Giving up control

[faithful quenga]

I am a sinner... "1 John 1:8"

This is a little lesson on giving up control to God:

Bible reading = Jeremiah 18:1-6 "The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, "Go down to the potter's shop, and I will speak to you there." So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. Then the Lord gave me this message: "O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so you are in my hand"



Giving up control may be difficult for us, we are so used to calling the shots that we'll ask for God's help as long as he does it on our terms. We may demand that the changes happen on our timetable or in the order we feel ready to give it up. God doesn't work that way. That is why humility is so important. God told Jeremiah to go to the potter's shop to learn a lesson. Jeremiah said "I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay and started again. Then the Lord gave me this message:... 'Can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so you are in my hand" ( Jeremiah 18:3-6 ). God told Isaiah, "What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot ever argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, 'Stop, you're doing it wrong!' Does the pot exclaim, 'How clumsy can you be" ( Isaiah 45:9 ). When we put our life in God's hands, he will reshape us as he sees fit. It is our humility that allows us to accept the fact that he is the Creator. Our new life may be similar to the one we left behind or entirely different. God is the master craftsman. Whatever he does, we can trust that he will recreate our life beautifully, once we get out of his way!

Discuss:
How and why have you argued with God?
How have you tried to give up control to God only to take it back into your own hands?
What have you been able to fully give over to Christ that once burdened your life?
Any other comments you may have regarding this topic.

... Saved by God's grace "Acts 15:11"

 

[faithful quenga]

I am a sinner... "1 John 1:8"

When I think about this I think about something my pastor taught one Sunday morning in a sermon:

Often times when we attempt to give God control of our life or over things in our life we give it up to him in a Kite like manner - With a string still attached. And when we feel unstable or uneasy about our choice we yank on the string and take back what ever it was we thought we gave to God.

Also, having listened to another man talk about this subject, there are times where we lay our worries at God's feet and try to walk away but often times we look back on that and we take our eyes of the road ahead of us and it can trip us up, or if not trip us up God will give us the nudge to keep moving forward and to stop looking back, for when we fully set our eyes ahead in faith will he be able to truly remove what it is that we gave to him.

I find myself daily, hourly, minutely having to give things over to God. I do my best to give it to God and fully leave it there but I do find myself acting as if I can do a better job by holding onto it and worrying about it. I know full well that nothing I do will EVER be better than what God is capable of but I still do it.

Things I've been able to fully give to God and stop worrying about are my finances, my husband, my codependency, my sexually immoral ways, and what the future has in store. I have found that God doesn't change our lives in one day but little by little as we continue to walk in faith and grow in our Spiritual journey. I also have learned that even if I stumble in giving full control there are still victories that I can see in my life of smaller areas that I've fully given to him and it makes me remember that we are all going to fall but as long as we try to fall forward, still reaching for that goal line, we will not lose sight of the truth but rather we will be more willing to pick ourselves back up again, or allowing God to pick us up, and to keep moving forward.

... Saved by God's grace "Acts 15:11"

 

[Le Pale to the Chief]

I do not think I've argued with God before because I learned and know now to be obedient and gradually put worldly things to the side. When I was first saved, I always wanted to learn more and more and receive.

Before you pick up the cross, count the costs. Do not struggle in vain because we should already know to commit our battles into His Almighty hands. Trust is the key to the Heavenly Father, in Jesus' name. I have trouble worrying about certain things but I know God will take care of my needs with Faith and Trust. Pray with mercy and trust that what so ever you do off your knees shall be taken care of.

Obedience and putting Him ahead of everything that I do is glorifying. I involve Him in all that I do because I know He is always with me.  

[CorazonDeLaLuz]

This is totally right. Although I love God and have decided to hand my life to Him, I still often struggle with letting Him have total control. I mean, honestly. Giving everything includes ALL my thoughts, ALL my reactions, ALL my secrets, ALL my irritations, ALL my situations, ALL my desires, ALL my heart. It's hard, but nothing is more worth it.
We need to give our hearts and EVERYTHING in our lives to Jesus Christ in order to make it through the way He has planned for it to. We CANNOT do this life right on our own. What are we afraid of? Let us all hand over our hearts to the Rightful Owner, our Creator God!  

[Le Pale to the Chief]

I must say to you though, your Heavenly Father will never embarress you. You keep what is between Him and you. This is what a personal relationship with the Lord is all about. God wants us to be continuously fed the Word until we no longer hunger, and are full. This is what makes God an awesome God! There is no coincidences when is comes to God making all things possible. If God can reign forever, what can He not do?! Amen?