Rethink Yourself

Today, my prayer is 

Lord, let your people wake up before they have to be shaken awake.

In Psalm 19:12, David asks the Lord, 

Who could possibly know all that he has done wrong? Forgive my hidden and unknown faults.

In this episode, I'm talking about an issue that limits the faith-walk of a lot of good people. It's potentially very serious, a big sinkhole in their path through this life. Satan will do his best to take advantage of it before people -- before you -- wake up. You should make this a matter of prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what's ahead in your path: a sinkhole, a pothole, just a rough patch, or smooth sailing.

So, to get started, I have to ask: Have you fully turned your life over to Jesus?

Or is He an add-on who's supposed to make your life nicer, healthier, safer? Have you added Him to your spiritual wardrobe like a warm coat on a winter day, a coat you don't wear when the weather's nice?

You may fool yourself that it's good enough to treat Jesus as an add-on. You may even fool other people. But you don't fool God. So ask Him to show you any weakness or blind spot you may have in this area. The better you fix this, the better you'll handle the troubles of this world.

I don't want to be harsh, but if you've simply added Him to your spiritual wardrobe as a warm coat to be worn when needed, maybe you should wonder whether you've really been born again. Maybe you have, but then again, maybe you haven't.

Real faith, saving faith, goes hand in glove with choosing to surrender your life to Jesus. He wants all of you, nothing held back. He wants you to put your entire life in His hands, fully surrendered to His choices and His changes. Actually, all Believers should review their level of commitment before the Lord, seeing what He thinks.

All that Jesus has for you is free. He's already paid for it in full. But getting it activated in your life will cost you everything that doesn't fit with the life of God.

He has the very best custom plans for your life, plans that begin here and continue into eternity. His hopes for you are beyond anything you can imagine. But His biggest hopes require a sold-out relationship with Him.

Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 13:45-46.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Now, will you be like the merchant who gave up everything he had to get that pearl? In other words, are you willing to surrender everything for the special life Jesus has for you? I certainly hope so.

Now listen to 2 Corinthians 5:17 in the Amplified Bible:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].

God wants to fully replace your old way of thinking, feeling, and deciding with His new way of life. He wants to replace worldly distractions with what He sees as valuable. As an act of your will, choose to let Him. Do you really think He's just asking for bits and pieces of your life, a few small changes here and there? No, He wants everything. 

It's for your good. Trust His heart, don't be afraid. He sees the end from the beginning. He loves you and wants what He knows is best for you. Understand this: what you think is best might not be what He thinks is best, maybe not even close. What you think is worth your time and attention may be worthless or even damaging in His eyes.

Here's the point I'm making. Be bold. Trust Him and surrender to Him no matter what the cost may be. It's the greatest decision you'll ever make.

So, I'm asking again: Are you treating Jesus as an add-on, a warm coat you put on when the weather's bad? If that describes you even just a little bit, you need to get it right with God.

Here's the way to do it. Choose, as an act of your will, to surrender your whole life, your entire being, to Him, to His heart and to His purposes. Making that decision doesn't guarantee smooth sailing in this life, but it definitely opens the door to the rest of what Jesus has for you.

I must say, though, people who treat Jesus as an add-on are at least getting a couple of things right. One, they recognize that He exists and Two, they realize that they need His help. Those are a good start, but they're no place to stop.

If you do stop there, you're like a baseball player who gets to first base, then just stays there. He takes his stand on first base, when he's supposed to move around the bases until he gets to home-plate. Now, that's not a perfect analogy, but you get the point.

Choosing to sell-out totally to Jesus makes ultimate sense. It means you're choosing to combine repentance with your faith. God will use that to grow your relationship with Jesus, making it more real, more tangible.

Truth be told, every Believer should frequently measure their faith-walk by Romans 12:1. After all, Paul addressed this verse to Believers:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Pray this with me. This isn't a formula and the exact words aren't important; it's the attitude of your heart that makes the words work. God knows what's in your heart.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for dying on the cross in my place. I know I can't earn what you've done for me. Show me my hidden faults, then forgive me and cleanse me. I choose to give my life to You, all of it. Live in me through your Holy Spirit. Change whatever You want, however You want.

In Jesus' name, Amen.