The Activation of Surrender Part 1

Hey OUTM, so It's been a while since I last posted. Life was life(ing) and I was feeling ahh... a bit discouraged and distracted. Have you ever felt like that? Well, during my seasons of discouragement/distraction, it's really difficult for me to focus, It's like everything else becomes amplified and I get sidetracked, when in reality they are not that important, they appeared to get me off my mark! But God! Proverbs 4:25 (NLT) states Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. I had to focus, shake it off and get myself together. At minimum, I had to start putting something on paper.

When we last connected, I was heading to Woman Evolve (WE) in Dallas, Texas. It was my first time traveling such a distance to a WE Conference, I remember during the humble beginnings of WE, when Sarah and Friends would travel to various churches as she brought awareness of the WE movement, and the word of God as it was laid in her spirit. I recalled my first live Woman Evolve encounter was at the New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, MD. I was so excited when I heard that it was coming to town, so excited that I had no problem driving 1.5 hours to see her. It was an AMAZING experience as anticipated!

True story, I discovered Pastor Sarah's ministry after YouTube introduced me to her husband, Pastor Taure Roberts, earlier that year. Pastor Taure shares the word in such a relatable manner that you can't help but embrace it! During that period, aside from my own Pastor, John K. Jenkins, he became a key part of my online ministry lineup. At some point in the service, he would always invite Pastor Sarah to say a prayer or share a message. From there, I realized she was truly gifted and being used by God.

Fast forward, by the grace of God, through ALL the travel adversities! We are here!! We made it to WOMAN EVOLVE 2024!! My QE daughters, my little sister, her good girl friends, and a community of 48,000 other women craving for a word and an experience in God's presence. Psalm 16:11 (b) says in your presence there is fullness of joy; (ESV). Immediately walking into the Globe Life Field (GLF) in Arlington, Texas I felt an unspeakable calm; although there was tons of movement, excitement and activities going on. It felt like I walked into a place where people prayed before I got there. It felt like a rain of peace, like no matter what you have been or were going through at that present time, GLF was Holy ground. The stadium was filled with women from all walks of life, countries, cities, and states, all waiting to... SURRENDER!

SURRENDER was the focus of the conference, and that is exactly what WE embraced!! The entire event offered us practical and effective steps to ACTIVATE SURRENDERING to God. They created an atmosphere where WE laughed, WE cried out, WE were challenged, and We Worshipped (Oh, did we worship!). WE began the days looking super cute, but by the end of the night, pieces of us and our clothes were on the floor. I remember one night, being so filled and ignited by the Spirit of God, that I literally peeled off my eyelashes (mid praise) and didn't care! I was ready to SURRENDER!

WHAT IS SURRENDER? A verb or action which involves ceasing resistance, giving up, or abandoning oneself to someone or something else.” Matthew 16: 24-25 (NLT) Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. These verses urges us to the ultimate act of surrender—forsaking ourselves, bearing our cross, and following Jesus. It serves as a powerful reminder that genuine life is discovered not in self-preservation, but in surrendering to Christ.

In my understanding of surrender, it involves me, willingly placing myself under Jesus for His guidance in my life. It requires my humility, and me acknowledging that I am unable to save or transform myself into the person Jesus desires me to be. Activation of surrender means, that my will decreases, while Jesus's will increases. It means, that regardless of how I feel or think about a situation, I must trust and have faith in Jesus. Surrendering to God means trusting Him fully, even when we don’t understand His plan. Proverbs 3:5-6 encourages us to lean not on our understanding but to trust that God will guide our steps

The story of all the saints in the Bible is one of surrendering to God’s call. Noah had to embrace the extraordinary call to construct an ark, leaving behind his own life plans. Abraham had to leave his hometown, friends, and family to discover what God had in store for him. Moses, Queen Esther, Mary, and Jesus himself all had to surrender to God’s call in their lives. None of these individuals would describe their relationship with God as simple. Their faith was genuine and evident through their obedient submission to what God revealed to them. We are no different.

REFLECTION

What has God revealed to you?

What do you have to surrender?

During your path in surrendering, what has been the most difficult thing?

WORSHIP SELECTION

As Always, Love you all!! Thanks for the support and the encouragement to jump back in this journey. Like, Share and Subscribe.