STAYING OUT OF THE WELL

In my weakness, He is strong. When I am weak in an area of my life and I surrender my weakness to His power, He comes and makes me strong where I have never known His strength. Often that surrender comes after I have exhausted everything I can do to make a change. It comes when I finally understand in my heart and mind and spirit, that the control is not meant to be mine. If my weakness is over something that I have no control, then the Holy Spirit brings me the power to have His control. But the key... the very key to this promise comes in surrender of my will to His will.

If I think I am a person who has completely surrendered my will to the Lord in every area, I need to look again. I need to understand that absolutely surrendering my control to His control comes when I am at the bottom.... when all my attempts have failed. I hear in my ear from the enemy, “you will never get on top of this” and “you are a failure.” I will never get on top of it in my own strength. I will fail without His power in my life. Those whispers of the enemy are true only if I don't surrender and allow God to make the changes that need to be made.

When I am at the bottom the only way is up. I can either keep trying to climb out of that well by myself, or I can give up and let God extend His hand to me. It is in the dying to my will that He comes and brings new life. It is absolutely possible for me to find a way out of that well in my own strength, but I will only end up at the bottom again. When I finally understand that nothing I attempt in my own strength will make a lasting difference....when I surrender (often struggling) every day to God.... when I decide that nothing has the power to change me but God.... when I let go of my own control, and allow Him to give me what I need for the daily battle, THEN, I WILL STAY OUT OF THAT WELL.

Each day when I have surrendered and He has brought me out of the well, I KNOW He is strong, and I KNOW that I am weak. I pray to know it the next day and the next. The well always beckons, but so does He. I would rather surrender to Him than surrender to the well.

Lord, help me to always realize that surrendering my will and life life daily to you is the only real life. Your life in me is the greatest paradox.... that in dying I live... in losing control, I discover control, and in letting go of my way, I find yours. In my weakness, I discover your strength. Those slippery walls that have always allowed me to slide right back to the bottom of the well are finally scaled with your power! In my weakness, I have found your strength. I look back upon my well from your heights, and declare today that only you will keep me out of it.