[Faith-talk] A Great Article

Wed Jul 26 03:12:06 UTC 2017

thank you for the article. very true indeed

On 7/25/2017 6:52 AM, Linda Mentink via Faith-Talk wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I received this in my inBox this morning, and thought I'd share it 
> with you.  I hope it will encourage you and confirm you in your faith 
> in God.
>
> Blessings,
>
> LindaKnowing God's Will Requires Surrender
> July 25, 2017
> The following is from the ONE-YEAR DISCIPLESHIP COURSE
>
> ISBN 978-1-58318-117-1.  This powerful course features 52 lessons in 
> Christian living.  It can be broken into sections and used as a new 
> converts' course, a discipleship course, a Sunday School series, a 
> Home Schooling or Bible Institute course, or for preaching outlines.  
> The lessons are thorough and practical. There is an extensive memory 
> verse program built into the course, and each lesson features 
> carefully designed review questions. Following are some of the lesson 
> titles: Repentance, Faith, the Gospel, Baptism, Eternal Security, 
> Position and Practice, the Law and Grace, Christian Growth and 
> Spiritual Victory, Prayer, the Armor of God, the Church, the Bible, 
> the Bible's Proof, Daily Bible Study, Key Principles of Bible 
> Interpretation, Foundational Bible Words, Knowing God's Will, Making 
> Wise Decisions, Christ's Great Commission, Suffering in the Christian 
> Life, The Judgment Seat of Christ, Separation - Moral, Separation - 
> Doctrinal,
> Tests of Entertainment, Fasting, Miracles, a Biblical Testing Mindset, 
> Tongues Speaking, the Rapture, How to Be Wise with Your Money, the 
> Believer and Drinking, Abortion, Evolution, and Dressing for the 
> Lord.  8.5X11, coated cover, spiral-bound.  221 pages.
> ____________
>
> "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye 
> present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, 
> which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: 
> but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove 
> what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 
> 12:1-2).
>
> Knowing God's will begins with surrender of myself as a living 
> sacrifice to serve Christ.
>
> This refers to full surrender.  A sacrifice doesn't have its own will 
> and plans.  It is dead to self and alive only to God.  But the large 
> percentage of Christians surrender only partially.  They reserve 
> portions of their lives out of bounds for God.  They say they want to 
> do God's will, but they aren't willing to go wherever He leads and do 
> whatever He wants, without reserve.  They don't put everything on the 
> table before God.  They wouldn't dream of surrendering to such an 
> extent that they are ready to leave their job, their property, their 
> families, their friends.  Large numbers of people have told me that 
> they are desperate to find a sound church, but they aren't willing to 
> relocate for that purpose.  The bottom line is that they aren't fully 
> surrendered to God's will. He has made it perfectly clear in His Word 
> that the church is to be preeminent in the believer's life (Acts 2:42; 
> 1 Tim.  3:15; Heb.  10:25).  They are surrendered with part of
> the heart, not the whole heart.  I don't know how many times people 
> have told me that they couldn't dream of serving God in a place like 
> Nepal.  There are few laborers in the Lord's great harvest fields 
> because so few have surrendered unreservedly.
>
> Surrender is a free-will decision.  God does not force us to be saved, 
> and He does not force us to devote our lives wholly to Him after 
> salvation.  He wants us to do this from a willing heart. Thus, there 
> are hard choices that must be made for those who want to know God's 
> will.  I must choose to dedicate myself to Christ rather than to the 
> pursuit of selfish desires.  I must deny the flesh and pursue the 
> Spirit.  Most people devote their lives to money, pleasure, ease, 
> comfort, security, prestige, and such things.  The child of God has 
> the privilege of pursuing a higher calling.
>
> Surrender is a decision that is motivated by God's love.  We love God 
> because He first loved us.  We do not pursue the will of God in order 
> to be saved; we pursue it because we are saved and we want to please 
> the One who has saved us by His grace through the great price that was 
> paid on Calvary.
>
> Surrender is a reasonable decision.  It is reasonable because knowing 
> and serving God is the purpose of life (Ecclesiastes 12:13).  It is 
> reasonable because life apart from God's will is vanity.  That is the 
> theme of the book of Ecclesiastes.  If I use my life for anything 
> other than God's service, I am throwing it away.  It is also 
> reasonable to dedicate my life to Christ because God's will brings 
> great reward (Hebrews 11:24-27).  A missionary who was later martyred 
> once said, "A man is not unwise to give up that which he cannot keep 
> to gain that which he cannot lose."
>
> Surrender is a personal decision.  Young people are often deeply 
> concerned about what other young people are thinking and doing. There 
> is "peer pressure," but if I want to know God's will I must move 
> beyond that and focus my attention on pleasing God alone.
>
> Surrender is also a daily decision.  Dedicating myself to the Lord's 
> will is not something that can be done once; it must be done 
> repeatedly.  Many times a person will get fired up at a church meeting 
> or a summer camp or a Bible conference, and he or she will surrender 
> to the Lord's will, but due to the pressures of life and spiritual 
> warfare this decision can fade away if it is not renewed daily.
>
>
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