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"I JUST DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO DO..."
nevertheless not my will, but
thine, be done Luke 22:42
One of the least known "secrets" to a victorious
Christian life, a life where one is a real
over-comer to the problems of this life, is to know
when to surrender. Of course, the idea of quitting
in order to get something is not the natural way
things happen. But it is the "super-natural" way of
gaining a peace that the world can not take away.
Over the years I have had people come to me with
just about every problem imaginable. They want magic
answers to unsolvable problems in their lives. They
want quick fixes to situations. As a Pastor I would,
naturally, point them to the Lord and tell them to
cast their cares on Him, let Jesus take care of the
problem. Even though they would nod their head in
agreement, I knew in my heart that they wanted their
problems fixed some other way. Knowing this I would
tell them that there really is no other way, except
through the Lord. You see, the
problems in our lives are caused either by ourselves
or others, sometimes its a combination of the two.
If we are the cause then we simply quit doing
whatever it is that is the problem. If the heart of
the problem lies with someone other than ourselves,
then there really is very little that we can do to
alleviate the problem. The fact is
that very few people in this world have the ability
to police themselves and fix their own problems.
Many try to solve their own problems, but they
eventually fall back into the same situation, or
sometimes they end up in a worse situation.
Its equally true that we cannot fix
a problem that is caused by someone else. For
example, counselors and therapists listen to and
advise their clients, but they never really and
completely solve their problems.
The bottom line is that ONLY GOD can
change a person, whether that person is us or
someone else. Bear in mind that the problems in our
lives are usually people-created. Either we create
them for ourselves or someone else creates them for
us.
Since we are incapable of changing
others, our focus should be on changing
ourselves.Realizing, of course, that only God can
really change us. But, He will not go against our
will - and that is where the real problem is. Our
will, it gets in the way too many times.
Our will is a wonderful thing, when
it is used correctly. But our will can also hinder
us when problems arise. It is our will that
says, "I'm hurt" or "I want revenge." It is our will
that says, "I can do this by myself, I don't need
anyone's help." It is our will that clouds our
vision to the point that we can see no good way out
of the problem. So, what's the
answer? With all the problems in my life, how do I
get to the place where I have perfect peace, even in
the midst of all the problems?
The answer is "SURRENDER." Surrender
your will to the Lord's will. Study the lives of all
the great men and women of God. Everyone of them,
without exception, had to surrender their will to
the Lord, they had to let God take care of their
problems. They had to reach the point in their lives
where they said, "I can't handle this, I just can't
do it by myself."
Are you at a place in your life
where problems have overwhelmed you? Are you at the
point of saying, "I'm at my wit's end. I don't know
what to do?" If so, then you are in one of the best
places you will ever be - you are at a place in your
life where you can honestly and sincerely turn to
the Lord and surrender your will to Him and be led
by His will for you. When you
surrender to His will you will see the problems in a
new light, as you wait on the Lord you will begin to
see answers to the problems. And one day you will
realize that God wanted to take care of those
problems for you all along.
Bear in mind that this must be a
personal thing between you and the Lord. No one can
do it for you, you are the sole captain of your will
- only you can surrender it to God. And when you do
your life will change drastically for your good.
In conclusion let me say that I have seen people
with problems that seemed devastating to them. But
when they surrendered themselves and their problems
to the Lord they became over-comers in this life -
and so can you. Here is an old
Christian hymn that was written by a person faced
with life's problems and situations:
I
Surrender All
All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
Refrain
I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
Refrain
All to Jesus, I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
Refrain
All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
Refrain
All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!
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