What kind of reaction grabs your heart when you come across a word like “control”? Is it fear because you seem to be so out of “it”? Do you feel a kind of heaviness or do you taste anger because of the oppression from someone else’s control over you? Does the thought of control raise a feeling of pleasure in you, knowing that you can rule and regulate it in your life and also “manage” the lives of those you love? We laugh in agreement with the comment, “I like to have all my ducks in a row.” But don’t we arrange our own little ducks…secretly? (I think my ducks are even color coordinated and lined up by size. How’s that for control?)

Our God is not a God of chaos. He is a God of order. Just read the first chapter of Genesis and you will see there is nothing random in the way he created the universe or each individual. I believe the Lord likes us to have our lives in order. But order and the need to control are too very different things. Maybe a better question to ask ourselves is…Who are we surrendered to? Of course, most of us would quickly state that it is Jesus that we have surrendered our life to. Maybe we each need to take a closer look within those concealed areas, areas that are not hidden from our Lord.

Should we be asking, “Have we chosen to fully surrender our control over to Him?” I know I have many areas that I still hang on to and need true heart repentance. And why do I stubbornly sin against the Lord in this way? Like David, I must cry out to the Lord to search my heart and test my thoughts so that I have nothing in me that would make Him sad.

John 15:4a "Abide in Me, and I in you." When we abide, we aren’t controlling - we are resting. The word abide in the Greek language (which the New Testament was written in), means: to remain, to sojourn, to tarry, to be present, to be held or kept continually, to remain as one. Those are not words of control. Now go back to the verse and implement those various meanings. Are we remaining “as one” with the Lord in all ways?

At times, have we honestly trusted God to care for us? Have we been disappointed in the past with how God handled our situation, so now “we won’t go there again?” We have thought it would be best to control our own lives because we might do a better job at it. This is wrong thinking for sure!

Fear and distrust (which is what control is all about) closes us off from being able to hear the heartbeat of God. You must remember that our Heavenly Father never leaves our side and always yearns to have us wholly surrendered to Him. He loves you that much! I realize that surrendering makes us vulnerable, yet it also opens us to allow God’s best in our life. It is a given that His ways often times are not what “we thought” was best in our lives… but that is when we have to stand on His promises, acknowledge His omnificence, and believe in His character. This is how we battle our flesh, in the power of God’s Spirit. Allow God to flow from within and feel the freedom we have been gifted and let your soul lift knowing you are His beloved child.

May it be our desire that we be women who live in the present and are aware of the world around us. May we take notice of the blessings God gifts to each of us, and always long to hear His whispers. Shall we also pray with a more purposeful focus on God’s will? And as we stay connected in our relationship with Christ, we will become more thankful followers. Let us commit to doing this together! Close your eyes…Open your heart, let God’s Spirit empower you today.