You never know what adventures will happen when you submit your heart to God!
My adventure began with a 40-day sugar fast, where the participants were encouraged to turn sugar cravings into God-cravings. Giving up sugar wasn’t as hard as I thought. But in the middle of the 40 days, I realized that I was depending more on my own willpower than on God. And thus began a journey that has taken me to surprising places.
In Proverbs 3:5-6 we are reminded to trust in God with all our hearts, leaning not on our understanding.
I didn’t need to trust in God with all my heart at the time because my life was simple and settled.
When I needed food, I bought it. When I needed love, I snagged a hug from one of my boys. When I needed impact, I ran a class at church.
[clickToTweet tweet=”I wasn’t trusting God with all my heart because I was living in the shallow end of faith. – Christie Thomas” quote=”I wasn’t trusting God with all my heart because I was living in the shallow end of faith, doing only what could be done in my own strength. “]
But then came the day I sat in my women’s Bible study, listening to Lysa Terkeurst talk about this exact issue. I expected her to say that women like me were suffering from pride or were just pretending to follow God. But instead, she gave a simple, two-word challenge.
Go deeper.
If I were in an ancient boat with the disciples, watching Jesus walk on water, I could be like 11 disciples who sat in a [relatively] comfortable boat. Or I can be Peter. I can choose to step out and risk drowning in the deep water.
Go deeper.
Peter didn’t have to get out of that boat to experience Jesus’ miracle. The other disciples saw Jesus walking on water, too. He was walking toward them just as surely as he was walking toward Peter. But Peter decided that it wasn’t enough, that he wanted a deeper experience. So he got out.
Go deeper.
I’m not in an ancient boat. Instead, I am in a modern comfortable life, watching Jesus do incredible things in the world. I don’t need to do anything spectacular to experience Christ. He is here with me as surely as he was with the disciples. But if I choose to seek His face, to step out of my comfortable life and risk drowning in the deep water of life, I may find a deeper experience of Christ. Or I may find death, just as surely as Peter might have found death on that stormy sea.
[clickToTweet tweet=”What do I love more: my comfort or my God?” quote=”What do I love more: my comfort or my God?”]
Can I truly trust God with all my heart instead of trusting in myself with all my heart?
Go deeper.
Less than two weeks after I realized how little I was trusting God, He pointed me to a young mom that needed a kidney. After weeks of wrestling with God, I submitted my heart and my ways to God, and submitted my name to the living donor office.
I stepped out of the boat.
I committed to continuing with the testing until He told me to stop, and He hasn’t said stop yet. In fact, all the tests came out perfect. Apparently, my kidney is in excellent condition. Who knew? God knew.
Anonymous kidney donation might sound like a strange journey, but this is my path. When I submitted my ways to God, this is the path He made straight for me.
When we submit our hearts to God, He will straighten a path.
This is my story. The path that God has made straight for me is not the same path He will make straight for you. Our journeys are different, but the endpoint and the mode of travel are the same. The endpoint is the vibrant life, and the mode of travel is faith.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
What is the path that God is straightening for you?
Excellent teaching! Oh sooo true!
my Pastor told me God wants you to go deeper. To me that can mean so much. reading more praying, more fasting s, memorize scripture, stepping out of the boat as peter did. how do I know? should I ask him or just pray about it until I get an answer. he also made a comment he prayed no one hurts me. I get my feeling hurt easy.