We continue our focus on finding and fulfilling God’s will for our lives. Yesterday we laid a foundation around transformation by the renewing of the mind. Today I want to press further into the heart of the matter. One of the greatest temptations in this age is busyness. It dulls our passion for the things of God and fills our days with many different activities. Yet God has a plan and a design for each of us. The greatest and happiest life you can live is the one grounded in His Word and lived out in His will.
**As it is written in Romans 12:1-2**, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Paul begins with a powerful appeal based on the mercies of God. He calls us to present our bodies—our whole being—as a living sacrifice. This is where God’s will starts. Not with specific locations or occupations or relationships. Those are the fruit, not the root. God’s will begins with surrender. You put yourself on the altar before the Lord. You lay down your life.
Our spirit has already been made new. In our spirit we carry the righteousness and nature of God. Yet in our soul most of us still carry stinky thinking. I recognize this in my own life right now. God is challenging me most strongly in the area of impatience with people. I move quickly, and at times I catch myself ready to be rude when someone slows me down. Recently at the gym I had to pull back, apologize, and ask the Lord to help me. I need to submit my soul to the Spirit of God so that the fruit of the Spirit—patience—can flow into that area of my life. God keeps bringing situations that require patience so I can practice it and possess my soul in patience.
**As it is written in Jeremiah 10:23**, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”
The way God has for us is not something we can figure out from within ourselves. We need to be led by the Spirit. We need to walk in the Spirit so we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Many of us have surrendered our lives to God to one degree or another. Yet the challenge is partial surrender. We sing “All to Jesus I surrender,” but we often keep back portions of our lives where we want to maintain control. I have faced this personally. There have been seasons when the Lord challenged me about giving away everything financially and following Him completely. In my teenage years and late twenties it felt easier because I had little to lose.
A couple of years ago the Lord challenged me again. This time I owned three debt-free houses, had cars, retirement savings, and investments. I realized I no longer wanted to go back to the simplicity of earlier years. The real question was not whether I would give everything away right then, but whether I was willing to surrender the management and control over my resources. Would I give the Lord the deciding vote? I had to come to the place where I could truly say yes without reservation.
**As it is written in Psalm 37:23**, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”
God has a delightful path for every one of us. He orders our steps as we walk in surrender. When we truly lay down our own will and desires, clarity comes. So often we ask God to show us His will while still holding onto our own preferences. We mix the two and struggle to discern which voice is ours and which is His. The only way to know for certain is to turn off our own desires through surrender. Eliminate self. Then His will becomes clear.
I remember the story of Eric Liddell, the Scottish missionary to China. In the 1924 Olympics he refused to run on Sunday, even though it cost him his best event. He said that when he ran, he felt God’s pleasure. The most pleasurable life, the best life you will ever live, flows from living grounded in the Word of God and fulfilling His will.
Surrender is the starting place. Sacrifice by definition means laying down your life for God and for others. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. When we look at God’s will through the lens of our own plans and desires, we miss the heart of it. But when we come in true surrender, saying “Not my will but Yours be done,” then we begin to perceive clearly what God has for us.
I will continue this teaching tomorrow. For today, consider the areas where you may be holding back. Are there compartments of your life where you still want the controlling vote? True surrender releases us into the glorious life God has designed. It leads us from searching into doing. It positions us to prove His good, acceptable, and perfect will.
Selah.
**Scriptures for Study:** Romans 12:1-2, Jeremiah 10:23, Psalm 37:23, Romans 6:13, Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:14, Galatians 5:16, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 32:8, Isaiah 30:21, John 10:27, Ephesians 5:17, Colossians 1:9-10, Philippians 2:13, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 8:28-30, Ephesians 2:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Micah 6:8, James 1:5, Proverbs 16:9, Hebrews 10:36, 1 Peter 4:2, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Timothy 1:9.
**10 Questions for Reflection:**
1. In what areas of my life am I still holding back control instead of fully surrendering?
2. How does my daily impatience or busyness reveal areas where my soul needs transformation?
3. What would true surrender look like regarding my finances and possessions right now?
4. Where am I mixing my own desires with God’s will and struggling for clarity?
5. How consistently do I present myself as a living sacrifice each day?
6. In what situations has God been bringing repeated opportunities for me to practice surrender?
7. Do my steps feel ordered by the Lord, or am I still directing my own path?
8. What fears arise when I consider giving God the deciding vote over my resources?
9. How can I cultivate greater patience and other fruit of the Spirit through surrender?
10. What practical step of surrender can I take this week to move closer to God’s perfect will?
