Give it Up!

On February 5, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 2: 22 & 24

In reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self . . . and put on the new self.

Here we are in February. How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions? How is your willpower holding out? Well, here’s the deal, willpower isn’t the thing anyway. In fact, one might go so far to say that it is rebellion from God.

We are not supposed to be self-willed. I think you can see that in the verse above. We are supposed to be people who are surrendered to God. We are instructed to lay aside our old self and the power we think we have. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord,” (Zechariah 4: 6). Christians are supposed to succeed not by their own might, nor by their own power but by the Spirit of the Lord. So, willpower is the exact opposite of the power we are meant to employ.

Every year we condemn and criticize ourselves because our willpower has failed us. Or, even worse, maybe we enjoy some success by utilizing the force of our own will. That, my beloved, is the greatest failure of all, and it grieves me. I hear people summoning up their will to accomplish some task and I know they will ultimately experience the greatest failure of all.

Success is in surrender. I know this will make you uncomfortable. It does me as well but then, I find that a great many of the things our Father asks of me make me uncomfortable, initially. It is more comfortable to rely on our own strength and determination than to meekly and humbly surrender control to anyone, even God. It takes humility in our hearts and honesty to surrender control to God. It is truly a humbling experience. It is also one of those experiences which is best lived daily. Every time we surrender a bit of ourselves, if we are honest and truly give in to the process, we find there is more surrender needed.

Our greatest strength is in admitting we have none. Even Jesus said he could do nothing without the Father and yet somehow, we believe we can lose weight, resist sin, be kind to others, and so on, in our own strength.

Please, take a moment to think about the goals you set for yourself for this year. What are you going to do to accomplish them? The answer you should now know is that you are going to give them to God and ask Him to show the way. Give him your goals, dreams, and ambitions. Ask Him to help you be the person you want to be. You cannot change yourself. You make think you can, but you are fooling yourself. He is the master and creator and if we will give our hearts to Him, He will create all that we want. Let Him work in your heart. Lay yourself open in surrender. Give Him the problems you would like to see changed. Vanquish willpower. Give away all your power because it is vanity and futility anyway. The Lord said only by His Spirit shall a thing be done, so there is the one sentence instruction and command for succeeding in all things.

Willpower and self-determination are idols raised up against the will of God. The power of self is an affront to the command of God but also to the love, grace and saving blood of our Lord Jesus. It’s not what you can do that is important. It’s what you can let go of that makes the difference. Surrender your power. Surrender your heart. Let Jesus be Lord.

Did this make sense to you today? Do you have questions or need help? Engage in personal coaching at Ivey Ministries.

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Rich in Mercy

On October 9, 2023   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 2: 4 – 5

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

Hallelujah!  Even in those times when you have to face your shortcomings, there is always this great word. God loved you beyond reason yesterday, and the day before that. And He knows your heart. He sees your goodness even when you fail miserably. But don’t use all your energy trying to succeed; in anything, even Christian things. Give up, give in and let God in. Use your energy in prayer, praise and thanksgiving and let Him do all of the heavy lifting for you. He loves you so much and He wants to help. As you expose all of your “stuff” to Him, He heals, soothes and comforts. He longs to take you into His arms and heal you. You don’t have to be so strong. You were never called to be tough. You were called to be His child. You were called to be the object of His love and attention. You can do that, can’t you? Let Him love you. That is His job. He is rich in mercy. He has more than enough. Receive an additional measure of Him today because He loves you with all His being.

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Childlike

On January 11, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 131: 1 – 3

Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes arrogant; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. I have certainly soothed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child resting against his mother, my soul within me is like a weaned child. Israel, wait for the Lord from this time on and forever.

Well, it’s back to Psalm Monday’s and I hope this is an indication that life is returning to something that at least simulates “normal.”

I began this writing some time ago but pushed it off in favor of things God led me to. Now I find this scriptural text ministers in a way it couldn’t have two weeks ago. We do involve ourselves in great matters and these things are difficult. They are also hard on our souls. Today we are offered a tonic for our weary souls.

Become a child. Jesus taught about the simple faith of a child and how we must become like children, but I see today that those childlike qualities extend beyond a childlike faith. It has more to do with the way a child can completely hide themselves in a parent. We can have the cares of an adult if we can simultaneously have the tender surrender of a child.

I am reminded of my precious nephew. Once, when we took him to a playground, he fell and scraped his knee. Not being a parent myself, I often felt out of my element but all I had to do was hold him. He climbed up in my lap and cried it out. I didn’t do anything except be there. he hid himself and his pain, more emotional than physical probably, in the comfort of my embrace. Then, done with the pain, he got up and went back to playing on the very same playground equipment. He didn’t even seem to remember the scrape or that he had been hurt. Just amazing and what a terrific picture of real life. We get old and forget those lessons of real life and how it is to be lived. Feel the pain, let it wash over you but let it wash out too as you sit in the lap of the Father, embraced by his loving arms.

Perhaps the best thing for us “adults” to do is to turn this psalm into a prayer. “Lord, teach my heart not to be proud, nor my eyes arrogant. Soothe and quiet my soul as I, like a child, rest in you. Remind me who my source of comfort is and teach me how to receive that comfort.”

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Surrendering to Love

On October 28, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 26:2

Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart.

This is a prayer we all need to make to the Lord but it might be a little frightening to ask God to look into the secret places of your heart. The very fact that it is a bit scary and that you may have concern that there is something in there that you do not want the Father to see is the very reason that you should have this conversation with him.

First of all, he is not going to be surprised. He knew what he was getting when he got you and he knows more of what is in there than you do. He is not going to see something ugly and stop loving you. He wants you to expose these hidden areas so that he can heal them or change them if need be. This is a prayer of great trust. When you begin to walk in deep trust with the Lord then you become confident that you can lay your heart and mind wide open to him. You know beyond any shadow of a doubt that he will care for you.

The greater fear may be that you do not want to see or admit what is in the deep, dark recesses of your heart and mind. Fear not. God is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Who better to have with you when you are walking in the dark places? Wherever he goes, there is light. Those places will not stay dark and scary for long because where the Lord is, there is love and light. Fear not; ask the Lord to examine your deep places. Invite him in and let his presence fill you.

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The Power of Surrender

On July 8, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Job 42: 2

I know that Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted.

Do we really know that He, God, can do all things? Have we really grasped in our depths that no purpose of His can be thwarted? I very much doubt that we have really grasped the truth of those two statements. If we had, no purpose of His to which He has called us would be impossible to us. We would have no fear in the things that He has asked. I am not sure that this is just a matter of faith. This passage is found in the last of Job. These statements represent some of Job’s last utterances in the long discussion which is the book of Job. I think these passages reflect a heart which, rather than demonstrating faith, shows surrender. Job finally surrenders to God’s omnipotence. He finally accepts that he, Job, cannot make everything make sense but if He will surrender to God, He can make it right. Job’s next words are of repentance. Then God restores Job. Job had to come to a place of surrender and repentance in order to receive all that God had for him and all that God wanted to do for him. Job had to get himself out of God’s way. He had to surrender his thoughts and his ways and acknowledge that God, Jehovah, is the way and that God, not Job, can do all things. Job, through surrender, let go of his arguments and his wisdom and acknowledged that God knows all things. These statements, so seemingly full of faith are actually full of surrender and repentance. It is the letting go of ourselves that allows us to flow in deep faith.

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He Cares For You

On June 16, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Peter 5: 6 – 7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

We spend a lot of time and attention on verse seven which tells us to cast our anxiety on the Lord, the King James Version says to cast our care. We devote little time and attention, though, to verse six. In that these two verses comprise one sentence it would likely behoove us to read them together on occasion so as to perceive the light which each phrase shines upon the other.

When we read the two verses together it would seem that Peter is revealing that there is a relationship between our humbling ourselves to the master and promotion as well as the cure for anxiety. He who gives his care to the Lord is wise. I wonder, though, if some of us have trouble casting that care over to the Lord because we have failed to recognize Him as Lord over our lives in the deepest part of our being. We have all said those surrender prayers and of course we mean them when we utter them but it is in the trenches of life that quality decisions are truly made. A quality decision is one from which there is no retreat. It is not wishy-washy but rather strong and determined and I find that they empower a person to walk the path elected. They do not, however, come easily. Sooner or later, though, if we are to live the lives that we have longed for we are going to have to make the big decisions. Life can be wonderful and beautiful but it is not free. We must lay aside those things which keep us in the low life and one of the largest burdens that is preventing us from rising to the heights God has determined for us is our own ego. In our heart of hearts have we really relinquished our lives to our Lord as master? Do your hackles arise just thinking of someone being your master? Don’t feel alone if you answer that question honestly and find that submitting yourself completely to another’s lordship is difficult. It is how we have been indoctrinated but we must understand that the training which has elevated ourselves in our eyes is not of God and is not going to promote us. In the beginning it appears to be effective but there is story upon story of people who have risen to a certain level of success only to find ultimate failure.  

Success truly does come from surrender. Honestly, how can we fully cast our care upon the Lord, allowing Him to carry away the anxiety if we have not released ourselves into Him? There is a huge element of trust in this surrender and if we do not fully trust God then we will be unable to give Him our burdens. Therefore, humbling ourselves to the Lord our God is an essential element of casting our care upon Him. We will be unable to do the one if we have not first done the former.

Now, here is the crux of the matter. We may find it difficult if not impossible to completely surrender ourselves to our Lord and Father without first receiving healing. Those things in our past which have made it hard for us to trust people must be healed. Growing in our relationship with our God is a process and it is all interconnected. One cannot just choose the prosperity portion of a relationship with God without it affecting other parts of their lives. Prosperity, healing, well-being, blessing and all the rest are part of a package deal that comes along with a life with God. This is not a la carte ordering. We give God our lives and He gives us a grand, abundant life. He carries our heavy burdens and supplies our needs and wants above and beyond all that we can think of or believe for. 

We have longed for a good life, we greatly desire God to take away our troubles but we must put ourselves fully in His hands. He will not, cannot, usurp your control and will. As long as you are Lord of your life, then He will have to sit in the backseat while you drive. Keep surrendering your heart to the Lord. Every time you find an unsurrendered relationship, give it to the Lord. Each time you find a strong-hold in your life, give it to God. This is a process. We don’t renew our minds just once, but rather we are in a constant state of renewal. That is good news. Let your life go and with it the anxiety. Live free, give your life more fully to God today.

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