Surrendering to God: Embracing Transformation and Love

Devotional

Day 1: Living Sacrifices and Renewed Minds

To live as a living sacrifice means to offer every part of ourselves to God, holding nothing back. This act of surrender is not a one-time event but a daily commitment to align our lives with God's will. Romans 12:1-2 calls us to present our bodies as living sacrifices and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This transformation is essential for understanding and living out God's will, which is good, acceptable, and perfect. By allowing the Holy Spirit to renew our minds, we can resist conforming to the world and its temptations. This renewal helps us to see life from God's perspective, enabling us to make choices that honor Him.

The process of renewing our minds involves immersing ourselves in God's Word and allowing it to shape our thoughts and actions. As we meditate on Scripture, the Holy Spirit works within us to change our desires and priorities. This transformation is not always easy, but it is necessary for spiritual growth. When we surrender our lives to God and allow Him to renew our minds, we experience a deeper understanding of His will and a greater ability to live in obedience to Him. [01:00]

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV): "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. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to surrender more fully to God? How can you begin to renew your mind in this area through Scripture and prayer?

Day 2: Overcoming Worldly Temptations

Worldly temptations such as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life can easily lead us astray. These temptations are powerful distractions that can hinder our spiritual growth and pull us away from God's will. The lust of the flesh involves excessive desires for physical pleasures, while the lust of the eyes is about materialism and envy. The pride of life is any ambition that puts us before God. To combat these temptations, we must immerse ourselves in Scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us.

2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that all Scripture is inspired by God and is beneficial for teaching, rebuke, correction, and training in righteousness. By immersing ourselves in God's Word, we can see the futility of worldly desires and focus on what truly matters: our relationship with God and our service to others. The Holy Spirit empowers us to overcome these temptations and live a life that honors God. As we grow in our understanding of Scripture, we become more equipped to resist the pull of the world and stay focused on our spiritual journey. [02:00]

1 John 2:15-16 (ESV): "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world."

Reflection: Identify a specific temptation you struggle with. How can you use Scripture to combat this temptation and refocus your heart on God?

Day 3: Commandment to Love

Jesus commands us to love one another as He loves us. This love is not optional but a divine mandate. When we see people through Jesus' eyes, we develop a supernatural love that transcends our human limitations. John 15:12-15 emphasizes the importance of loving one another as Jesus loves us. This love is sacrificial, selfless, and unconditional. It requires us to put others' needs before our own and to serve them with humility and grace.

Loving others as Jesus loves us means seeing them as valuable and worthy of love, regardless of their actions or circumstances. It means extending grace and forgiveness, even when it is difficult. This kind of love is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit working within us. As we grow in our relationship with God, we become more capable of loving others in this way. This love is a powerful witness to the world and a reflection of God's love for us. [08:02]

John 15:12-15 (ESV): "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."

Reflection: Think of someone in your life who is difficult to love. How can you begin to see them through Jesus' eyes and extend His love to them today?

Day 4: Trusting God's Timing

Trusting God requires letting go of our conditions and expectations. The story of Lazarus teaches us that God's timing is perfect, even when it doesn't align with our own. Mary and Martha were disappointed in Jesus' timing, but His delay was purposeful, demonstrating His resurrection power. Trusting God means believing that His plans and timing are perfect, even when we don't understand them. It requires us to surrender our desires and expectations and to trust that God is working for our good.

When we trust God's timing, we experience peace and contentment, knowing that He is in control. This trust allows us to navigate life's challenges with confidence, knowing that God is with us and that He has a plan for our lives. Trusting God also means being patient and waiting on His timing, even when it is difficult. It requires us to have faith that God knows what is best for us and that He will provide for our needs in His perfect timing. [13:59]

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV): "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."

Reflection: Think of a situation in your life where you are struggling to trust God's timing. How can you surrender your expectations and trust that God's timing is perfect?

Day 5: Benefits of Trusting God

Trusting God brings numerous benefits, including straight paths, blessings, flourishing, and peace. When we trust God, we can navigate life's challenges with joy and contentment, knowing that He is in control. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and to lean not on our own understanding. When we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will make our paths straight. This trust allows us to experience the fullness of God's blessings and to flourish in our spiritual journey.

Trusting God also brings peace, even in difficult seasons. When we trust that God is in control and that He is working for our good, we can face challenges with confidence and hope. This trust allows us to experience joy and contentment, knowing that God is with us and that He has a plan for our lives. Trusting God is a daily commitment that requires us to surrender our fears and anxieties and to place our faith in His promises. [20:47]

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find it difficult to trust God? How can you begin to trust Him more fully in this area and experience His peace and blessings?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Good morning, everyone. Today, I want to build on Pastor Brent's message about "Embracing the Fire" by discussing how we can be "Surrendered and Anointed." We began by reflecting on Romans 12:1-2, which calls us to present our bodies as living sacrifices and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This transformation is essential to understanding and living out God's will, which is good, acceptable, and perfect.

We then explored 1 John 2:15-16, which warns us against loving the world and its temptations: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These worldly desires can easily lead us astray, but through the Holy Spirit, we can overcome them. The lust of the flesh involves excessive desires, whether for food, drink, or other physical needs. The lust of the eyes is about materialism and envy, and the pride of life is any ambition that puts us before God.

To combat these temptations, we must allow our minds to be renewed by the Holy Spirit, moving from worldliness to spirituality. 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that all Scripture is inspired by God and is beneficial for teaching, rebuke, correction, and training in righteousness. Immersing ourselves in God's Word helps us to see the futility of worldly desires and to focus on what truly matters: our relationship with God and our service to others.

John 15:12-15 emphasizes the importance of loving one another as Jesus loves us. This love is not optional; it is a commandment. When we see people as Jesus sees them, we develop a supernatural love for them, which manifests in various ways depending on our gifts and callings.

Surrendering to God requires sacrifice, courage, and trust. Trusting God means letting go of our conditions and expectations and believing that His timing and plans are perfect, even when we don't understand them. The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead illustrates this point beautifully. Mary and Martha were disappointed in Jesus' timing, but His delay was purposeful, demonstrating His resurrection power.

Finally, trusting God brings numerous benefits, including straight paths, blessings, flourishing, and peace. When we trust God, we can navigate life's challenges with joy and contentment, knowing that He is in control.

###

Key Takeaways

1. Living Sacrifices and Renewed Minds: Presenting our bodies as living sacrifices and renewing our minds through the Holy Spirit allows us to understand and live out God's perfect will. This transformation helps us to resist conforming to the world and its temptations. [01:00]
2. Overcoming Worldly Temptations: The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are powerful distractions. By immersing ourselves in Scripture and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, we can overcome these temptations and focus on what truly matters. [02:00]
3. Commandment to Love: Jesus commands us to love one another as He loves us. This love is not optional but a divine mandate. When we see people through Jesus' eyes, we develop a supernatural love that transcends our human limitations. [08:02]
4. Trusting God's Timing: Trusting God requires letting go of our conditions and expectations. The story of Lazarus teaches us that God's timing is perfect, even when it doesn't align with our own. Trusting Him brings peace and demonstrates His power in our lives. [13:59]
5. Benefits of Trusting God: Trusting God brings numerous benefits, including straight paths, blessings, flourishing, and peace. This trust allows us to navigate life's challenges with joy and contentment, knowing that God is in control and working for our good. [20:47]
### [20:47]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Embracing the Fire: Surrendered and Anointed
[01:00] - Living Sacrifices and Renewed Minds
[02:00] - Overcoming Worldly Temptations
[03:00] - Lust of the Flesh and Eyes
[04:00] - The Pride of Life
[05:30] - Transforming Our Minds
[06:00] - The Power of Scripture
[07:00] - Surrender and Obedience
[08:02] - Commandment to Love
[09:35] - Surrender Requires Sacrifice
[10:04] - Trusting God's Timing
[12:42] - Conditional Trust
[13:59] - The Story of Lazarus
[15:08] - Faith and Trust
[16:08] - Navigating Life's Challenges
[17:20] - Joy and Contentment
[18:35] - Trusting God in Difficult Seasons
[19:39] - Encouragement and Support
[20:47] - Benefits of Trusting God
[21:58] - Struggling with Trust
[23:13] - Identity in Christ
[24:24] - Prayer and Closing

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to Romans 12:1-2, what are we urged to present to God, and what transformation should occur in our minds?
In 1 John 2:15-16, what are the three worldly temptations mentioned, and why are they significant?
How does John 15:12-15 describe the nature of Jesus' commandment to love one another? What does this imply about our relationships with others? [08:02]

Interpretation Questions

What does it mean to present our bodies as living sacrifices, and how does this relate to resisting worldly temptations? [01:00]
How can the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life distract us from our spiritual journey? [02:00]
Why is it important to see people as Jesus sees them, and how does this perspective change our interactions with others? [08:33]
How does trusting God's timing, as illustrated in the story of Lazarus, challenge our own expectations and conditions? [13:59]

Application Questions

Reflect on your daily life: In what ways can you present your body as a living sacrifice to God? Are there specific habits or practices you need to change to align more closely with this calling? [01:00]
Identify a recent situation where you were tempted by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life. How did you respond, and what could you do differently next time to overcome these temptations? [02:00]
Think of someone in your life who is difficult to love. How can you begin to see them through Jesus' eyes and develop a supernatural love for them? What practical steps can you take this week to show them love? [08:33]
Recall a time when you were disappointed with God's timing. How did you handle it, and what did you learn from that experience? How can you apply this lesson to a current situation where you are waiting on God? [13:59]
Trusting God brings numerous benefits, including peace and joy. What specific area of your life do you need to trust God more fully? How can you start to let go of your conditions and expectations in this area? [20:47]
How can you immerse yourself more in Scripture to renew your mind and resist worldly desires? What specific plan can you implement to make Bible reading a consistent part of your daily routine? [06:00]
Reflect on a recent challenge you faced. How did you navigate it, and what role did your trust in God play? How can you strengthen your trust in God for future challenges? [17:20]

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "When you find Jesus and you find the purpose for your life, those things start to dissipate. They get lower and lower. And you just start to rise in God and they don't become important to you. So when you're journeying with God, listen, if you don't know Jesus this morning, it's a really cool thing. Because as you journey with God and you start to see yourself in life and who you are, all these things, the lust that the world throws us start to drop away and you start saying, that's not important to me anymore." [06:30] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Surrender requires sacrifice. Sacrifice requires courage. Courage requires trust. I'm going to say that one more time. Surrender requires sacrifice. Sacrifice requires courage. Courage requires trust. Trusting the God with, trusting the Lord with our lives through faith to believe is a big deal. And we sometimes we play it down and go, yeah, yeah, I trust God. But what I want to talk about today as we're going is I want to show you as we trust God the benefits of when we're really let go and trust God and how it really is very fruitful for our lives." [09:35] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Trusting in God is actually really really vital because it'll shift that element of your life where you bed yourself down with God it's like putting your foot on a rock and say no matter what it's going to be okay because I can trust in you what happens in life sometimes I call it conditional trust and we do it a lot as Christians and in life we say well Lord if I'm going to do this this way you need to do it that way so if I'm going to move over here then you need to meet me and do it with me because this is what I require of you." [12:42] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Faith is trusting when it doesn't make sense. We don't always understand it. It doesn't always make sense. And that's why in life it talks about the Lord making our path straight. Because if we're honest, our paths are like this a lot. We're zigzagging. We're going all over the place because God's saying, let's go this way. He goes, sure. But I think it looks like this, or I think it looks like that. Let's go over here, God. This is pretty good. Yeah, no, I'm still over here on the straight path." [15:08] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Joy, the best way of looking at joy, it's responding to an external circumstance with an inner. In other words, everything's changing. I don't feel happy about it, but there's an inner contentment for us. And it's choosing to trust in the Holy Spirit when we're going through it. Galatians 5.22, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fruitfulness. So all of these things need to be operating in our life all the time." [18:35] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "To fully surrender requires obedience and courage, and it really does. People tell me all the time, you know, I've given that to God. Listen, I get people all the time saying, I've really given that to God. But then they tell me about their problem a year later but it doesn't worry me anymore. But when you keep talking about the problem a year later, you haven't given it to God. Yeah? Because basically you're still holding it, and you've got to learn to give it away and to give back to God and say, I'm not going to hold that because it'll just damage you long term. It's not good for you." [07:31] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "When you're trusting in him, and part of what you're going through, and when things don't seem to be going well, you're going to have to trust him. And when you're trusting in him, you've got to step back and you go, I'm going to trust you. So I'm going to tell you how to trust in God, some of these in two seconds. But trust in him when you don't understand. Trust in him when you're going through disappointment, when you're going through bad breaks, when things don't seem to be falling apart. Trust in him. Trust him when you don't understand. Trust him when you're living worried, or you're living worried about stuff." [16:08] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Sometimes we can go, we can get bitter, or we can get better. And it's just life in general. And I always look at it, I've learned in my life that bitterness, is not God. And I've learned, how do I honor God? When I'm going through the things that don't make sense, I just come back before God and say, Lord, I don't understand, but I'm going to trust you again. And I'm going to believe that you're going to shift the situation that I have no control over. And I know for a lot of you here, sometimes we have no control over situations, but we've got to believe God that he's moving in those." [17:20] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "If you speak into people of who they are in Christ, remind people who they are, it'll shift something in their heart because everyone's wanting to be acknowledged. And it's back and all we're doing is actually reminding them who they are in God and they can trust God. All right, last bit here. If we surrender through trusting God, and what I've done is got a whole lot of verses here and I've put them all together in one line. So I can tell you, the benefits of when we trust God, it's pretty cool. I like the benefits." [20:47] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Some of you are struggling with trust in God, because you've gone through some stuff, and you're lowering it, you're putting it into a box that makes sense to your mind and your emotions and who you are. You've got to let God get hold of the box you put it in and unwind it, because it's really unhealthy for your moment. At the moment, you're struggling with your relationship with God, and the Lord wants to remind you who you are. You are beautifully and wonderfully made. You have been desired God. You are high, you are called to be God, to be a walking with Jesus, that you carry something that's special." [21:58] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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