Unity and Surrender: Preparing for God's Miracles

Devotional

Day 1: Unity as a Pathway to God's Wonders

Unity is essential for experiencing the fullness of God's wonders. It requires us to surrender our personal comforts and sins, aligning ourselves with a collective mission. When we are unified, we expose those who resist this mission and embrace the fullness of what God has for us. Unity is not just about being together physically but being of one mind and spirit, working towards a common goal. This unity calls us to let go of our individual desires and embrace a greater purpose. [09:11]

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a relationship or situation in your life where you need to prioritize unity over personal preference? How can you take a step towards fostering unity today?

Day 2: Obedience and Faith in Action

The story of the kings in 2 Kings 3 illustrates the importance of obedience and faith. When the kings found themselves in a desperate situation, they sought God's guidance and were instructed to dig ditches in the valley. This act of obedience, despite seeming counterintuitive, was crucial for their deliverance. It teaches us that God may ask us to act in faith, trusting His promises even when we don't see immediate results. Our willingness to obey and have faith in God's direction can lead to miraculous outcomes. [26:28]

"And Samuel said, 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.'" (1 Samuel 15:22, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area in your life where God is calling you to act in faith and obedience, even if it seems counterintuitive? How can you take a step of faith today?

Day 3: Cultivating Desperation for God's Presence

Our desperation for God determines how we experience His presence. This season calls for us to fast, pray, and seek Him wholeheartedly, creating a spiritual hunger that aligns us with His will. Fasting helps us disconnect from worldly distractions and focus on God, breaking the hold of comfort and sin. It is a time to seek His presence, be filled with His Spirit, and prepare for the miracles He is ready to perform. Our desperation for God should drive us to pursue Him with all our hearts. [28:53]

"As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" (Psalm 42:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: What is one practical way you can create space in your life to cultivate a deeper hunger for God's presence this week?

Day 4: Recognizing Spiritual Exhaustion

There is a difference between physical and spiritual exhaustion. While physical rest is necessary, spiritual exhaustion requires us to seek God's presence for true refreshment and vision. Spiritual exhaustion can occur when we are disconnected from God, relying on our strength rather than His. To overcome this, we must turn to God, seeking His presence and allowing Him to renew our spirits. This renewal brings clarity, vision, and the strength to continue our journey with Him. [22:18]

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29, ESV)

Reflection: Are you experiencing spiritual exhaustion? What steps can you take to seek God's presence and find true rest for your soul today?

Day 5: Trusting in God's Easy Miracles

What seems challenging to us is easy for God. We must remember that we serve the God of the universe, capable of performing miracles and fulfilling His promises effortlessly. Our perspective often limits our understanding of God's power, but He is not bound by our limitations. Trusting in God's ability to perform miracles requires us to let go of our doubts and believe in His promises. When we trust in God's power, we open ourselves to experiencing His miraculous work in our lives. [37:13]

"Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you." (Jeremiah 32:17, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you need to trust God for a miracle? How can you actively choose to trust in His power and promises today?

Sermon Summary

At the heart of today's message is a call to unity and surrender, as we conclude our challenging series. This year, we anticipate a season of wonder, filled with miracles in our lives, marriages, and communities. However, to experience these wonders, we must be unified and surrender more than ever before. Unity is essential, as it exposes those who resist being part of a collective mission. Surrender, on the other hand, is a call to worship, a call to let go of comfort and sin, and to embrace the fullness of what God has for us.

Reflecting on the story from 2 Kings 3, we see the importance of obedience and faith. The kings found themselves in a desperate situation, marching in circles without progress. It was only when they sought God's guidance that they received direction. God instructed them to dig ditches in the valley, promising that water would fill them without wind or rain. This act of obedience and faith was crucial for their deliverance and victory.

In our lives, we must ask ourselves how desperate we are to see God move. Are we willing to put in the hard work, to dig ditches in faith, even when it seems counterintuitive? This season calls for us to grab our spiritual shovels and dig, whether through prayer, inviting others to church, or serving in our community. We must be willing to fight for unity, resist gossip and division, and be faithful in our tithes and offerings.

As we prepare for a deeper service, we are encouraged to fast, disconnecting from the world to create a hunger for God. Fasting helps us focus on God, breaking the hold of worldly distractions and creating a spiritual hunger that aligns us with His will. This is a time to seek His presence, to be filled with His Spirit, and to prepare for the miracles He is ready to perform.

Key Takeaways

1. Unity and Surrender: Unity is crucial for experiencing God's wonders. It exposes those who resist collective mission and calls us to surrender, letting go of comfort and sin to embrace God's fullness. [09:11]
2. Obedience and Faith: The story of the kings in 2 Kings 3 teaches us the importance of obedience and faith. God may ask us to act in faith, like digging ditches, trusting His promises even when we don't see immediate results. [26:28]
3. Desperation for God: Our desperation for God determines how we experience His presence. Are we willing to fast, pray, and seek Him wholeheartedly, creating a spiritual hunger that aligns us with His will? [28:53]
4. Spiritual and Physical Exhaustion: Recognize the difference between physical and spiritual exhaustion. Physical rest is necessary, but spiritual exhaustion requires us to seek God's presence for true refreshment and vision. [22:18]
5. God's Easy Miracles: What seems challenging to us is easy for God. We must remember that we serve the God of the universe, capable of performing miracles and fulfilling His promises effortlessly. [37:13]
** [37:13]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[06:59] - Surviving the Surrender Series
[08:15] - Year of Wonder and Miracles
[09:11] - Unity and Surrender
[10:02] - Strengthening Season
[11:18] - Call to Worship
[12:25] - Living in the End Times
[14:08] - Shift in Message
[15:14] - Story of Jehoshaphat
[17:06] - Clinging to Sin
[19:00] - Three Kings' Dilemma
[21:05] - Physical vs. Spiritual Exhaustion
[23:37] - Turning to God
[26:28] - Digging Ditches in Faith
[28:53] - Desperation and Fasting
[31:16] - Grabbing a Shovel
[37:13] - God's Easy Miracles

Sermon Clips

At the start of 2025, we said that we feel like it's going to be a year of more Wonder. What that means is like we believe it's going to be more miracles than we've ever seen before. And 2024 was filled with some Miracles. We bought a building. I'm so blown away and fascinated by that fact that this small, young church that hadn't been around that long, we own a facility and able to run at the speed in which we want and kind of renovated that facility. [00:08:17]

If you remember, there were two things that need to happen. One is we have to be unified, and two is we have to surrender. We have to be unified more than we've ever been unified before, and we have to surrender more than we've ever surrendered before. I'll never forget a leadership principle that I learned a long time ago. [00:09:00]

There are seasons for us as a church where God is pushing out, like take ground, and we're going to move into one of those Seasons. We're going to push forward. We're going to take ground away from the enemy. We're going to believe God for big things, and we are moving forward to grow both numerically and spiritually. We are going to make a difference. [00:09:47]

The season has been a strengthening season. It's been a call to Unity, a call to Oneness and Harmony. I can tell you when God brings us every single time he does this, he brings us into a call to tighter, stronger unify. It really exposes those who do not want to be unified. Some just actually don't want to come underneath anything. [00:10:04]

The second thing was a call to surrender, which is basically a call to worship. I'll be honest, when you heard me say this, the series is I feel like as we're called To Worship, God's been turning the heat up. When he turns the Heat up, it again exposes you, like, well, I don't really want the heat turned up in my life. [00:11:18]

I believe that God is wanting to pour out his presence. I believe he's wanting to pour out his presence in ways that we've never seen. I'm just telling you my opinion, my thoughts is I truly believe that we are living in the end times. I don't know the day or hour, but I do know the season. [00:12:25]

I hope this place is filled with this presence where people are being healed emotionally, spiritually, and physically, and they're gaining purpose for life. I just want you to understand the season we are in. He's calling us to Unity, and he's calling us to surrender. So again, it's not been a cookie cutter Pat you on the back series, but there's a reason why. [00:13:37]

Jehoshaphat did evil in the eyes of the Lord. What a Sad thing to have written about you in the scriptures. I just wonder if he thought to himself if I knew that that is what was going to be written about my life in the scriptures for all of eternity if he would have chosen to live his life different. [00:15:14]

Sometimes what happens for you and me is we forget there is a book being written about us right now. Our story is being written, and Jehoshaphat can't go change anything in his story. It is done, but you and I can't change chapters in our story. What's happened to us, what we've done, but we can make a choice today to make a different outcome. [00:15:34]

If you're physically exhausted, we need to set up some time to take a vacation. You need to take a day off. You need to take a weekend off, go out to the beach, or go get somewhere where you see some sun. You just need to refresh and recharge. But you got to know the difference because I think sometimes people take a lot of physical vacations yet they never feel refreshed. [00:21:05]

If you're spiritually exhausted, you've been pouring out, the enemy's been attacking, you've been maybe putting some stuff on your shoulders to carry, and it's not something God's told you to carry. He told you to give to him, and your Spirit, the only way to get refreshed and recharged is to get in his presence. [00:22:18]

Make this Valley full of ditches. For thus says the Lord, You shall not see wind nor shall you see rain, yet that Valley shall be filled with water so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink. So here's what God says, make this Valley full of ditches. I want you to dig some ditches. [00:26:28]

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