10.12.08 The Surrender, Proverbs 12

The Surrender

It is hard to surrender without a fight. To surrender, we must be dog tired, out of ammo, out of options, and maybe in fear for our life. In the natural world, surrender happens everyday. The police chase down a criminal, tyrants run down the weak, and righteous soldiers fight back the tyranny. The desperately poor, the persecuted, deathly ill (i.e., aids pandemic), and thirsty (the drought in many populace or absence of clean water) have to fight for each day - surrender is not an option (their very survival is at stake).

In the spiritual realm, the surrender to God is sweet. Our surrender to the creator of the universe is met with an open door to the throne of the almighty. We are allowed to enter his courts and lay our lives at his feet and discover his goodness. At the throne, we gain.

Are you at your wits end? Are you wondering what the future holds? Do you need a miracle from God? We are called to rest in him and to be wise. A friend recommended this song to me. Hope you enjoy it. Is it time to surrender?

"Whatever You're Doing" by Sanctus Real

These verses stood out today:

Proverbs 12:2 - "A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but the Lord condems a crafty man."

Do you practice self-talk? I have affirming words and phrases in my "Daily Task" in Outlook. Words like "I am an annointed", "I am favored by God and he opens doors for me", and "My best days start today". I think we need to remind ourselves about our favor with God on a daily basis. A crafty man is someone who is skillfully underhanded and deceptive, a manipulator. Our pursuits should be aimed at gaining favor with God and not men.

Proverbs 12:10 - "A righeteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel."

I recently bought my girls two pet mice, not realizing that male mice are very stinky due to their urine. I thought they were cute and that my girls would love them (they were excited to have them). However, after the third day in the house, my wife wanted me to get rid of them (she didn't care how). One of the mice was sick and he died. My youngest daughter had named him "Cheese", so we had a burial for him and said a prayer.

Well, "Remi" (the other mouse) is a alive and well and living in our garage in an aquarium tank all to himself. My wife wanted me to just let him go in a field or give it to someone with a snake. I haven't had the heart to do either. The thought of the mouse fending for hmself in the wild seemed cruel. So, I have taken on the responsibility for his future making sure he has plenty of water and food. I had read this verse before and it is my reminder to care for this little mouse. He's a pretty lucky mouse, because my old nature would have enjoyed putting a set mouse trap in his cage to see what would happen. Now, he is kind of like my little buddy.

On Mission, On Assignment, and in the ZONE!

Andy Valadez
e-mail: andy@marketingdynamics.org