Search This Blog

Friday, December 29, 2017

His Success in Me


I want to be successful in living the life He has called me to live, but there are things that are necessary for me—things I need to strengthen in my life and things I need to cast out. I need to be disciplined and pruned for His purpose.

“Strip down, start running, and never quit!” the writer to the Hebrews declared. “No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins! Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls” (Hebrews 12:2–3, MSG)!

My success comes from how God is able to succeed in me and what He is able to accomplish in and through me. I discover His success through surrendering my will to His will for my life. I discover His power when I realize that my power is not really able to achieve anything. If I want to make a difference in the lives of other people—to discover how the love of Christ will change their lives—I must first allow Him to be successful in my life.

Just think about it! Power to conquer my failures! Power to conquer my demons! His power changes what I perceive as a failure to understand how He can use it for His purpose. His power silences the voices of my personal demons that speak defeat. He gives me the ability to rise above my doubts and fears. But I must surrender and “strip down, start running, and never quit.” He promises to be successful in me when I live very closely to Him, and He abides daily in me because I abide in Him. If I persevere to do His will, I will receive His promise of success. My success will then be His success.

Success may come in lives that are changed by His love, but it also comes in ways the world does not consider success and very rarely even recognizes. Success is at its greatest in sacrifice and obedience. It is in the moment when I sacrifice my desires for His that His sacrifice on the cross becomes alive in me. I hunger for His purpose. Obedience to Him becomes more important than anything else. And with that surrender, His success is achieved in my life. His purpose becomes mine.

The world does not see success in surrender. The world judges according to its own desires, but God judges with a heart that gave His Son for me. The Lord understands the power of surrender. It is a daily labor of setting my own desires aside and allowing Him to work in me. He plants himself in my life and daily prunes me until I bear fruit. As I surrender to His lesson, I bear the fruit of His success in what I accomplish.

The secret to my success is surrendering my own plans, desires, purpose, ideas, and needs. Surrendering to Him is a promise of success that is better than any I might imagine. Success is Christ alive in me! I will keep my eyes of Jesus and learn how He finished His own race. I will persevere in spite of all odds. When I find myself wavering, I will remember how Jesus faced obstacles that I will never have to face. I will remember how He laid down His life to set me free from sin and failure. I will remember how He held on for His ultimate reward. Am I ready to surrender to succeed? Time will tell.

(Devotion from Form Me, Fire Me, Fill Me)

Copyright 2017 Lynn Lacher


www.lynnlacher.com

No comments:

Post a Comment

Trust in the Lord

    Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give yo...