Complete Surrender to God Brings Complete Life

God is omniscient. He knows all. God never changes. He's the same yesterday, today, and will be forever. So His love for us is also. When we think we're running from punishment, we are really running from rescue.

Romans 5:5
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. KJV


How is God's love measured out to you?
Rationed out in drops OR Poured out in buckets


Why are so many people unhappy then? It is God's unconditional love that brings fulfillment to us and changes our hearts. Once we've accepted Christ as our Savior, we can shed the old way of living and begin to live a new life. A new life where we know that we can do nothing without God an with Him, we can do anything. That surrender to God and that commitment means that we have to become stewards of our time, thoughts, talents, and treasure because they belong to God and are to be used for His glory.

Philippians 3:8
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ

What was of greatest value to Paul? Possessions, Job, Family, Security, or Knowing Christ

Why do so many people not know Christ? Are they ignorant..whether knowingly or otherwise? Have they not been exposed to the Gospel? Is the problem a lack of interest? And is it limited to outside the walls of the church? A misconception is that access to information is knowledge. We may know facts about Christ but do we know Christ? Also, knowing Christ involves surrendering your life to Him and some are not willing to do so.

Do you think everyone who has trusted Christ and knows Him personally is experiencing the extraordinary life? Why or why not? A person can be a Christian for most of their lives and grow distant from God. We can and do drift away from God in our devotion and love. Sometimes we have to get back to the basics of Christianity and renew our heart and refresh our spirit.

Psalms 51: 10-12
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

In other words, David is saying:

Lord, please refresh my heart and my spirit.
I don't want to leave your presence or your Holy Spirit to leave me.
Return to me the joy from your salvation. Lift me up with your Spirit.

From time to time, we have to return to the basics of our faith in God. Spend time alone with God and experience His Love.

Read the following verses and state some of the basic fundamentals of your faith.

Proverbs 3:5-6
5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't trust yourself. God will lead in to His will as long as you acknowledge Him and let Him lead you.

Galatians 2:19-20
19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

We are saved by the Grace of Christ not the law. Christ died on the cross for that reason and lives in us who have received Him.

John 15:4-5
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Without God, we can do nothing.
Surrendering to and trusting God for everything frees us from a life of strife and frustration as we attempt to depend on ourselves. Once you have experienced God's love, you will want to know more about Him and how we can live to serve in His Kingdom. Fundamental principle: Abide rather than to strive.

What is more difficult...loving god or allowing Him to love you? Why? When you abide in Christ, where does Christ abide?

Does what you do in life reflect God's love and mercy? Have you surrendered your all to God?

Fulfillment can be achieved with you spend time in God's presence by the Holy Spirit's indwelling within you. All it requires is loving God and allowing His love in return. It's easy to get caught up in the game of life and be distracted by all the things we allow to get in between us and God. When that happens, the emptiness grows and you realize that you are missing something. Frankly, its not that we're missing anything, it's that we've tried to replace God with our job, friends, hobbies, entertainment, etc. Nothing can replace that void and give us fulfillment like God can. God desire to know our thoughts, feelings, and emotions. He desire our love more than anything. He has emotions, too.

There's a misconception that by surrendering all to God that you have to give up those things that you enjoy doing or have to settle for alternatives. If God has given you a talent, he wants it used for His Glory. If you love to sing or play music, then sing and play music that glorifies God. If you are a businessman and are a good manager of people, then the Church can use that ability you have for managing and organizing people and resources in God's Kingdom. When you submit to God, you come to a point where you ask God to use you for His will. God has a plan...a great plan for you life.

We all thirst spiritually, whether we realize it or not. Sometimes it takes the form of seeking out new thrills and adrenaline rushes. The problem with those is that they're temporary and leave us wanting. They ultimately leave us unfulfilled. We want to experience life in a "grand way." The good news is that we can stay permanently fulfilled through God.

Isaiah 30:21
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

As Christians, we need to to be receptive to our Father's voice. Not only receptive but responsive. Ideally, we should be so in tuned that we instantly recognize when God is speaking to us. But as we all know, God's voice get drowned out amongst our many distractions in our lives.

God speaks to us in several ways:

He gives us a restless spirit.
A spoken word.
An Unusual blessing.
Unanswered prayer.

Sometimes, we have to ask God, "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Disappointment
Extraordinary Circumstances
Defeat, Tragedy, Sickness, and Affliction
Financial Troubles

Read Judges 6:3-6
3And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
4And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
5For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.
6And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.

When did Israel finally cry out to the Lord?