorry for myself. Five years ago, during this very time of year, was when all the divorce drama was going on so there have been several “anniversary of event” triggers popping up. They’re not good memories to dwell on but, once in awhile, Little Miss Pity Party rears her ugly head and I listen to her whining. Last night, I went to sleep, with tear-filled eyes, wondering why “my ex-husband had to be a jerk, continuously cheat on me, and didn’t love me as he told me he did…why did my ex-husband have to be a narcissistic liar??” Instead of giving these thoughts and memories back to Jesus, as I should’ve done when they first popped up, I held onto them. Sometimes a good ol’ pity party feels good, doesn’t it? At least, for a little while? Maybe? But, when I woke up this morning, before my feet touched the floor, I felt restless and broken. I knew I needed to give it all back to Jesus before even trying to start my day. So, I bowed my head and talked to Him for awhile. Immediately, I felt the Holy Spirit’s presence because He is present inside my heart. That, my dear friend, is the awesomeness of a one-on-one relationship with Almighty God. He is always, always there. He knows when my heart is hurting and He knows when I need to give things back to Him. I didn’t have a dream I needed to do this nor did I hear an audible voice. I don’t need either of those things to know when I need to surrender. It’s innate because the Holy Spirit lives within me. However, He never forces His own way nor makes me do anything. My free will is always available but when I get into this sweet spot with Jesus, I realize I don’t want to keep holding onto things. I want my Savior to have them because He knows what to do with them. Surrendering to Him is easy in that place. The Holy Sprit inside my heart is my guide to truth, surrender, and freedom.
It does not matter what we go through in this life, Jesus is faithful and can carry our burdens so much better than we can. And what’s more, He wants to.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” ~ Matthew 11:28-29 NASB
Oh, what a Savior!
It can start with anything; a thought, a memory, a song, a place…you fill in the blank. Whatever happens to trigger the mind to start dwelling on a specific event that will take our eyes off Jesus. Once that happens, those thoughts, if not dealt with and surrendered to Him, will determine how we act which, in turn, determines what comes out of our mouth. Our outward actions are in direct proportion to how much time we spend with Jesus. That’s why quiet time and prayer are vitally important in the lives of God’s children. This world is evil. We have an enemy who is very real and very much at work here on earth. All the more reason for us to cling to our Savior, spend time in His word, and surrender everything in our lives into His care.
Lord Jesus,
My earnest desire is to be pleasing and acceptable to You.
I want the things I think about and meditate on to honor You.
I want the things I think about and meditate on to be pure.
I want the things I think about and meditate on to be lovely.
I want the things You allow to touch my life make me grow closer to You.
I want the things You allow to touch my life show me what I need to change.
I want the things You allow to touch my life teach me what it truly means to surrender.
Thank You for purchasing me with Your blood and signing my name into the Lamb’s Book of Life!
Thank You for sealing me with Your Holy Spirit of promise as a guarantee of my inheritance in heaven with You!
Thank You for those precious, sweet moments when You show me how very much I’m loved and cherished by You.
Take my mind,
My thoughts,
My words,
And my actions.
Oh…
and Jesus…
I surrender.