Surrender

There is a lot going on at our church right now. Those of you that are Christians understand Ephesians 6:12 where it talks about our battle not being with people, but with spiritual forces in this world. Against Satan.

Satan wants nothing more than to divide our church, and lately he has been working overtime...because God is really moving and lives are being changed. Because people are surrendering their lives to Christ.

Spiritual warfare has definitely been a hard road, and one I honestly wasn't prepared for. It is real, and powerful, and destructive. And I think the hardest part is how sneaky Satan really is. Sure, he uses non-Christians and people that don't follow God, but I think even more he uses innocent, God-loving people with good intentions. He uses valid concerns to be twisted into misunderstandings, gossip and division. It is hard seeing that.

It is easy to want to stand up and defend and fight back. But as a dear woman said to me on the phone yesterday, God is our defender. Just as Jesus before Pilot, there is a time for us to be silent. Pride wants us to have a different response.

Self pride is humbling to me...because I know I have been there, and Stephen has shared with the church board how he has been there time and time again too. I think times like this are where God can bring "beauty from ashes" and how what Satan meant to destroy, God can use for His glory and good. Stephen and I have been refined in all of this, and even though the fires are hot, we trust the Potter.

Before we came to CLCC I had to go through a hard lesson of surrender and learning to trust God. I liked my comfortable life and didn't want to leave Indiana. Now looking back I see how much I would have missed if I had chosen to fight God and the call He has on Stephen's life. CLCC is an amazing group of people that I love and appreciate so much! The church has been such a blessing to our family.

Now I feel like I am at another place of surrender, of trusting God with every detail. And sometimes I don't like what He wants to do and to teach me...but there is so much more blessing in following Him. In trusting Him. And sometimes things may not make sense to me, but there is so much I will miss out on if I choose to fight God's plan for my life.

I am praying that the prayer for my life would be the same as what Ruth told Naomi in Ruth 1:16-17: "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." I really want to live a life of surrender.

Our two year term at CLCC is up this spring, and this Sunday the church is voting on whether or not to keep Stephen as their pastor. With all that is going on at the church, I know some people are concerned about the vote, others aren't concerned at all and are oblivious to what is going on.

In spite of all this, Stephen and I have come to a place of peace...no matter the outcome. Because we desperately want to live in obedience to Christ.

This song has been on my heart a lot lately...and wanted to share it with you.