Letting go

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes”.

 

Psalm 37:7

 

 

You know that you have truly surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others or to force your own agenda in order to control the situation. You let go and let God work and instead of trying harder, you find yourself trusting more.

 

Surrendering your life means that you will follow God’s lead when you are not even sure where He may be sending you. You will wait for His timing, not knowing when it will come. You expect a miracle not knowing how God will provide and you totally trust His purpose without understanding the circumstances.

 

Christ showed the ultimate example of self-surrender the night before His crucifixion when He surrendered Himself to His Father’s plan. True surrender says that if the circumstance or hurt you find yourself in is needed to fulfill God’s purpose and to glorify Him, then you will take whatever may come your way.

 

This kind of faith and maturity does not come easily but true surrender is hard work and requires intense warfare against our self-centered nature.

 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart 
       and lean not on your own understanding;

 in all your ways acknowledge him, 
       and he will make your paths straight. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

Loyalty

A friend loves at all times, 
       and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:17

 

How can I know who my friends really are? This question is often times perplexing but with time spent in reading God’s word, He reveals to us the answer to this question. One test is discovering ones loyalty. This test comes when a true friend loves us through the very best and worst of times in our life. People’s true colors are revealed when we find ourselves going through extremely difficult or painful circumstances and how they react and respond to us.

True friends can also wound us in painfully awful ways that in turn can be true blessings. A true friend is not afraid to tell us the hard truth even when they know it may hurt us. Because we can trust them and know that they are loyal, we are able to trust their honesty. We have to be weary of those in our lives that do not have the courage to confront us when we truly need it.

A gossip betrays a confidence, 
       but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

Proverbs 11:13

A true friend is also trust worthy. We can speak to them in confidence and know that what we share of our lives is safe with them. Gossip, which is the sharing of rumors or information of an intimate and personal nature, will ultimately destroy friendships and will create much friction. We should surround ourselves with the wise. Those friends speak frugally and use their tongue to nourish and feed, not tear down. It is amazing how a simple word of encouragement and support can motivate a person to do the right thing and understand truth. Our tongue does not only affect our OWN life but can also change the life of those we choose to either bless or curse.

In the end, a true friend is there to comfort, encourage and speak truth when we need it and to love us where we are and offer us support through the hard times.