Day 10: The Heart of Worship

Are you allowing Jesus to make himself at home in your heart; or do you only allow him a seat where there is space? Is Jesus a permanent resident in your life; or is he just a visitor on Sunday, holidays or special events? Does Jesus have the keys to your place; or is he only allowed entry when it is convenient for you... (Enerpeace)

Surrender is a conscious decision.

I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior at the age of eighteen. My acceptance of Jesus Christ for salvation was one act of surrender. Yet, I used to think, that my acceptance back then meant that I would be surrendered for the rest of my life. I soon realized that this was not the case. Surrender does not automatically occur. Surrender is something we choose to do on a daily basis. Everyday we face different decisions and challenges. Everyday we learn something new about God. Therefore, every day we must make a conscious decision to align ourselves with the will of God.

Eighteen years after my conversion, I continue to learn about surrender in my walk with Christ. Another lesson I learned about surrender is that it is not forced. Jesus does not impose his will upon us. Instead, He requires that we take it upon ourselves to become conformed to his will. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart.” (See Matthew 11:29-30) Jesus draws us with love and He expects us to draw near to Him in love.

Surrender, as Christ has modeled, is a love agreement. Surrender is not the end result of a battle between our will and the will of God. Surrender is the agreement of wills together in love – like marriage. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew from their fishing occupation, he did not say, follow me and forget about the fishing business. Instead, He said “follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (see Matthew 4:19) In other words, God has nothing against your will (your personal interest, livelihood, or hobbies) which produce fruitful and constructive attributes in your life. God just wants us to reconcile these activities for His purpose. He wants to show us how to maximize our skills and talents to glorify Him and expand His Kingdom. I tell you, when I realized that God was interested in me, and all of me, I said yes and found my rest…

To me, surrender and agreement means the same thing. Therefore, if anyone finds it difficult surrendering to God, try agreeing with God!

In His love,

Tammy Peoples (pseudonym: Enerpeace)