Walking Daily with God: A Journey of Surrender

I wasn't there to show support. I was there to get support. It was wonderful. I didn't even know. I would have not known if I hadn't gone to. I never got over the entrance to the train, and they had people lined up on the sidewalk, and when you came through, they were cheering that you were there, cheering like you had just won the Super Bowl. Fly, Eagles, fly. [00:55:59]

I'm saying that Celebrate Recovery is not for them. It's for us. I'm just giving you permission to think about it differently. I would hear a lot of times people say, well, those people that come. I'm like, quit. It's not us and them. It's us. So this is not an intimidation, but it is an invitation. [00:56:27]

There's a slide here that says daily inventory, and the idea is that once we begin the walk with God, we want to continue the walk with God, and it is a daily walk with God. Really, it's a moment-by-moment walk with God, and so I want you to remember, so I bought my walking stick. [00:57:53]

And here's what Jesus said on the night of His betrayal. He said to Pete, Jim, and John—you know, they were His closest mates there. He said, keep, watch, and pray. He's basically saying, you're going to need to lean in. [01:00:26]

And so this is the word that Jesus gave to his closest disciples and certainly he intended it also for us so the daily walk a vigilance what's the default of your life in other words there are things we have to do we have to take care of each other we have to look at the time of day we have to keep a business. [01:01:50]

But the idea is that we need examination, and we need self-examination, but we need the great physician to do the examination. This is this passage, Psalm 139, 23, and 24. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. [01:03:20]

What is the Psalmist saying here? He's admitted, Matthew 5 verse 3 blessed are the poor in spirit that's what he's admitting what is poor in spirit the person who is poor in spirit is blessed because they confess they cannot save themselves they can't ultimately help themselves they can't save themselves they can't and in this passage what he is saying is he's saying what he can't do he's saying what God can do I can't search myself I don't know my own heart I don't know my anxious thoughts but I know who does and so he surrenders himself to God for the examination this is not a yearly thing this is not even a daily thing it's a moment by moment idea where we live asking the Lord to search us and know us I pray these patches here probably as much as any passage I just catch myself crying out search me O God and know my heart and you know what I found he'll take you up on that prayer and that's a wonderful thing [01:04:54]

And the meaning of prayer is that we get a hold of God, not answers to prayer. I mean, answers to prayer is like the fruit of prayer, but it's not the meaning of prayer. And I think sometimes we've forgotten that. I have a prayer list. I was praying it at 5 .45 this morning. I'm for a prayer list, but I want you to know, I let God know almost every time I pray, Lord, I got my list, but I know the real reason I'm praying is because I need to know you. I need to get a hold of you today, and I need you especially to get a hold of me. [01:19:16]

And so that's the purpose of the daily walk is that we will be his, that he will own us, that he will possess us as his own. And the second possession is that we'll be holy. And that is that we will be filled with his holy presence, with his Holy Spirit. We'll be possessed by God. [01:25:15]

We are not merely followers of Jesus. We are carriers of Jesus. We are possessed by Jesus. And I know the look they gave me was not about me. And I knew in that moment Jesus wanted to wear me into that funeral. [01:27:24]

Celebrate Recovery gave me permission to say that out loud in front of folk. Because I found someone that's greater than even depression. And sometimes he answers your prayer, no. But he adds it instead. You know that, don't you? In the Bible, Paul prayed that the Lord would remove the thorn from his flesh. And God said, no. Instead, my grace is enough. My grace is sufficient. [01:28:51]

Please come and be near to us. And help us to trust you in ways that we didn't know how before. I pray this morning, if there's anyone here that doesn't walk with you, I pray that today, they will turn from sin and turn to you. That they will turn from darkness and turn to light. [01:29:21]