I released control when the plane rumbled down the runway and gave itself away to the blue. I released control when the roller coaster barreled down the track and danced on one edge around the first curve. And I released control to my dentist while squirming in her cold and uncomfortable chair. But I did NOT release control to God.
That was early in my faith walk when I released NOTHING to God. Not my sports car. Not my mansion. Not my succeed-at-all-costs drive.
My struggle sums up the challenge all believers face in releasing control to God. And it pushes me to establish this SPIRITUAL IMPERATIVE every month: RELEASING CONTROL of our MIND, BODY, and WILL to God.
A spiritual imperative is what must be done. It’s a goal on steroids without any room to escape.
Here’s the verse God used to smack me into his reality on the imperative to release full control to him:
“…whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34
That verse inspired me to embrace God’s mandate to release control of my MIND to God–what and how I thought (Ephesians 4:22, 23).
To release control of my BODY because it’s his temple where he dwells (1 Corinthians 3:16).
To release control of my WILL and let him take over full control of my life (Revelation 22:17).
MIND. BODY. WILL. All in the process of perpetual release because this is a LIFE-LONG imperative, not a one-time fix. God demands that we release control of our entire being. He wants the WHOLE, not a part.
And that includes releasing control at a deeper level–usually through the crucible of pain–that strengthens our intimacy with Christ.
God knows us better than we could ever know ourselves. That’s why we must allow him to tame our fleshly desires and emotions and attitudes by having his Holy Spirit’s power infuse us with the mind of Christ.
I ask God to help me to never stop releasing my hurts, pain, challenges, and opportunities to his capable and loving care. And to give me the insight and strength to allow him to have FULL CONTROL over my life—all of it.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
What is the ONE THING God would have you release to him this week…even today?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
