First of all, I
have to give credit where credit is due. While I like using the phrase "surrendering on a case by case basis", but I
did not coin it. I read it in Pastor’s Stanley 6:16 -18. Pastor Stanley said:
“Though God is
sovereign and omnipotent, many believers don’t trust Him to guide them. Instead
they think about obedience on a case-by-case basis, evaluating how the
consequences of various choices might affect their life. But the Lord desires
followers whose lifestyle is submissive—in other words,
people who've made a deliberate decision to surrender to His will in
every circumstance.
When confronted with
the idea of absolute submission, many of us are assaulted by anxious
thoughts: What if the Lord wants me to do something I
can’t? Or, What if I don’t want to do what He asks? We fear
we wouldn't have the strength, wisdom, or faith to carry out commands
He might give. And we’d be right—if we relied upon our own resources. But
if we commit to obedience, God equips us at the right moment to follow where He
leads.”
Last time I posted
about this, I talked more about the surrendered life. Today, I am using the
same quote from Pastor Stanley, but this time to talk about how the surrender
on a case by case basis affects us.
When we
surrender on a case by case basis what we are really doing is living a
Christian life where we fluctuate between God’s plan for our lives and our own
plans. Inwardly, we are unstable we are like those people who practice double
mindedness, and we are also plagued by doubt in Him. (James 1:7-8)
The
consequences of living this double life are unimaginable. It is not like we
will not grow spiritually, but the Holy Spirit is limited to work in us only
when we are on track with His plan. Once we jump on the other side where we
live independently of Him, we are on our own and block the Spirit’s work. Furthermore,
every day becomes a battle of the mind because there is a fight between the
need to live independently according to our own plans and the need to live out God’s
plans. This battle of the mind is ideal for Satan to perform his work and gain
more and more ground to establish himself in your life and influence your
thinking pattern and behaviour.
Another danger
of surrendering on a case by case basis is that you forfeit your daily walk in
the Spirit and replace it with a life of daily illusion and most of the time
you are striving through your own abilities. May God give us the strength we
need to get out of Satan’s claws and place ourselves under His direction and
leading.
