All Nations Christian Fellowship

Sometimes we can forget that we are constantly under the care of our Heavenly Father, and we become anxious, allowing our concerns to grow out of proportion. The remedy for worry is choosing to trust the Lord in every situation in our lives We cannot have true peace or grow as believers unless we are willing to fully trust in Him.

We need to understand what surrender truly is, so that we’re not deceived. It’s not just what we say - our lips can be close to Jesus while our hearts are far from Him. Nor is it what we know - we can understand the Bible well and still not live surrendered lives. Surrender is shown in what we do, especially in how we treat and love others, even those who are difficult. It means being doers of the Word, not just hearers. When our relationship with Jesus is right, surrender comes naturally - the two cannot be separated.

When we understand God's mercy, we begin to see why surrender is so important. Surrender is not about meeting a list of church expectations - attending church, using Christian phrases, listening to sermons or having Christian friends. We can do all these things and create a form of godliness around us but inside we are powerless and full of hypocrisy and sin. We want to be people who don’t just appear good on the outside, but are truly transformed within.

When we truly taste and understand the mercy of God, we are transformed into people who live lives of surrender. We begin to show mercy over judgment, show grace, and become slow to judge or point the finger at others. We love even when it's difficult, and go the extra mile. In this way, we become just like Jesus.

It is within our nature to battle with self-righteousness - it makes us self-reliant, always assuming we're right, and leads us to look down on others. But in the House of God, this should never be the case. The secret to overcoming self-righteousness as a Christian is to respond to Jesus' call to die to self. Turn away from gossip, criticism and belittling others, and instead do all things with a genuine and sincere conscience. If you stay humble and broken, you guard yourself.