Let's face it, we like to be in control. We say that we are the authors of our lives - but are we really? Of course not. The Lord guides and reveals our path, but truly when we are in surrender. Let's unpack exactly what that means.

All righty everyone.

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Good morning and happy Monday to you all.

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This is episode 16 of I Can't.

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He Can.

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And before we jump into today's episode,

let go and let God, I wanted to apologize.

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Kind of a little apology, but not

really because it was much needed.

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But I do apologize for leaving you

guys with this unplanned hiatus that

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I took last week, without knowing,

without knowing or even planning it.

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this break just was the birth of today's

episode, and it's a great segue into

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our overall topic of total surrender.

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Now first, I didn't plan to even

go on a break or go anywhere.

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probably about until a week

before I actually planned my

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trip and I went to Georgia.

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It was beautiful, beautiful, honestly.

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Um, but anyway.

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Second, uh, this break served as

one of the most amazing weekends

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and so satisfying days that I

have had in a long, long time.

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Last but not least, not only did I feel

renewed and happy, but it also gave

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me the answers that I didn't know that

I needed for some things in my life.

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it really give me clarity.

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It gave me a break and,

you know, sometimes.

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It's really hard to find those things

that we're praying for and asking God

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for in the noise of just every day.

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So, in a world where there's just so

much noise, like I said, and it's so

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fast paced, we don't always realize

that we actually need to step away.

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Our souls need and can benefit from a day

or two just of silence and prayer and.

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Maybe even being around people that

make you feel alive and make you feel,

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wow.

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It's really, it's really hard to

even explain, but a place or a

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person can just make you feel in a

way that you never knew you needed.

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So with that said, I didn't

just go away to party or drink.

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It had been a trip that I was

waiting for for a really long time.

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It ended up being the total opposite

of what I imagined, but what I am

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most happy about is that my hiatus

and my break away from everyday

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life also drew me closer to God.

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And I took that time and worshiped

and prayed and just kind of.

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Slowed down in the way that I know that

Jesus would want us to slow down to

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really see what we're missing in life.

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So I'm really grateful that I, I

took that opportunity and, um, you

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know, he just renewed and restored

in a way that nothing else can.

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So, like one of my favorite Bible

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come to me all you who labor and are

heavy laden and I will give you rest.

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And Jesus doesn't just

renew, restore, and redeem.

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He gives us that rest.

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We need that rest.

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You guys.

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We need that rest.

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And if we don't get that rest,

we're going to burn out Now,

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today's episode is simple.

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It's fast to the point and

not because I'm just trying to

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get in and out, but sometimes.

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Less is more.

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And sometimes God doesn't want

us to go above and beyond and,

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um, do a thousand things for him.

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Simple is good, and a really

important reminder that we all

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need, whether you are Christian

or not, you all need to slow down.

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You need to rest.

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now.

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I have one question for you.

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How can we get this rest through Jesus?

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And of course the answer is in surrender.

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Now, there's only one way to

salvation, and yes, salvation comes

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through faith and believe in Jesus.

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But I personally believe, and

this is my personal opinion, but

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I do believe that true salvation

does come through surrender.

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Because if we don't fully surrender to God

and we don't give him all of our problems,

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all of our anxieties, we are going to

continue to stumble and fall and even sin.

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And we need to have that surrender in

Christ because if we don't surrender

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and we say, yes, I'm a follower of

Jesus, and you can believe in Jesus,

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but are you really following him?

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If you're not surrendering,

that's all he wants.

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That's all he wants from you.

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He wants you to surrender

and just give him your heart.

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So let go of your ways.

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Let go of your negative thoughts.

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Let go of your fears, of your

doubts and give it all to the Lord.

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Let go and let God.

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Let God do with your life what he meant

it to be before you took a single breath.

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I'm gonna repeat that.

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Let God do with your life what he meant

it to be before you took a single breath.

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Now, by definition, surrender means.

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The act of yielding or submitting

to the authority and will of God.

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It involves a relinquishment

of personal control and a trust

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in God's sovereignty and plan.

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Surrender is a fundamental aspect

of the Christian faith emphasizing

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obedience, humility, and faith.

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Let's take that a step further and

let's ask, what is sovereignty?

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Because I know that I really did

not understand what sovereignty is.

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And that is a concept that God

and Jesus are the supreme rulers

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over all things and they are in

complete control of the universe.

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Now, don't you think if there is someone

or a being that can rule over all things,

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they have control over everything?

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Don't you think that they can manage

to handle all the things in your life?

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Don't you think that they at the snap

of their finger, they can just say.

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That's it.

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This is gone.

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This is taken care of.

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Don't worry.

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Of course it can.

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Of course it can, but it

is difficult to surrender.

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It's difficult to accept

that we are not in control.

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Sometimes it's hard to accept that our

story and our plan is already written

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for us, and we need to let that go.

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We need to let that go because I'm sure

that there is a moment in your life.

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Where you kept falling into the same pits,

into the same cycles, day in and day out.

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And that's because you

didn't fully surrender.

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You didn't let God guide

you to what he had for you.

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And if you would've just stopped, if

you would've just taken a few steps

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back and analyzed, man, if I wouldn't

have done this so many times, I would've

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gotten into this place much faster.

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And that's exactly what

God wants us to do.

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He wants us to be obedient,

and he wants us to surrender

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so that he can take control.

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And like many people say,

Jesus, take the wheel.

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You need to let him steer you into

the path that was meant for you.

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Now, Proverbs chapter three,

verses five through six says.

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding.

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In all your ways, acknowledge him

and he shall direct your paths.

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My friends money will not

buy you true happiness.

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A marriage will certainly not

bring you joy or fulfillment.

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Sometimes a friendship may not even

end in the way that you expected.

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Our health, our health

will suffer eventually.

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Our health will suffer and will

not last as long as we'd hope.

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But what is guaranteed and what

we can always count on is the

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rest that we find in Jesus.

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The rest that we find in Jesus

through every single battle and every

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single hill and valley in our life.

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He takes us as we are and he takes

all of our burdens for himself.

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Despite all of our faults and

all of our sin, he still chooses

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to serve us and let us rest.

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Think about that.

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We fall short of the glory of God the

Bible says, and he still gives us rest.

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That's beautiful.

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Have you ever met a person that does

that for you for as long as you need it?

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Despite how many times you continue to

mess up time, after time, after time?

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No.

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No.

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That doesn't exist.

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It only exists in Jesus.

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So thank you Lord.

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Thank you.

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Thank you for the never ending mercy.

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Your never ending love Lord.

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Thank you for the rest that you

give my soul, the inexplicable rest

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and love that you fill us with.

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There is nothing like it, my friends.

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There is nothing like it.

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And once you know Jesus, once you

know Jesus, there is no going back.

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When you truly know him, you find it

so hard to let him down, and that's

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when you surrender because you know,

you know that the things that you are

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letting go are going to make him happy.

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Are going to make you one step

closer to reaching that promise, to

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reaching him the same way that he's

reached for you time and time again.

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Philippians chapter four, verse

seven says, and the peace of God,

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which surpasses all understanding

will guard your hearts and

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minds through Christ Jesus.

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Let your heart be guarded, but in Christ.

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Let your heart be guarded, but in

Christ, not by things of the world.

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Surrender all that you are to him and feel

the rest and peace of God that awaits you.

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so my friends, I mean, I can't even,

I can't even begin to explain how much

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my life has changed and in one month.

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Every time that I turn my head, I

say, wow, my life is so different.

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My life was a 180 from a little over a

year ago when I started following Christ.

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But in this month, in this

month, my prayers were answered.

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I got the answers that I was

looking for for a long, long time.

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I saw things revealed to me that I

never expected, but I also am feeling

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so many wonderful emotions and have

so much hope in my heart, and I know

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that it's all because of Christ.

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I know it's all because of Christ, and

I know that he is putting everything

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in place for me just as it should,

just because I planned a trip and

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just because I took that leap of faith

and just because I knew in my heart.

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For so many years that I needed

something different that this was not

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for me, but you question yourself.

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You let the enemy get to you, and

you question yourself a lot of the

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times, my friends, and you can't.

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You can't do that.

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You need to pray and you need to

pray for things to be put right

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in front of you, loud and clear.

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Even if you feel like you're doing

something wrong, sometimes those

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things are going to show you.

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Exactly what it is that you needed.

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Other times it'll take you more prayer, it

will be a little bit quiet, but at the end

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of the day, he makes his message heard,

and I am so glad that I have surrendered

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to God over and over again because I

have fallen, I have fallen, and I have, I

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have sinned, and I have not been perfect.

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And I have most definitely let him

down many, many times, even after I

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was baptized and I became a follower.

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'cause we are, we are not Jesus.

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We are not perfect.

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But what I do know is that

he has never not been there.

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He has never not been there, and

he has never not answered me.

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And that is why I choose to

surrender time and time again.

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Because every time that I have surrendered

and given him my heart and soul.

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He has shown up for me and he has

done a work that only he can do.

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So I pray that you guys

surrender in the same way.

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Give him everything that

you have to give him.

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Every single burden, every single

anxiety that you guys have.

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I pray that you give that to him right

now today, in this very moment, or

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whether you listen to this a year from

now, whoever may listen, I pray that

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you surrender to Christ right now.

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Because only he can do

what you need him to do.

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and like a very important person

once told me, and I quote, when

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we are in tribulation, that

is when he is closest to us.

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None of those things will

move you and it's so true.

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None of those things around us, those

problems, those anxieties, none of

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those things are going to move us

the way that Christ can move us, the

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way that he can put things in our

path to just let us know I am here.

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Thank you for surrendering.

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I am near God and I got you.

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Oh, What an amazing God we have.

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I love you guys.

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I thank you for listening.

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I hope that this has blessed

you in some way, my friends.

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Until next time, take care.