““I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭81:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

On Surrender Sunday I encouraged us all to lay our burdens down. Well, it was Sunday evening and I had already failed. It was about 7:45pm, coming home from the grocery store and I still needed to cook dinner. I was thinking of my week ahead and I turned down my street. And there was the moon, filling the gap in between the trees. An overwhelming sense of calm came over me as the moon radiated the sky and lit the path ahead.

Doesn’t God fill our gaps? Doesn’t He light our paths ahead? Doesn’t He lift our burdens when we surrender them? In this verse from psalms, it is about God freeing the Israelites. We know how we’ll they listened. We are no different. On this Transformation Tips Tuesday, I will once again surrender. Yes, the week ahead is busy, and yes I still have a lot to accomplish. I can have the peace of God, knowing I don’t have to it on my strength. Recite after me, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Psalms‬ ‭94:19‬ ‭NIV

Do you ever feel like life is a tug-of-war‬‬ between expectations and reality? Between schedules, to-do lists, and deadlines; anxiety sets in. Good news, we have a God who can console our anxiety with joy.

On this Mindset Monday, what war are you facing? Have you already let the anxiety set in? Or have you sat with God and allowed Him to console you with joy? Let’s be proactive and make the choice to win the day with God. Let’s choose joy over anxiety. When faced with busy schedules, deadlines, and to-do lists, take it all one day, one step, one task at a time. Let’s pray together!

Heavenly Father, We surrender this Monday and this week to you. We lay our schedules, deadlines, and to-do lists at your feet. Only you know what the day and week will hold. We surrender control and perfection. We ask in return that you console us with joy. Help us not to forget to give ourselves grace as it has already been given. Today is the day you have made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. In the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

““Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.” Job‬ ‭22:21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Submit means to accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person. Similarly, surrender means to give up possession of, to yield, to resign. On this Spiritual Sunday, I am encouraging us to be in surrender to our Lord, Christ Jesus. Whatever our worries are, lay them down. We don’t add another minute to our day by holding onto them. Whatever our dreams and plans are, lay them down. We can keep moving forward while submitting to His perfect will for our lives.

I encourage us all to listen and enjoy the words to the song, I’m Going All In by Brandon Lake, ft. Sarah Reeves. As we listen, think about this photo pictured here by Ray White. Even out in deep waters, God takes care of the birds. Some of the lyrics sing, “Cause your power’s found in the roughest waters, where I have no choice but to trust you, Father. Where my every fear has to surrender, I will trust in you forever.”

I am sure you have heard the Clemson Mantra, “All In”. Dabo Swinney says, “It’s a way of life here, and it’s about being committed to just doing the best you can with what you’ve got.” We too must be all in with God, not just on Sundays but a way of daily life. Instead of looking at our neighbors and being worried about what we don’t have, let’s do our best with what God has given us. Will you be All In with God, in full surrender?

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Click here and join me as I talk about how we respond.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalms‬ ‭46:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The vast Ocean never ceases to amaze me. It is the home to some amazing creatures. The tide knows when to rise and fall. It can be so calm, yet also cause so much destruction. If you live in the Southeast, you know that Hurricane Ian has devastated parts of Florida. This verse in Psalms is comforting, knowing that God is ever-present in our times of trouble.

I encourage you to read the entire 46th chapter. In verse 10 He says; “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” No matter what is going on in the world around us, we can be still and know that He is God.

On this Finish Friday, Ian is strengthening again and still causing destruction as it moves towards South Carolina. As we sit and wait during a storm, we can sit in our safe places and find comfort and peace in God. Isn’t that true too for our storms of life? Whatever you are going through today, I pray that you can find strength in God. I pray that you can sit in His presence to receive comfort and peace.

Will you join me in prayer for all those in the path of Hurricaine Ian? May we all stay safe!

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Have you ever seen or heard of an American Bautyberry plant? This is another picture from our trip to the Botanical Gardens in Clemson, SC. I was so intrigued by it’s beauty. God never ceases to amaze me with all His creation. Through him, all things were made!!!

On this Thankful Thursday, I encourage us to see God’s beauty and be thankful for all things. Just like this plant’s beauty caught my eye, we should truly see God’s beauty anew every day. Take a quick inventory of your surroundings. What catches your eye? What amazes you? Let’s flood the heavens with our praises!!

“‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” Acts‬ ‭17:28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Coasting is to move easily without using power. In this photo, there is what appears to be a big ship on the horizon. Not sure if it is coasting or using its engine for power. A ship is also known as a sailing vessel. As God’s offspring, we are His vessel. In Him live and move and have our being. I challenge us all to self-evaluate with this question on Water Walking Wednesday; are you coasting through your days? Or are you seeking God and allowing His power to move you?

Yesterday I encouraged us to seek God through prayerful thought for both the big and ordinary things. If you read verses 26-27 in Acts 17, we were made to seek; “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”

I speak from experience that it is easy to coast through our days. I especially find this true in busy seasons when we are in survival mode. Friends, this is ok! Remember it’s fine, your fine, everything is fine. There are also seasons where God wants to refresh us. He desires us to seek Him so that He can put a fresh wind behind our sails. I encourage us all today to seek and not coast.