Knowing that God is NOT in control is such a freeing thing. Really! And it makes it so much easier to submit to a God who you know LOVES you and is not a dictator.
(If you would like to see how God is not in control to put this post in context, please read Part 1 here)
I grew up surrounded by very controlling and abusive men. When I was 16 years old, I went out with a kind and wonderful guy but I ended it within a week because I didn’t know how to relate to him. His kindness was so foreign and scary to me that I didn’t cope with it. Were there really gracious men in the world? Ever since I wanted God to be a part of my life, I struggled intensely with giving up control to Him. Over the years I consistently heard, “You must give up control of your life to God.” As much as I tried, I kept holding a part of me back as I wasn’t about to put myself back under someone else’s control. I was literally terrified.
Can you relate? Have you ever had someone in your life like that? Maybe you still do.
One day, not so long ago, I completely broke down and told God that I would completely surrender to Him and give Him control of my life but that He would have to take it from me as I just couldn’t seem to do it on my own. Do you know what His response was? “I don’t want control of your life.” What the? Now I was even more confused.
The bottom line is: I am in control of my own life just as you are in control of yours.
The most amazing thing is though, that you get to choose to partner alongside God. He’s waiting for you to say, “Yes!”
I want to see Jesus’ face.
I heard a preacher say once that a guy had asked him how he could know if he was following Jesus. The preacher answered, “Oh that’s easy. You will see his back.” The congregation laughed but something in me became sad. I want to see His face.
This one thought began a wonderful journey of discovery about how Jesus walks alongside us – not in front.
I asked the Lord to give me an example.
Jesus wants to dance with you
I love dance. I love the graceful, fluid movements of ballroom dance and ballet. Because it was something I could relate to, the Lord showed me (in my imagination) a couple waltzing. In the dance, the gentleman gently but firmly leads the lady around the dance floor. At any stage the lady can step away or she can stay and continue to be lead and guided. Together they look so graceful and beautiful – dancing in unison but being uniquely themselves. Amazing!
The Lord also said to me, “How do you walk when you walk with your husband?” I answered, “I hold his hand and walk by his side.” “Exactly,” was the Lord’s response.
You see, when you are walking and talking with someone, you need to be side by side to hear what the other is saying. I have a couple of amazing friends who always remember that I am deaf on my right side so for me to actually hear them, they need to walk on my left side. If they walk ahead of me, I can’t hear them. If they walk behind me, I still can’t hear them properly. When they are next to me, I can hear them wonderfully.
Jesus is the same.
He walks BESIDE you. He speaks to you to guide you, to comfort you, and He also laughs and cries with you.
You can choose to walk away from Him or stay by His side. It’s NOT Him that moves.
Think about it. When Jesus said, “Follow me.” They had a choice. Subsequently, the following stories are of the disciples walking ‘with‘ Jesus, not lagging on behind Him.
What an amazing privilege this is. You get to choose God because He first chose YOU!
Jesus take the wheel. Uh, no thanks.
There is a song entitled “Jesus, Take The Wheel” that is sung by Carrie Underwood. It’s a great song except Jesus doesn’t want the wheel. He doesn’t want to drive your life. He wants you to do it. (If you want to see a very funny parody of this song, Tim Hawkins is absolutely hilarious right here.)
Jesus is the perfect GPS system. Just as your talking navigational system will give you directions, you can choose to follow them, or not. As Jesus gives you the prompts of the direction to take, you have full control over your decision to either go the way He is telling you to or to go your own way.
My Revelation
Once I realised that God is not in control, I understood that I alone could choose how much of myself I would give to Him. When I discovered that if I gave myself to Him and that He wasn’t interested in controlling me, It was easy to let Him guide me in the way I should go.
A side note: Jesus will not walk without you moving. You need to keep walking forward so that He can gently guide you. He won’t drag you or push you. He won’t push a parked bus! You can choose to move ahead in life or to stay still. He will be right by your side either way.
In Conclusion
The more that you submit each piece of your life to Jesus, the more He will guide you. The more you understand you truly are God’s child and Christ’s Bride, the less the demonic realm can attack you. Now that’s good news! (More on that in an upcoming post.)
An exciting life awaits you. Take the leap and allow Jesus to gently guide every step of the way. You can totally trust Him!
Let me encourage you to read the book of John and see how Jesus refers to Father God. He is portrayed as a loving Father who Jesus longs to submit to and be with.
Do you struggle with submitting to God? What do you think is the main reason for this mistrust? How has this post helped you in your view of Jesus? Please share in the comments below your main struggle as I would love to pray for you.
I pray that you will receive revelation of God’s goodness and His intense and incredible love and plans for you.
(Photo credit: www.pexels.com)
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