Radical Obedience

In week two of What Happens WhenWomen Say Yes to God, my journey of saying #YestoGod, I read chapters two (Hearing God's Voice) and three (When Obedience Becomes Radical). If you read my blog post last week, you'll remember the definition of radical obedience that I quoted from Lysa TerKeurst. Just in case you missed that post, you'll find it here.

In chapter three Lysa shared a couple of examples of areas in her life where she felt God asking her to lay something down at His feet. In these moments Lysa had a choice to make. It's the same choice we all have when we feel God leading us to give something up - that choice is to surrender our desires for His will.

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) tells us

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy,

to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this

is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test

and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The following is a list of definitions that readers were asked to look up for this verse as part of "Digging Deeper" in chapter two. I used Dictionary.com to look up the words. It totally made this verse come alive for me!

At this point of my life, I feel God is asking me to lay aside my need for control. More on that later. For now, I want to share with you what I learned in my study of this verse and then I want to share with you the sentence that God put in my heart that sums up all the definitions of this verse. I feel like God is using this verse to show me the steps I'll need to take in order to lay down my need for control.

Here's what I learned during my study of Romans 12:1-2: My thoughts are in pink. :)

Living sacrifice: a life (with all its perceived desires and plans) that is surrendered to God Who has a higher purpose planned.

“living” – having life.

“sacrifice” - the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.

Pleasing God: It is most important that my actions in this life are pleasing to God.

“pleasing” - to act to the pleasure or satisfaction of.
“God” – our Father in Heaven.

Do not conform: I am not to become similar to the characteristics of this world.

“conform” - to be or become similar in form, nature, or character.

The pattern of this world: The qualities, acts, and tendencies of this temporary world I live in are not to become patterns of my life or my characteristics.

“pattern” - a combination of qualities, acts, tendencies, etc., forming a consistent or characteristic arrangement.

Transformed: having changed my nature or character.

“transformed” - to change in condition, nature, or character.

Renewing your mind: the process of reviving or reestablishing my mind (to align myself with God).

“renew” - to revive; reestablish.

Test and approve God’s will: having a renewed mind that is now focused on pleasing God and not set in the patterns of this world, I will be able to live a life that demonstrates and shows the actions (will) of God.

“test” - the means by which the presence, quality, or genuineness of anything is determined; a means of trial.
“approve” - to demonstrate; show.
“will” - the faculty of conscious and especially of deliberate action; the power of control the mind has over its own actions.

I love how God brings His Word to life when I study it! After doing this exercise, these words flowed from my heart...

When I’m no longer focused on the temporary ideals and patterns of this world,

I can have a clearer mind focused on God

and what He desires of me

and live as He desires.

When I live my life as a sacrifice to God I am called to lay down my need for control - in every area of my life. My perceived notions and ideas that have been formed by the ideals and patterns of this temporary world keep my fists clinched tight onto things that are better left released to God's loving hands. I love what Lysa says about the releasing of our control to God...

If we hold all that we treasure with our hands open and our palms facing upward,

we are telling God we recognize it is His and we offer it up freely to Him.

God may or may not remove what we've offered Him, but He will continue to

fill our open hands with blessings - His amazing blessings and not the cheap

counterfeits of this world.

I don't want my disobedience to cause me to miss out on God's best for me and for my family! I want to release my need for control and have #PalmsUp that willfully show a heart that says #YestoGod!

How do you feel God is calling you to have Radical Obedience? I would love to hear from your heart, so please feel free to share in the comments below.

Blessings to you,

Laurie