Fly the White Flag of Surrender

Nearing the completion of writing a book I asked the Lord, what else needs to be in this book? What am I missing? Later that day, I emailed a client and clicked send. Then I saw God’s answer in the subject line of an email.

Surrender! 

Surrender!

Surrender!

Three times Jesus asked for His cup of agony, torture, and immense suffering of death on a cross to be removed from His life, if it was the Father’s will.

Three times. 

Three times. 

Three times.  

And we know Father God’s answer. 

Surrender means to yield, to give up, give in, submit, concede, let go or cease resistance. Whoa! To cease resistance. Fly the white handkerchief or tissue of surrender to GOD and lean not on your own understanding. Stop ruminating on those thoughts and trying to understand, before you choose to believe.

And since the Speak Up Conference is next month, I believe now is an excellent time to take inventory of our thought life. Plus, I know this is an area where we can sabotage God’s call on our life. We can put the lid on our life purpose with wrong thinking. And as a Life Purpose Coach, I do not want that for anyone reading this blog. Not a one.

If we aren’t careful our thought patterns can become addictive. We fantasize and create mental endings to our stories over and over, the thoughts bore grooves in our brain like deep treads. In order to step out of the ruts in our thought patterns, recognize the danger of disobeying the Word and putting our self above God, a position only omniscience, all-knowing God is to hold. He sees the BIG picture and we are commanded to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NASB).

Let’s pitch those depleting, draining, self-defeating thoughts in order to be prepared for all God wants to do through us at the conference. Surrender.

Which limiting belief or question do you ruminate on that sabotages your call?

• It’s too hard.
• I am too old.
• Who’ll read my book anyway?
• I doubt.
• My speaking is not good enough and my writing isn’t either.
• What if the audience doesn’t like me? 
• What if my manuscript is rejected?
• I cannot do that.
• I am not good enough.
• I am not that techy.
• God cannot use me and my story; it’s too messy.
• What if I make an error while speaking?
• If I’d only…
• But…
• Or write down your limiting beliefs that hold you back. 

Now that you have your limiting beliefs selected. I suggest a physical act of surrender so you mean business to change your thoughts to grow.

Try this exercise to bring surrender into your home. Place your body on the floor, on your stomach, in front of an open patio door or window. Stretch fully out, arms extended out and over your head, one cheek on the carpet, and stretch. Relax. Stop thinking. Perhaps feel a gentle breeze sweep over you. Stop. Still yourself. Listen. Let go. Surrender that leaning on your own understanding, the ruminating, and the figuring it out. It’s exhausting. Instead, picture Trust, running through the marrow of your bones. Then when you stand up, remember He is your support, the one you must Trust, not leaning on your own understanding. 

You can flip on your back as well and do the above exercise the same way or sit in a chair with palms up and repeat the above exercise. To be wise means to trust God.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart. 

Yes, as He commands, we must Trust and Obey, lean not on your own understanding. 

Here are other physical ways to have a surrender exercise:

• Buy helium balloons, write on them the thought you need to relinquish and let it go as you pray it away and release it in the sky.
• Throw stones in a pond, creek, or lake as representatives of the repetitive thoughts and watch the ripples move away from you and disappear. Gone. 
• Write the thought down, bury it, burn it, or toss it in the garbage.
• Take red nail polish and paint over the written thoughts you repeat. Say it’s covered in Jesus blood and righteousness. He knows the end of the story.
• Walk out the limiting thought by stating TRUTH aloud instead with hands lifted high. Surrender.
• Buy yourself a reminder present that you surrendered that lie.
• Create a God box and put your ruminating thoughts in that box. Let GOD keep them. 
• For the last time, think and state your ruminating line out loud. Done. One option is to go outside and stand on a pitchfork driving the sharp prongs deep into the soil or put a trowel in the earth. State, “NO MORE!” Done! And if you have neither of those objects, picture yourself doing it. Then DONE! You’ve surrendered! And when the enemy taunts, as he will, remind yourself of the pitchfork or trowel memory. I did it. Done! Surrendered!

I look forward to meeting you at the Speak Up Conference to learn of how God worked through your obedience of surrendering to Him. 

Question: What debilitating thought pattern will you surrender to God? I’d be honored to read your responses and to pray for you.