Hope Firstعينة

Surrender Have you ever been asked the question, “What’s one thing about yourself or your life you wish you could change?” Most of us could probably think of a few things right off the bat. The truth is, when you look hard enough, you’ll often find something you wish could be better. There may even be times when what you “lack” makes you feel ill-equipped for the purpose God has placed in your heart. Whether it be the lack of gifting or skillset, self-discipline, circumstances, or physical resources, you can convince yourself that you aren’t equipped for what God has placed before you. You may even allow those things to completely disqualify yourself from what God is calling you to do. But think about this: God knows everything about you. He created you.  He’s aware of what you are capable of, what resources you have, and what's happening around you. He’s given you everything you need. You don’t need more for God to use you. He uses what you already have. In Exodus 4:3-5, God illustrated this to Moses. He told Moses how He would show miracles to the Egyptians by telling Moses to throw his staff to the ground. Once it hit the ground, it became a snake. When Moses picked it up again, it turned back into a staff. It’s important not to skip over the meaning behind this example: You have to let go of what you’re holding onto for God to change it. In Exodus 15:22-25, the Israelites were walking through the desert and were thirsty, but all they had access to was bitter, undrinkable water. The people had no idea what they would drink, so Moses did the only thing he knew to do — He turned to God. In response, God showed him a piece of wood nearby. He didn’t make a piece of wood appear, He showed Moses what was already there. Moses threw it in the water, and the water became drinkable. God uses what is already around us. He can work miracles when we surrender to Him, allowing Him to reveal what we have not yet seen. When you look for insufficiencies and disqualifications in your life, you will find them. But if you look to God for His truth, He will show you how He has already equipped you. When you surrender your situation, your gifts, your worries, and your battles, He can do more through you than you can imagine. Your surrender plus His power will always yield a supernatural scenario. PRAYER Father, Thank You for all that You have given me. I know that You have uniquely created me to live out my purpose. I ask that You would give me eyes of faith to see myself and my resources with Your eyes. I surrender what I see as gaps in my capabilities and I ask that You do more than I can imagine. In Jesus’ name, Amen.