September 18-19, 2010 – Roach – Childress, TX
The Roach Unit in Childress, Texas is a place where the church is alive and growing. When you think of prison, you typically don’t think of those incarcerated actually involved in an active relationship with the Lord. However, these men stand strong against the evil that lives within the walls. Our brothers in the Roach Unit are praying, God-fearing men that love the Lord and are dedicated to serving Him. Our prayers are with these men and their gracious hearts and loving hearts for our ministry.Our prison travels are always interesting and different, each and every one. We always carry our own expectations in with us of how the experiences of the weekend should be and how we want them to be. On this trip, we experienced and learned about surrendering. God’s word talks a lot about letting go and letting God do His work through us. With expectations set, we get bent out of shape if things don’t go our way. We become irritated because of physical or mental inconveniences. This weekend we learned He always has other plans that play out through our surrendering if we will only let go and keep the faith.
The bible says it this way…Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7
Rick Warren explains what surrendering your life means:
- Following God’s lead without knowing where he’s sending you;
- Waiting for God’s timing without knowing when it will come;
- Expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide;
- Trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances;
You know you’re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation. You let go and let God work. You don’t always have to be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more. You also know you’re surrendered when you don’t react to criticism and rush to defend yourself. Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You are not self-serving, you don’t edge others out, and you don’t demand your rights.
The most difficult thing for many people to surrender is their money. Many have thought, “I want to live for God but I also want to earn enough money to live comfortably and retire someday.” Retirement is not the goal of a surrendered life, because it competes with God for the primary attention of lives. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money,” (Matthew 6:24) and “Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also” (Matthew6:21)
The supreme example of self-surrender is Jesus. The night before his crucifixion Jesus surrendered himself to God’s plan. He prayed, “Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine” (Mark 14:36). Jesus surrendered himself to God’s will. He prayed, “God if it is in your best interest to remove this suffering, please do so. But if it fulfills your purpose, that’s what I want too.” Genuine surrender says, “Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or another’s life, please don’t take it away!” This level of maturity doesn’t come easy. In Jesus’ case, he agonized so much over God’s plan that he sweated drops of blood. Surrender is hard work. In our case, it requires intense warfare against our self-centered nature.
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