"Aren't You Glad You're Not the Lord of Your Life?"

As always, it's been a blessed, eventful, and life/heart changing week! I wouldn't know where to begin in sharing it all. However, if I had to pick one thing out of everything in this past week to share, it would probably have to be something that was spoken in the church service today: "Aren't you glad you aren't the Lord of your life?" Think about it. If Jesus is LORD and Savior, that means that He not only saved your life, but you have allowed Him to be in charge of it. Recognizing his power, authority, and sovereignty brings freedom from worry. You don't have to be in charge/control; He's "got this" for you! 

Usually, I would never feel great about NOT being in control. I am a take-charge and control type of person, so I wouldn't normally be like, "Yes,...I'm TOTALLY glad I'm not the Lord of my life". However, if there's one thing I've been relieved to know more and more, it's that God has got me covered and that things are a lot better when He's the boss and not me. It's a burden off my shoulders not to try and hold all that control and manage life on my own. I worry less and less as I get older because history has shown that yes, God definitely does take care of things. When He says not to worry about tomorrow, and that I'm worth more than many sparrows, He means it. He has come through in the big stuff AND the small stuff. 

Surrender isn't a popular or fun idea to most. It can sometimes be misconstrued as passive or weak. However, it takes strength, courage, and ACTION to be able to willingly acknowledge the awesomeness of God and trust Him. He is faithful and will show you how great it is to be dependent on Him and not yourself. There is great relief in knowing that He is God and you're not. 

Grace and peace to you, my friends! I hope you had a great week and that as you reflect on the wonder and glory of God on this blessed resurrection day, you'll embrace Him as Lord as much as you do the Savior! Be infused! God bless you! 

How to Be Fearless

Fears. We all have them and they come in many different forms. Some of them even have names like agoraphobia or arachnophobia (yeah, I'll fess up to the last one...but I won't be swimming in a sea of spiders any time soon in an attempt to get over it!). Though, in all actuality, there is only ever ONE fear at the heart of every one. I've heard Dr. Phil mention it many times and that is: "the fear of losing control."

Any time I ever feel worried or afraid, I always make myself ponder that root: losing control. I try to dissect the things that make panic rise up in me and do my best to identify what makes me feel that I've lost it (or WILL lose it). Figuring out and breaking down the triggers is a big help. No matter what, it all comes down to an issue of trust; not in myself, but in God. No matter what the fear is, I can overcome it because God enables me to do so. It's because His Spirit is a Spirit of courage, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). Relying on His Spirit vanquishes fear because there is NO FEAR in love (1 John 4:18) and the strength and courage that He infuses us with deflates our fears. Oh, and that self-discipline part? Yeah, that's the part that helps us unlock it all! It all hinges on whether or not we make the right choice in accessing what He's given us. We have His Spirit inside our hearts; we just need to use Him! It reminds me of when I read Prison to Praise by Merlin Carothers and he mentioned how he said he wanted Jesus to use him, but Jesus told him something like 'I don't want to use you, I want you to use ME!' So many times, I've thought on that because it's so easy to think of things backwards; that God needs us rather than us needing Him.

The older I get, the more I realize and understand what it means to surrender control and trust God. There are so many things that I don't know, can't predict, and are unable to figure out; whether it's past, present, or future things. The only thing I HAVE been able to figure out is that God is sovereign. Sovereign. That word is a BIG DEAL. It's a word that means "supreme power or authority." In other words, ultimate control! So, here's my chain of thought on that: God = sovereign = ultimate control. If I'm worrying/fearing, I'm not trusting, which means that I don't feel in control which further means I need to "check myself" and remember who is. If I'm seeking ultimate control on my own or for myself, I'm putting myself in a place of God's sovereignty; big no-no! I am NOT God and that is what the fear and control thing boils down to; remembering who IS God and who holds the sovereignty and control. Reminding myself of that always sets me free, relaxes me, and I'm able to surrender and let go.

Grace and peace to you, my friends! I know that there is someone out there that needed to hear this besides me. I composed this as a result of the things that God was working on in my own heart today (and in the past few months). I feel humbled and broken; but in an amazingly sweet and tender way that I can't explain. His Spirit is breaking my many fears by reminding me of who He is, who I am (and am not), and how much better life is when I remember who I belong to; knowing that if any fear (great or small) came to pass, I would be ok because He is Lord. I'll submit to Him the "what ifs" the "maybes" the "yeah, buts" and whatever else makes my mind spin and rest in Him because He's saying, "Hey, I got this!" Even if any of them came true, it wouldn't matter either because He'll work it out. He'll calm the seas so I can walk on the water; as long as my eyes are on Him and not the fear underneath my feet! Be infused...and be fearless! God bless you!