Heart Journey, 126-130

It is in the day by day full surrender to God that leads us to a victorious life in Christ. Take time to surrender completely to God each day. For full surrender to God, here are seven steps we can take daily.

Dear Father: 
I surrender my family and friends. I do not give up on them; I simply surrender them to the will of God so that even if their wills conflict with the Father’s will, I will do only that which God calls me to do. 

I surrender my ambitions, my job, my career, my future. This means that I am willing to go anywhere that He wants me to go and to take on any tasks that He wants me to take on. 

I surrender my reputation, what people think of me and say about me. I need to be willing to care more about what God thinks of me than what any person thinks of me. 

I surrender my pocketbook, my possessions, all that I claim is mine. I am willing not only to tithe, but to give to God control over 100% of what I have. Then I can say that I no longer own anything but am the steward of God’s possessions. Everything that I have is His. 

I surrender my social life. I surrender my recreations, my pleasures, my amusements, as well as all of my relationships. 

I surrender my daily schedule. I give God not only my days and hours, but my total life and all of my time. 

Most important, I surrender my will, my very self. And if I can do this, then I don’t have to worry about the first six steps. This one step takes in all the other 

God will refresh us with His resurrection power to help us love again. 

It allows oneself to die but gives life to those who are loved. 

Mature love is a gift to us and the ones that we love. 

Mature love is a gift given back to Jesus that He first gave to you. 

Mature love exists for building the kingdom of God and glorifying Jesus. 

Mature love does not hold on, but learns to let go of the person that is loved. 

Mature loves treasures affection, but does not depend on it. 

The ability to love in a mature way grows as our love for Jesus matures. 

We love best when we admit our helplessness to love, and are constantly calling on the Holy Spirit to teach us and empower us. 

Love is calm and not agitated. 
Love is not afraid. 
Love is power and gives power to all who are loved. 
Love has vision about the heart of God. 
Love sees things about the loved one that they themselves cannot see. 
Love desires closeness but not the loss of uniqueness or individuality. 
Love rejoices in intimacy but does not demand it. 
Love serves and serves and serves and serves and serves. 
Love surrenders itself for the good of the loved one. 
Love’s greatest joy is giving everything away for the good of the loved one. 

Love loves others more than itself. 
Love finds its home in those who are loved. 
Love reaches out with all its being and constantly finds new ways to express itself. 
Love is a unique and priceless treasure with millions of names and faces. 
Love draws in and receives and does not push away. 
Love creates new life and helps others give new life. 
Love maintains hope despite circumstances. 
Love must be received. 
Love does not hold onto past wrongs or hurts. 
Love makes dreams real in the hearts of others. 

Love grows; then, love comes and stays. 
Love protects, shelters, cares for and treasures the loved one. 
Love brings light to the darkness of others. 
Love makes a way for the defeated and the forgotten. 
Love makes one feel like the most important person in the world. 
Love carries and shares burdens and does not make more of them. 
Love helps someone to reach their abilities and makes them even greater than ever before. 
Love has resurrection power. 
Love suffers and still believes. 
Love makes the dead alive. 
Love is compassionate, not cold or indifferent. 

Love is focused on the wellbeing of the loved one. 
Love thinks good of others and not evil. 
Love is passionate about the life of love. 
Love is realistic about the one who is loved. 
Love gives strength and caresses weakness. 
Love is confident about the power of love. 
Love is free but has the greatest cost to those who desire it. 
Love obeys to give honor to the loved one and worship to Jesus. 
Love is the greatest possession which cannot be earned. 
Love makes an appeal but does not assert a right. 
Love is not harsh or abusive. Love is a need that will bring life and death to everyone. 
Love is not controlling but gives freedom and joy. 

We love ourselves because God made us to serve and love Him. We love ourselves because it allows God to touch us. If we say that we are junk, we push back the grace of God in our lives. God doesn’t make junk. We need to accept ourselves the way God made us and then God will use us to change the world. Junk can’t change the world. When we accept the Jesus in us, then we are accepting God ourselves. 

Satan tells us a lie, “I’m such a sinner that You can’t help me.” The devil wants us to feel unacceptable. The devil’s theme is that you are unacceptable to God because you cannot be as holy as He wants you to be. The truth is that I’m acceptable and accepted by God because He made me and wants me to be here now. Jesus suffered and died for you and because of this, “He said I accept you just as you are.” Because He accepts you, you can accept yourself. On the cross, He stretched out His arms to accept us. 

We have a hope and a future because God made us good. I am good because Jesus lives in me and God sees Jesus in me. We are good enough because Jesus lives in us. Go for excellence, be crazy about loving Him. Make God happy and love Jesus with all your heart. Love Jesus with all your strength and everything you have. DARE to love Jesus with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. 

The Father wants to see Jesus in you. Your destiny is to live for Jesus, love Jesus, and change lives. We have an eternal touch because we are eternal beings. Sometimes we say that God ripped us off because we don’t have many talents. The greatest talent we could have is to love God and give away the light and the love of Jesus Christ. 

We need to accept ourselves so He can reveal Himself. We need to acknowledge our need for Jesus so that God can fill us. We need to accept ourselves because God loves us. We need to accept ourselves because it helps us to accept others. The crucified Jesus cried out not guilty, saved, redeemed, resurrected, accepted for each one of us. 

Ask God to help us accept what He has done for us. Can we live our lives as forgiven and loved? Can we dare believe that His promises are true for us? Are we just survivors or can we change the world with His love? Has He saved His best for us or are we just an afterthought? When we accept ourselves, we have peace and we are open to what God has for us. We are God’s beautiful creation. We are eternal people, accepted by God and created to fulfill a destiny. We are called to help build His kingdom now and live in His kingdom forever. 

– Peace comes when we accept ourselves as we are. 
– Peace is found when we find that mistakes are a natural part of living. – Peace comes from using our mistakes to grow and change rather than to destroy us. 
– Peace produces good fruit when we learn to allow others to help us. 
– Peace promotes our relationship with Jesus. 
– Peace helps to deal with our present circumstances more effectively. 
– Inner peace enables us to have stronger and more enjoyable relationships with family and friends. 
– Peace allows us to give more of ourselves to others. 
– Peace gives us the opportunity to count our blessings and to treasure good memories and friends. 
– Peace is a doorway to intimacy with God 

Isaiah 48:18 If only you had paid attention to My commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 
Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” 
Isaiah 54:10 Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. 
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 

“Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Quotations and/or reprints in excess of one thousand verses, or other permission requests must be directed and approved in writing by Zondervan Bible Publishers.” All verses are NIV except those that are otherwise noted.