Embracing Surrender: A New Year's Resolution

So similarly surrender in the Christian life comes on God's soil and according to God's terms surrender to God on American soil and surrender always comes on God's terms if we are trying to negotiate with God on what things we want to keep in our lives maybe that's our sins that's the question if we're trying to hold on to some things when we're when we're trying to lay our lives down are we really actually laying our lives down are we trying to hold on to the things that might be hard for us their hearts but who here has ever prayed the prayer God please take this from me [00:24:41] (38 seconds)


Our minds are very powerful things and can lead us astray if they aren't fully surrendered to God. Now, A, ends in anxiety. Anxiety can really, you know, I have social media because that's how I connect with my students a lot. But so I was scrolling on social media because sometimes I do scroll, I apologize. And I saw this and I'm like, worried. And the person says, about what? Anxiety says, I don't know. And the person says, oh, my God. Oh, my gosh, you're right. [00:27:44] (39 seconds)


So this goes back to casting our needs onto God. How can we expect God to take these anxieties, take these things from us when we're still white-knuckling our issues, trying to figure them out ourselves? Because who here is hard-headed like me? And says, I don't need help. I can do everything on my own. And when things get crazy, I just worry more. I worry more and pray less. [00:29:02] (19 seconds)


So not only are we to surrender our minds to the Lord, but we need to surrender every area of our life to him. Because remember, you can't be kind as surrendered to God, because if you're not fully surrendered to him, can you even surrender to him? You can't really label yourself to him. So every area of our life, if we are truly God's possession, and get this, we are his possession because he bought us with the blood of Jesus, if you know Jesus. [00:30:47] (32 seconds)


So many of us say we would die for our faith, but do we have learned when I became a husband, and then even more so when I became a dad. It's, and this is like, like a lot of men will understand this, and you can raise your hand when I ask you this question. Who here has ever said to themselves or said out loud, I would die for you, die for your family. That's great, and that's wonderful. I'm glad you have that, that sacrificial love. [00:32:08] (26 seconds)


So Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2 reads, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship in the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. So that's the thing. That's the key right there. [00:34:31] (24 seconds)


So we are to communicate with God through prayer and listen for the voice of God in his word. In his scripture, because that is how he speaks to us. Worship in prayer. We can worship in Bible reading and Bible study and serving and all these things, but it can even be as something as simple as loving words or hope-filled conversations with me about Jesus. [00:36:14] (25 seconds)


Yes, we inherited sin, but we also fully were aware of the things we did when we were sinning. Their God's plans brought us salvation. So that right there oversimplified because I'm not the sharpest knife in the door. I'm not the sharpest knife in the door. I'm not the sharpest drawer. Our plans got us here. God's plans brought us salvation. So that tells me that God's plans are a lot better than my plans. [00:38:36] (22 seconds)


God's will, the gospel, Jesus Christ, the cross he died on, is the only way. Live the life we're talking about today. You shouldn't be surrendering to anything else but the one who created you. And that's where idolatry comes into the mix. What are you surrendering to today? Is it your phone, this magical computer? It's like, talking to their crush on Snapchat. I've like been in the middle of a gospel presentation, and they're like this. [00:39:59] (31 seconds)


The power there is just crazy. It's awesome. So yes, I do believe there was a little bit of a bang. God's will was to send Jesus out of heaven into earth, to live a perfect life, to show us the character of God, to be the only one worthy to pay the price for our sins. Because if I, and I've said this before, they're paying their own debt. [00:40:28] (26 seconds)


So help us lay down our arms of our own will, of our own selfish self-righteousness, of our own ways, of our own will, of anything that is standing between us and you. Just help us lay that down and surrender at the foot of the cross. On your soil, according to our only goal, is just be obedient. [00:45:05] (20 seconds)