Thursday, May 9, 2013

Surrendering It All

This week while reading through Stressed-Less Living, one paragraph from Chapter 5 really stood out to me:

"Being a Christian not only means serving God with our bodies but serving him with our hearts, souls, and minds.  It means being totally sold-out to Christ in all aspects of our lives - surrendering all of our thoughts and actions to him.  It means seeking the Lord with such great intensity that everything else pales in comparison.  In turn, it is this intensity that helps us to be keenly aware of our need for his help to deal with our stress in the most effective ways.  Once we are fully connected with Jesus, we will begin craving an insatiable daily portion of him to nourish our souls and fill our spirits with the peace we are starving for."  ~Tracie Miles, Stressed-Less Living

I have always known and understood that all of our actions must be pleasing to the Lord, but my thoughts?  I knew from the Bible (Philippians 4:8), that I should focus on good things, but all my thoughts?  Even though I know God knows everything I think, those are still my thoughts!  Everything else in life I have learned to love sharing and giving away to others - my time, my resources, my love, my companionship, my prayers, etc.  But my thoughts are the one thing I have for myself!  It dawned on my while reading this passage that to truly be changed and transformed by the Lord, I must give Him absolutely everything - including my thoughts.  By surrendering all my thoughts to Him, He can truly begin to change me where all actions start - with our thoughts!












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10 comments:

  1. Rebecca JoMay 9, 2013 at 5:32 AM

    I am always reminded to 'take every thought captive'... which is so hard... but its something to work on with God's help of control.

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    1. AussieDiveGirlMay 9, 2013 at 5:34 AM

      I love the idea of "taking every thought captive!" That's a great way to think about it...thank you!!! :)

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  2. Lauren May 9, 2013 at 5:34 AM

    Whatever... such a negative connotation in today's society. I can remember throwing "Whatever" at my Mom as a surly teenager... but to think on those whatevers... whatsoever is true and pure and right. Thanks for this reminder. Blessings!

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    1. AussieDiveGirlMay 12, 2013 at 8:12 AM

      That is so true! So interesting, I hadn't thought of that!!! Thank you!

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  3. The Howell BlessingsMay 9, 2013 at 12:09 PM

    1 Sam 16:7 ...The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Just last week in my community bible study, the leader asked "What would we do if we decided to come back next week and share what our thoughts were this week. Not what we did, but what we thought, in our hearts?" I immediately joked and said "Im going to be sick next week." But that is what God sees. They ARE our thoughts, but not ours alone. God hears our thoughts as we think them. When we keep this in the forefront of our minds, we may stop ourselves quickly from the "whatevers" and "yeah rights" we think but may not always say.

    Thanks for the thought provoker today.

    Blessings on you
    Mindy H
    The Howell Blessings

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    1. AussieDiveGirlMay 12, 2013 at 8:14 AM

      Wow, that is an awesome point! If everyone could see or hear my thoughts, I'd worry I'd have no one left! To be totally transparent includes our thoughts...thanks so much for this comment!!!

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  4. AnonymousMay 9, 2013 at 7:43 PM

    Yes! What a great thought to share. :)

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  5. On a JourneyMay 11, 2013 at 11:15 AM

    By surrendering all my thoughts to Him, He can truly begin to change me where all actions start - with our thoughts. Thanks for sharing!
    How true in total surrender we must surrender our thoughts.

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