DAY 1 - Who Gets the Final Word
Audacious Faith Five Day Devotional- Learning to Give God the Final Word
Church, I do not want this week to become another message we agreed with and then forgot. The goal is to practice the kind of faith we say we believe. For the next five days, set aside seven quiet minutes. Bring a Bible and something to write with. Read slowly. Answer honestly. Then do something.
Each day will take you into a different part of Scripture. Do not rush to the questions. Let the Word question you first. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring one area of your life into the light, and be willing to say yes to the next thing God makes clear.
An audacious life is built one surrendered yes at a time.
-Pastor Daniel
DAY 1 - Who Gets the Final Word
Read slowly. Luke 9:23 through 25 and Psalm 139:23 through 24
Jesus does not begin by asking whether you admire him. He asks whether you will follow him. In Luke 9, following Jesus means denying yourself, taking up your cross daily, and walking behind him. That is much deeper than agreeing with Christian beliefs. It means I surrender my claim to run my life however I want.
Self denial is not self hatred. Jesus is not asking you to despise the person he created. He is asking you to stop treating yourself as the highest authority in your life. The question is not whether you have preferences, plans, and desires. Of course you do. The question is who gets the final word when your plans and his direction pull against each other.
Comfort becomes powerful because it rarely announces itself as rebellion. It sounds responsible. It says you should wait until the timing is easier, the risk is lower, the schedule opens, the children are older, the finances are stronger, or you feel more certain. Sometimes waiting is wise. Sometimes it is fear wearing the clothes of wisdom. That is why you need Psalm 139. David asks God to search him, test him, and show him what is happening inside him. He does not assume that he can diagnose his own heart without help.
So invite God into the part of your life you most want to control. Maybe it is your money. Maybe it is a relationship, your reputation, your future, or the pace of your family. Do not begin by promising God something dramatic. Begin by telling him the truth. Name what you are protecting. Name what you fear would happen if you surrendered it.
Jesus says that the life we struggle to save is the life we can lose. A protected life can slowly become a very small life. But the life placed in the hands of Jesus is never wasted. He may lead you somewhere costly. He will not lead you somewhere alone.
The life you are protecting may be the life God is asking you to surrender.
Ask Yourself
Your Next Yes
Write the words Jesus gets the final word at the top of a page. Underneath, name one area you have been protecting. Tell God why you are afraid to surrender it. Do not edit your answer into something spiritual. Be honest, then sit quietly for one minute and listen.
Pray
Jesus, you are Lord, and I want you to have more than my agreement. I give you the right to lead me. Search me and show me where fear, comfort, or control has been making decisions that belong to you. I trust that your hands are better than mine. Give me courage to surrender what I have been protecting. Amen.
Church, I do not want this week to become another message we agreed with and then forgot. The goal is to practice the kind of faith we say we believe. For the next five days, set aside seven quiet minutes. Bring a Bible and something to write with. Read slowly. Answer honestly. Then do something.
Each day will take you into a different part of Scripture. Do not rush to the questions. Let the Word question you first. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring one area of your life into the light, and be willing to say yes to the next thing God makes clear.
An audacious life is built one surrendered yes at a time.
-Pastor Daniel
DAY 1 - Who Gets the Final Word
Read slowly. Luke 9:23 through 25 and Psalm 139:23 through 24
Jesus does not begin by asking whether you admire him. He asks whether you will follow him. In Luke 9, following Jesus means denying yourself, taking up your cross daily, and walking behind him. That is much deeper than agreeing with Christian beliefs. It means I surrender my claim to run my life however I want.
Self denial is not self hatred. Jesus is not asking you to despise the person he created. He is asking you to stop treating yourself as the highest authority in your life. The question is not whether you have preferences, plans, and desires. Of course you do. The question is who gets the final word when your plans and his direction pull against each other.
Comfort becomes powerful because it rarely announces itself as rebellion. It sounds responsible. It says you should wait until the timing is easier, the risk is lower, the schedule opens, the children are older, the finances are stronger, or you feel more certain. Sometimes waiting is wise. Sometimes it is fear wearing the clothes of wisdom. That is why you need Psalm 139. David asks God to search him, test him, and show him what is happening inside him. He does not assume that he can diagnose his own heart without help.
So invite God into the part of your life you most want to control. Maybe it is your money. Maybe it is a relationship, your reputation, your future, or the pace of your family. Do not begin by promising God something dramatic. Begin by telling him the truth. Name what you are protecting. Name what you fear would happen if you surrendered it.
Jesus says that the life we struggle to save is the life we can lose. A protected life can slowly become a very small life. But the life placed in the hands of Jesus is never wasted. He may lead you somewhere costly. He will not lead you somewhere alone.
The life you are protecting may be the life God is asking you to surrender.
Ask Yourself
- What part of my life have I quietly declared off limits to God?
- What am I protecting, and what has that protection already cost me?
- Where have I called fear wisdom because I did not want to obey?
- If Jesus had the final word in one decision today, what might change?
Your Next Yes
Write the words Jesus gets the final word at the top of a page. Underneath, name one area you have been protecting. Tell God why you are afraid to surrender it. Do not edit your answer into something spiritual. Be honest, then sit quietly for one minute and listen.
Pray
Jesus, you are Lord, and I want you to have more than my agreement. I give you the right to lead me. Search me and show me where fear, comfort, or control has been making decisions that belong to you. I trust that your hands are better than mine. Give me courage to surrender what I have been protecting. Amen.
Posted in Daily Devotional