Being able to plan and envision what is next helps put things into perspective. I like to think ahead, I find it extremely important to be prepared for what is next and live in the confidence for any kind of possible outcomes. This attitude has brought about both good and bad experiences. Well for the good part, it helps me to be organized and be helpful to others with my preparedness. Although being a planner, a visionary, a helper and also an organizer is great but it could be very unhealthy when things to steer out of control , overwhelming feelings set in which results in what most will call hopeless and or even a helpless situation. Anxiety, worry, doubt, depression and all manner of negative feelings set in when one is not able to predict a way out of a difficult situation or a plan to overcome a tough challenge.

In today’s devotion, the word of God is to embrace the gift in a surrendered life to God. Often the word “surrender” is associated with weakness and vulnerability. I hear the word used frequently when a cop encounters an offender and asks them to surrender their weapons or arms to prevent the cop from harming the offender. Surrendering to God, on the other hand, is not an act of weakness rather is an act that demonstrates true strength.  Surrendering to God is giving your weakness to God for God’s strength. Surrendering to God is saying to God that I lay all my plans, visions, resources, everything I am and have in your hand that God lead the way and guide my path in this life.

The words written by Paul in the Scripture verse below is one of my key reminders when I come to standstill in life. It is my go-to verse to quicken my spirit of who I am and my purpose in this life as a child of God. I find peace and joy emanates out of my soul whenever I pause to meditate and pray this scripture in those hopeless and helpless moments of my life.

My old self has been crucified with Christ.^[a] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20 NLT

The Joy in the surrendered life is the peace that enters your heart to know without a shadow of a doubt that God is Lord over all. This peace calms the storms of fear and doubts and gives hope that it is well with our souls. In the faces of the worst and most tragic life situations, the trust does reside only in human ability and resources but rather in God who manifests His power and grace through humans and resources to reach us at the point of our needs.

With all that is going on around us in our families, communities, world, it takes more than what humans can do, the hope should always be in God.  This is what I say when I reflect all that is going on,  I say ” All I have is faith in God and that is more than enough.”

A life surrendered to God is a life that submits to God and yields to all that God has destined and purposed for this life. It is a life that is grafted in the true vine and all that the true vine has it offers to this surrendered life (branch). A life surrendered to God is a life that obeys the word and will of God without reservation. A life that no longer lives for self but lives for Christ in Christ and with Christ. It is a life that trusts in God that He that died for us is more than able to help us through anything that we will encounter in this life.

Beloved today, I kindly ask of you to entrust God with all that is going in your life. Surrender to God and allow Jesus Christ to be Lord over the entirety of your life. This will lift the negative emotional burdens and replace it with peace, joy, love, and righteousness in your heart, mind, and soul.

It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will help to always surrender our lives unto God to give us peace and joy to live for God.

Always remembers that Jesus Christ loves you ❤