Recently I was in a meeting and the Lord showed me that to give him what is in my hands is my spiritual act of worship to him. To come with him with open hands offering whatever they might be holding whether its dreams and visions, our children, our ministries, our jobs, our finances, our spouses - whatever is in our hand that we hold onto. We need to be in a place of constant surrender to the Lord daily, for his way, his perfect way, to be allowed to be made manifest in our lives.
Romans 12:1-2 says "Therefore, I urge you brothers in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
The Lord has shown me for some time now that he is taking us into 'new' things. He showed me that I have learnt to dance to the music, to certain songs if you like and have got really good at dancing to those songs, but now he is wanting me (us I believe as a body) to dance to music but to a tune we have not heard before. In that though we don't need to worry because we already know how to dance to the music and so when we hear the new sounds, we will be able to dance to it because he has already taught us how to dance. Its' like we have learnt the steps as say a ballet dancer might learn the basic steps of how to dance but then progresses using those same basic steps as the foundation steps to different pieces. And that is what I believe the Lord is asking.
I believe as a body of Christ, He is asking us to surrender what's in our hand, the way we have been used to doing things, the way it has worked before so that he can bring the new things in our lives, whatever that may look like. Knowing that although its different we can still move through the power of the Holy Spirit into the things he has. To keep in that place of surrender as we don't know how to do it, but the Holy Spirit will teach us all the things that we need to know. That if we keep in the rest and trust of the Lord, that it will work out as He intended, but if we try to work it out, put it into a programme or strategy that we are used to, it will not work and we need to be in constant surrender to the Lord and the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us in the 'new sound' the Lord is wanting to bring.
I recently had another picture where I was sitting in the back of a four wheel drive vehicle and we were on a road that was muddy and slippery, a track that many people had not used before. Jim and I were sitting in the back quite at peace as the drivers maneuvered the road as they were used to it. But as we drove we saw many other vehicles falling off the sides of the road and the ambulance there collecting the many people who had driven off the road, because they weren't used to that sort of road. Many people are used to the highways but are not used to the mud tracks. In this picture the Lord was telling me if we just rest and sit in the passenger seat and let him drive and maneuver the way we will be fine, but if we try to take the steering wheel & be in control, we will come off the road as this is not a road we have travelled before.
We are coming into a season I believe where the road will be a little slippery but if we can surrender what's in our hand to the Lord, trusting in his leading and guiding and knowing the way we are to go, then we will have no problems. So I encourage you today to surrender what is in your hand to the Lord trusting in him that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose (Rom 8). That he knows the plans he has for each one of us, plans to prosper and not to harm, plans to give a hope and a future whatever that may look like in the process. (Jer 29:11) And Eph 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen"
Romans 12:1-2 says "Therefore, I urge you brothers in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
The Lord has shown me for some time now that he is taking us into 'new' things. He showed me that I have learnt to dance to the music, to certain songs if you like and have got really good at dancing to those songs, but now he is wanting me (us I believe as a body) to dance to music but to a tune we have not heard before. In that though we don't need to worry because we already know how to dance to the music and so when we hear the new sounds, we will be able to dance to it because he has already taught us how to dance. Its' like we have learnt the steps as say a ballet dancer might learn the basic steps of how to dance but then progresses using those same basic steps as the foundation steps to different pieces. And that is what I believe the Lord is asking.
I believe as a body of Christ, He is asking us to surrender what's in our hand, the way we have been used to doing things, the way it has worked before so that he can bring the new things in our lives, whatever that may look like. Knowing that although its different we can still move through the power of the Holy Spirit into the things he has. To keep in that place of surrender as we don't know how to do it, but the Holy Spirit will teach us all the things that we need to know. That if we keep in the rest and trust of the Lord, that it will work out as He intended, but if we try to work it out, put it into a programme or strategy that we are used to, it will not work and we need to be in constant surrender to the Lord and the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us in the 'new sound' the Lord is wanting to bring.
I recently had another picture where I was sitting in the back of a four wheel drive vehicle and we were on a road that was muddy and slippery, a track that many people had not used before. Jim and I were sitting in the back quite at peace as the drivers maneuvered the road as they were used to it. But as we drove we saw many other vehicles falling off the sides of the road and the ambulance there collecting the many people who had driven off the road, because they weren't used to that sort of road. Many people are used to the highways but are not used to the mud tracks. In this picture the Lord was telling me if we just rest and sit in the passenger seat and let him drive and maneuver the way we will be fine, but if we try to take the steering wheel & be in control, we will come off the road as this is not a road we have travelled before.
We are coming into a season I believe where the road will be a little slippery but if we can surrender what's in our hand to the Lord, trusting in his leading and guiding and knowing the way we are to go, then we will have no problems. So I encourage you today to surrender what is in your hand to the Lord trusting in him that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose (Rom 8). That he knows the plans he has for each one of us, plans to prosper and not to harm, plans to give a hope and a future whatever that may look like in the process. (Jer 29:11) And Eph 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen"
