Active Surrender: Finding Strength Through Faith and Community

 

Summary

In the midst of life's trials and uncertainties, I find myself reflecting on the profound journey of faith and surrender. As I navigate through personal challenges, including false allegations, I am reminded of the importance of relying on God and the community around me. This season has been a time of intense learning and dependence on God, where the need for His presence is more real than ever. It's a journey of surrender, not in a passive sense, but as an active choice to trust in God's strength and guidance.

Surrendering to God is not about giving up; it's about courageously facing the challenges before us with His strength. The Serenity Prayer has been a guiding light, reminding me to accept what I cannot change, to have the courage to change what I can, and to seek the wisdom to know the difference. This prayer is a daily reminder that while I may not control my circumstances, I can control my response to them by surrendering to God.

In this journey, I am learning that the battle often begins in the mind. It's about allowing God to take over my thoughts, especially when deceptive brain messages try to lead me into fear and despair. The real challenge is not what happens to us, but how we respond internally. By surrendering to God, I find the strength to face external battles with humility and dependence on Him.

Community plays a vital role in this journey. Friends and loved ones provide support and remind me that I am not alone. Together, we form a fellowship that walks through life's challenges, offering strength and courage to one another. It's a reminder that while I may feel weak, we are strong together.

Ultimately, this journey is about setting my face like flint, as Jesus did, to face the challenges ahead with determination and faith. It's about running towards the sound of the guns, not away from them, trusting that God will provide the strength needed to overcome. Through Him, I can face anything, and I am grateful for the community that stands with me in this journey.

Key Takeaways:

1. Surrender is Active, Not Passive: Surrendering to God is an active choice to trust in His strength and guidance. It requires courage to face challenges, not by giving up, but by relying on God's power to overcome them. [04:20]

2. The Battle Begins in the Mind: The real challenge is not what happens to us, but how we respond internally. By allowing God to take over our thoughts, we can combat fear and despair, finding strength in His presence. [05:28]

3. Community is Essential: In times of trial, community provides support and strength. Together, we form a fellowship that walks through challenges, reminding us that we are not alone and that we can find courage in one another. [09:23]

4. Set Your Face Like Flint: Like Jesus, we must face challenges with determination and faith. It's about running towards the sound of the guns, trusting that God will provide the strength needed to overcome. [08:21]

5. God's Strength in Our Weakness: Through God, we can face anything. By surrendering to Him, we find the courage to change what we can and the serenity to accept what we cannot, trusting in His wisdom and strength. [08:52]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [01:05] - Dallas Willard's Perspective on Death
- [01:31] - Personal Reflections and Challenges
- [02:14] - Addressing Allegations
- [03:07] - The Courage to Speak Out
- [04:06] - Surrendering to God
- [05:01] - The Serenity Prayer
- [05:28] - The Battle of the Mind
- [06:12] - Internal Surrender
- [07:00] - Courageous Change
- [07:32] - Setting Face Like Flint
- [08:21] - Running Towards the Sound of the Guns
- [09:23] - The Importance of Community
- [10:11] - Fellowship of the Withered Hand
- [10:31] - Closing Reflections

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Isaiah 50:7 - "Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame."
2. Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
3. Luke 9:51 - "As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem."

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Observation Questions:
1. What does it mean to "set your face like flint" according to Isaiah 50:7, and how does this relate to the sermon’s message about facing challenges with determination? [07:32]
2. How does the Serenity Prayer, as mentioned in the sermon, guide the speaker in dealing with personal challenges? [05:01]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that community plays a role in overcoming life's trials? [09:23]
4. How does the speaker describe the battle of the mind, and what role does God play in this battle? [05:28]

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Interpretation Questions:
1. How might the concept of "setting your face like flint" be applied in modern-day challenges, and what does it reveal about the nature of faith and determination? [07:32]
2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of community. How does this align with the biblical principle of fellowship, and why is it crucial during times of trial? [09:23]
3. The speaker mentions the Serenity Prayer as a tool for navigating challenges. How does this prayer reflect biblical teachings on surrender and reliance on God? [05:01]
4. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between internal surrender and external challenges, and how does this relate to the biblical concept of spiritual warfare? [06:12]

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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a current challenge in your life. How can you actively choose to surrender it to God, and what steps can you take to trust in His strength and guidance? [04:20]
2. Identify a situation where you need to "set your face like flint." What practical actions can you take to face this challenge with determination and faith? [07:32]
3. Consider the role of community in your life. How can you strengthen your connections with others to provide and receive support during difficult times? [09:23]
4. The sermon discusses the battle of the mind. What are some deceptive thoughts you struggle with, and how can you allow God to take over your thoughts to combat fear and despair? [05:28]
5. How can the principles of the Serenity Prayer be applied to a specific area of your life where you feel out of control? What changes can you make to accept what you cannot change and find the courage to change what you can? [05:01]
6. Reflect on a time when you felt weak. How did you experience God's strength in that situation, and how can this memory encourage you in future challenges? [08:52]
7. Think about a friend or loved one who is currently facing a trial. How can you offer them support and remind them that they are not alone in their journey? [09:23]

Devotional

Day 1: Active Surrender to God's Strength
Surrendering to God is not a passive act of resignation but an active choice to trust in His strength and guidance. It requires courage to face life's challenges, not by giving up, but by relying on God's power to overcome them. This active surrender involves a conscious decision to let go of our own understanding and lean into God's wisdom and strength. By doing so, we open ourselves to His transformative power, allowing Him to work through us in ways we could never achieve on our own. [04:20]

Isaiah 40:29-31 (ESV): "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Reflection: What is one specific challenge you are currently facing where you need to actively surrender to God's strength? How can you begin to trust Him more in this area today?


Day 2: The Mind's Battlefield
The real challenge in life is not what happens to us, but how we respond internally. The battle often begins in the mind, where deceptive thoughts can lead us into fear and despair. By allowing God to take over our thoughts, we can combat these negative messages and find strength in His presence. This involves a conscious effort to align our thoughts with God's truth, rejecting lies and embracing His promises. Through this mental surrender, we gain the ability to face external battles with humility and dependence on Him. [05:28]

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (ESV): "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."

Reflection: Identify a recurring negative thought that you struggle with. How can you replace it with a truth from God's Word today?


Day 3: The Power of Community
In times of trial, community provides essential support and strength. Together, we form a fellowship that walks through challenges, reminding us that we are not alone and that we can find courage in one another. This communal support is a tangible expression of God's love, offering encouragement and accountability as we navigate life's difficulties. By leaning on our community, we are reminded of the strength found in unity and the importance of bearing one another's burdens. [09:23]

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (ESV): "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!"

Reflection: Who in your community can you reach out to for support this week? How can you also be a source of encouragement to someone else?


Day 4: Facing Challenges with Determination
Like Jesus, we must face challenges with determination and faith, setting our face like flint to confront the difficulties ahead. This involves running towards the sound of the guns, not away from them, trusting that God will provide the strength needed to overcome. By embracing this mindset, we demonstrate a steadfast faith that is unshaken by adversity, confident in God's ability to see us through. This determination is not born out of self-reliance but a deep trust in God's provision and guidance. [08:21]

Isaiah 50:7 (ESV): "But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame."

Reflection: What is one challenge you are tempted to avoid? How can you face it with determination and faith, trusting in God's strength?


Day 5: Embracing God's Strength in Weakness
Through God, we can face anything. By surrendering to Him, we find the courage to change what we can and the serenity to accept what we cannot, trusting in His wisdom and strength. This involves recognizing our own limitations and embracing God's power in our weakness. In doing so, we experience His grace and strength in ways that transform our perspective and empower us to live boldly for Him. This journey of surrender is a testament to God's faithfulness and our reliance on His unfailing love. [08:52]

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV): "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you feel weak or inadequate? How can you invite God's strength into this area today?

Quotes


and this season uh feels strangely similar in some ways not that I am like Dallas Willard I cannot tell you the extent to which that is not true but in some strange way that I don't understand it's like teaching about things and then having to experience things that I have never experienced and don't understand and are incredibly intense and just make the need for and my dependence on God so crushingly real [00:01:31]

I can't but he can and everything depends on the ability that God has to be able to his confidence and his goodness and I think I'll let him I'll surrender to him but surrendering is sometimes thought to be a uh uh passive or acquiescent way of life and my friend Sam was telling me this week you got to tell people about the need for courage and surrender [00:04:06]

the Serenity Prayer a lot of you will know that God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference and I pray that every day start with Serenity you know the primary battle for me right now is just in my mind and when I wake up in the morning when I lie in bed at night to say God would you take over my mind [00:05:01]

some of you will know this book you are not your brain by great uh neuro psychologist and uh Christian Jeffrey Schwarz and he talks about how we get these deceptive brain messages they are not from our wise Advocate not from the Holy Spirit and they can torment us and their primary characteristic is not necessarily that they're factually untrue it's that they create brooding or resentment or fear that causes us to spiral down into paralysis and defeat [00:05:28]

in times of great emotion or stress I most want to obsess about out there when I most need to look in here and another friend said uh it's not about what happens to you what matters is what you think about what happens to you everything does not hinge on what happens to you it's what happens in you and so the Journey for me is to surrender internally [00:06:12]

I must surrender in here so that I can do battle out there because I need the courage to change what can I need the serenity to accept there's things that I cannot change I have to accept my circumstances but that doesn't mean that I surrender to my circumstances I don't surrender to my fear I don't surrender to my shame I don't surrender to my worry I surrender to God in here [00:06:36]

there's a verse in Isaiah the 50th chapter that says because the Sovereign Lord helps me I will not be put to shame I have set my face like Flint for I will not be disgraced uh honestly sometimes when things have become so difficult I just want to quit I just want to stop doing this I mean about all I got is a phone in 10 minutes just feel like it's too too hard there's too much pain [00:07:32]

in the Gospel of Luke when we're told about Jesus he surrenders to God but that doesn't mean that he's passive that doesn't mean that he's acquiescent that doesn't mean that he's weak it says about Jesus he set his face like Flint for Jerusalem my friend blu's Admiral in the military used to say that in the military you learn to run towards the sound of the guns where the danger and the hardship is that's where you go so that you can help [00:08:21]

I can face anything through him who strengthens me and I just want to tell you that uh a deep part of that in addition to uh God is community and honestly is a lot of you uh one of you my friend Mike this week sent me this picture uh along with a caption you're not alone we are the fellowship or the withered hand [00:08:52]

part of what keeps me going is no matter what happens I know that my wife loves me and I know that you have been my friend since I was 15 and you love me and Chuck said well maybe you know if this stuff gets really really bad don't count on it but and I laughed and I cried We Are The Fellowship of the withered hand we walk through things together [00:10:11]

there's a saying in AA I get drunk but we get sober I'm afraid but we have courage I fall down but we get up I want to quit but we persist so that's the report from today God grant me God grant you Serenity to accept the courage to change the wisdom to know you surrender your life and your will and you set your face like Flint today [00:10:31]

I can't but he can and everything depends on the ability that God has to be able to his confidence and his goodness and I think I'll let him I'll surrender to him but surrendering is sometimes thought to be a uh uh passive or acquiescent way of life and my friend Sam was telling me this week you got to tell people about the need for courage and surrender [00:04:06]

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Transcript
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