Blog Layout
Complete Surrender
Andrea Lende • August 1, 2020
Matthew 14:23
Complete Surrender
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Complete-Surrender-ehi0ut
Daily Word:
Matthew 14:23
“But Jesus turned away from Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]; for you are minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.”
Jesus had just told Peter that he was a rock and His church would be built upon him.
Jesus had just said, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven”.
When the Lord had finished telling the disciples that He would have to suffer at the hands of the priests and scribes, Peter said, No.
No, that can’t happen to You.
No, I won’t let that happen to You.
Jesus recognized that the enemy had taken hold of Peter for a moment and so rebuked him.
How quickly the enemy can get a hold on people.
Even with the disciples when they were in the presence of Christ.
I have read this verse so many times, and yet, this is the first time I really saw it this way.
I am convicted of needing to be more watchful about the enemy ruling my emotions.
I am also convicted of surrendering completely to the Lord in every way.
Only He can hold me up.
Only He can fill me with His Holy Spirit so that I can remain His.
I also need to be more careful about how I perceive others and God’s plan for their lives.
There was no question that Jesus knew His mission was to die on the cross, but Peter did not want to see his Teacher and Lord crucified.
Peter couldn’t imagine this kind of torture for his friend, mentor, and master.
I’m sure we would have had no different a response than Peter.
So how do we rise above these feelings and emotions?
The answer I have is prayer, complete surrender, and diligence.
I pray the Lord leads and guides me completely as I navigate this world and that He will rule my mind, emotions, and spirit.
Today I choose to be more diligent in determining where my thoughts and emotions are coming from and completely surrender to the Lord.
May you find that as you surrender to the Lord’s guiding, you will be led by the True God in your mind and emotions.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for leading me to be watchful over my emotions and making sure that You are guiding them instead of the enemy. Thank You for showing me that the enemy is constantly seeking to disrupt me from Your perfect plan. Help me seek You diligently, Father. Help me seek Your Word and listen to Your whispers over the constant cries and noise of this world. Thank You for choosing me to be Yours, Lord. I pray You keep me Yours until it is time for me to join You in heaven. Please do not let me succumb to my fears and temptations. Strengthen me so that I do not sin and hurt others, Father. Forgive me for my shortcomings and failures. May You put Your desires into my heart so that I do as You command me. Help me completely surrender to You and Your will, Father. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you, My child, and am helping you do all that I have for you to do.
Response: Thank You Almighty and merciful Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.