A LIFE SURRENDERED TO GOD
(First part)
Memory verse: Romans 12:1 “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service ”
A life given to God is the life He will use. We don’t use God, God uses us. God said of Paul that he’s His chosen vessel (Acts 9:13-15) The scripture teaches that our true service or ministry is to present our lives or bodies to God’s as living sacrifices. That is, our lives are given to God and we will never own them anymore. Our lives become his possession. God becomes the full and legal owner of our lives. He has the power to change it the way he wants, and use it the way he desires. Ministry is not about what we do for God, ministry is what God does through us. Without him we can’t do anything (Jn15:5) Again Paul said: “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ” (Phil4:13) Again it’s written: “ we’re not sufficient of ourselves but our sufficiency is of God ” (2cor3:5-6) David wanted to build God a temple but Solomon asked himself what kind of house can one build for God? He got a revelation that God does not dwell in houses that are made with human hands. In fact what house can we build for God, Heaven is His throne and the earth is his footstool!
Israel at one point they missed the mark and instead of walking right before God, they kept on trying to bring sacrifices to God as if to blind him with them, but God told them He was not interested in the meats they gave more than the way they walked (Ps 50:8-23) What God needs is to possess our lives because He has bought us with a price, we don’t belong to ourselves. A life where you’re a master will never matter much, but a life that is possessed by God will never run short of exploits. We need to discover that Jesus did not only come to deliver us from sin but to guide us into kingdom living. So many believers know Jesus as a savoir but they don’t know Him as their Lord.
But I came to let you know, you don’t have an idea what can become of your life the moment you give it to the Lord. You can’t imagine what God can do with a life totally surrendered to Him. So many men and women God used to do great things never had credentials for greatness at all. Moses was not a good communicator, Jacob was a supplanter, and David was just a shepherd boy. Surrender your life to God, and see what He will do with it!
Tomorrow we will see ‘Hannah surrender Samuel’
(Second part)
Memory verse: (1sam1:9-11) " So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the LORD. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head "
Hannah wrote her own history upon the pages of eternity by making a decision none had ever made since creation. Even with Abraham, it was God who asked him to offer Isaac. But this great woman, made up her own mind, She made a vow to God, " if you give me a son, I’ll give him back to you forever! " Great decisions make small people great! The choices you make in life will determine your destiny. Your life will be changed by what you’re willing to surrender. Perhaps Hannah would have gone right to her grave a barren woman, miserable, broken and humiliated. But Hannah put on her boots of warfare; she engaged in one of the greatest bible recorded spiritual warfare and conquered. She came out of the battleground not confused about what to do with what God would give her.
Samuel came, she took him and surrendered him to God forever. She put her hands off him forever. This changed her status forever. God took up the life of Samuel and changed it and produced out him one of the greatest prophets Israel has ever seen. He was a prophet and a judge. God used him to bring good leadership in Israel, he anointed kings, David and Saul, he brought peace in Israel, knowledge and fear of God, He’s one of the leaders of Israel who started well and finished well. Greatness is not the ability to pray and receive what God promised, but to pray until you have surrendered to God everything he has given to you. The greatest battle is not to receive but to give what we receive from God. Hannah got other three sons and two daughters. She didn’t give these to God but she owned them. Nothing is known about them, not even their names. They lived common lives and died common death and left nothing to remember behind them. Where you put your life will determine what legacy you will leave behind. Living an unsurrendered life is living a wasted life!
Tomorrow we will learn about ‘What God can do with a surrendered life’
(Third part)
Memory verse: (2Tim2:21) " Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work "
When you surrender your life to God he will make it a kingdom vessel for himself. In this scripture there are five key words: Honor, Sanctified, Useful, Prepared, Good work.
A) Vessel of Honor. God will beautify and add honor to your life if you honor him by entrusting it to him. Your life will become bright if only it comes into God’s hands. This is God‘s will for the church to glorify her (Rom8:29-30) God is ready to change the status of your life if you’re willing to let him. God said to Samuel that he honors those who honor him (1sam 2:30) God made Samuel a honorable man in Israel. The whole nation of Israel respected him to a level where none of his word fell to the ground. " So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD " (1sam3:19-20) Samuel became the most respectable person in Israel. " So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably? ”
And he said: “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.(1sam16:4-5) This is what God will do to any life that is surrendered to him. Scriptures say David died full of honor, days and riches. So he died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place (1chro 29:28). Talk about men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Paul, Peter, even until this day, show me a man or woman who has totally given his or her life to the Lord and I’ll show you a man or woman full of honor. Give your life to God and he’ll add value to it.
Tomorrow we will see ‘Sanctification’
(Fourth part)
Memory verse: (Rom12:1) " I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service "
B) Sanctification (2Tim2:21) God will sanctify the life that is totally surrendered to him. He will cleanse it, purify it, wash it, and set it apart for His purposes. In homes, precious vessels like glasses, cups, bowels, jars etc are always cleaned and kept securely for honorable occasions. So are we, we are the vessels God uses to serve the bread of life, the water of life, the love of God, the Healing of God to the world. God wants us to be clean and set apart. Many times we cry to God, "oh purify me Lord". Oh yes, he desires to cleanse us but it not possible for Him to do so until He’s the Lord of our lives. When doctors diagnosed a patient and find serious problem that needs operation, they’ll take that patient in a surgery room. They then will give the patient anesthesia to cut off his senses. This will help the doctors to do the operation without any disturbance. The patient is totally in the hands of the doctor. His life or death is in the doctors’ hands. This is man-trusting man. We can trust God with our lives. God is able to put your life in order again.
Only God can search our hearts, only God can reach those inaccessible areas of your life, only God can touch those areas of your life no one can. The feelings of remorse about your dirty life are good, but not good enough to change your life, surrender your life to God. Only God can turn your messed up life into beauty. Only God can turn your trash into treasure. Accept this fact, you cannot change yourself, only God can change you. God will make your life as white as snow (Is1:18-19) God turns sinners into saints (2cor5:21) When you give your life to God, He will not leave it dirty, stinking, ugly, sinful, but he will transform it into a holy dwelling of God. So many believers struggle with many habits, behaviors, weaknesses etc and for years they find they become worse, just because many of us want to live the way we desire; We fear God to be the controller of our live because He may not permit us to live I life of our choice. But remember that Jesus came to help us because man messed himself up and there was none that could help get our lives together except Christ. When you make Christ the Lord of your life, he will put it on the road again.
Tomorrow we will talk about ‘Usefulness’
(Fifth part)
Memory verse: (John 15:16) " You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you "
C) Usefulness. God makes a surrendered life useful, productive, effective and fruitful. Without God we can do nothing of lasting value. When you surrender your life to God, he begins to fill you with his Spirit, gifts of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, and all heavenly resources that make you exceedingly useful. Useful means full of uses, you can be used to do a lot of things.
Paul said " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". Usefulness also means being profitable. Only God could turn Saul who was destroying Christianity to make him a mighty Apostle of the faith he once destroyed. God turned the life of Samuel very fruitful for God’s kingdom but his three brothers and two sisters had no impact to their generation because they were not surrendered to God. Only what you surrender to God is what He can use. So many people live a very useless life full of regrets and frustration just because they cannot surrender it to God. Satan deceives many that once they give their lives to God, He will not allow them to enjoy their lives. Some people think there’s a joyful life outside God and this is a lie. David discovered that there are pleasures evermore in the presence of God (Ps16:11) True pleasures are found in God’s presence. Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit are what the kingdom of God is all about. So many people have tried to live their lives according their choices and later after many years of worthless toil they look back only to find that they labored in vain. There’s no much you can do with your life, accepts God and he’ll make your life fruitful. The scripture said that God chose you to produce fruit that will last.
So many people toil to build up things that can’t last even for a generation. Isn’t painful to think of billions of people who walked upon this earth and they did a lot of things that can’t fit in any books, but none of their labors is remembered. They did a lot, achieved a lot of success, but they are all forgotten. But the works of men who gave their lives to God, like Daniel, Paul, Moses, John the Baptist etc, what they did will be remembered forever.
Tomorrow we will see ‘Preparation’