Well, let’s fill in that blank that we left off with! If you have gone through the coaching process with us then you can fill in that blank for yourself. It is a word that is tough to get out and if you paid attention to the tittle of this blog you can see where I am heading with all this.
Let’s recap….our Flesly strategies (patterns, coping mechanisms etc…) will always lead us into trials & adversity. As Dr. Phil says, “How’s that working for you?”. The reason why he asks that question is to get the person to realize that their coping strategy doesn’t work and only makes things worse – a.k.a. more trials & adversity! Those trials soon bring us to a place of brokenness that we discussed last time. This week we will see how that brokenness pushes us over the edge to surrender – complete abandonment. I like the term abandonment because it reminds me just how serious it is that I completely let go of my Flesly ways/patterns and the False Beliefs that fuel that behavior.
What is Abandonment or Surrender? Here are a few points to consider….
1. Surrender is yielding self-will, one’s independence from God, or one’ own way of trying to control life, to the Life of Christ within.
2. Surrender is to relax and cease from our internal struggle to satisfy our neediness by self-reliance and self-effort. Ps. 46:10, John 15:4-5, Heb. 4:10
3. Surrender is ongoing. We choose surrender regardless of our emotions. We surrender ourselves-our life-to God’s control.
4. Surrender is not by efforts to put away old ways-flesh patterns.
5. Surrender is not passivity. It is ceasing from our own works.
6. Surrender is like focusing on (setting our mind on) learning a new language (truth). The mind that is set on the Spirit is life and peace. Rom. 8:5 Set your mind on things above. Col. 3:2 It is to have one’s mind “set like a flint” on the Lord. Isaiah 50:7
7. Surrender is “to faith” – to intimately focus on the Spirit and truth, depending on the Lord.
8. Surrender is “faithing” as an ongoing process of choices which are, often moment by moment disciplines.
9. Surrender is to delight ourselves in the Lord and commit our way to Him. (To delight in the Hebrew meanse to be bendable, pliable.) Ps. 37:4
10. Surrender is warfare.
11. Surrender is HUMILITY.
Consider today absolute abandonment to the Abba Father – Daddy who loves you with His unfailing love. With surrender usually comes great relief.
Dana