I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to be honest about the answer: Do you do what God tells you to do?
How you respond is important. It’s an indicator of how much you’ve surrendered your life to Christ. Not how much you say you’ve surrendered, or how much other people think you’ve surrendered. But how much you actually have surrendered.
Last week my daughter Kylie shocked me by making a decision I didn’t even know she was considering. It was a big, life altering decision. And it was a hard one. When I asked why, she simply said she had prayed about it and felt like it was what God wanted her to do.
So she did it.
I was impressed. Obeying God means you seek His will. Kylie took the time to ask God what He wanted her to do. I don’t have to tell you that not everybody takes the time to ask God for direction. Fewer still listen. Even less obey – especially when obedience is costly.
It’s easy to do what God wants you to do when what He wants is what you would do left to your own devices. It’s another thing altogether when God’s plan A is your plan B (or C or D or E). And that, sweet sisters, is where surrender comes in.
And if you are anything like me, surrender doesn’t always come easily.
When God asks us to do something difficult it takes us out of our comfort zone. It removes our sense of control. It feels scary and uncertain.
And we don’t like those feelings. No sir.
But faith isn’t based on feelings. Faith is built on trust in God and God’s character. Does God really have my best in mind? Is God really in control? Is God good – to me? Does God love me with an unquenchable love? Does God know the best plan for my life?
If we’re convinced of God’s goodness, God’s love and God’s sovereignty, we willingly do what he asks us to do. If we’re not sure He’s good, He’s loving or He’s in control, we don’t. It’s that simple.
Kylie and I chatted awhile about her decision. We both agreed that when we don’t listen and do what God tells us to do, we can become a roadblock, thwarting God’s work in our lives and the lives of those around us.
It’s a sobering thought.
But there’s another aspect to surrender: it leads to peace. Getting to the place of surrender may involve struggle; perhaps even wrestling with God over an issue or two. However, the end result of a life lived God’s way, is a life lived in step with God’s best.
I’ve heard the lightness in Kylie’s voice over the phone the last few days. She’s happier, more content and free. That’s what happens when we stop trying to wiggle free of God’s will and obey.
So I ask you again: Do you do what God tells you to do…
In your parenting?
In your marriage?
In your career?
In your neighborhood?
If the honest answer is “not always” you aren’t alone. But that’s no excuse for you or for me.
Fully surrendered women do what God tells them to do.
