Total Surrender! | SermonIndex

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Ignitemysoul Jan 25, 2007

I am just starting to write down in a clear and understandable way the message that God has enscribed on my heart concerning those who think they are his people but are decieved! What does a real christian look like, how does he respond to God, how big of a God does he think he is responding too? Well their is more and at times I will write down what God has laid on my heart in a notebook. I have multiple nootbooks and write in them just where ever. So I was paging through one and found something that I forgot that I had. The prayer that God lead me to when I was saved. This is my sinners prayer I guess!

My story briefly is this! When I was 16 yrs old I asked the lord into my heart. looked pretty much like a christian until I went to college. I then became a wild party animal getting drunk 2 to 3 time a week, did still go to church but the lord was not the lord of my life. This pattern was the same until I was 30 yrs old but with less drinking and everyone including myself thought of me as a christian.

Then I started to wonder about this " once saved always saved" business! I was in a real spiritually dry time as well. A frind and I went to see a priest friend of ours and one morning while we were eating breakfast at a resturant my life changed! It was as if I died and I was suddenly aware of my sin before the Lord! It was like a lead cloke, very heavy, sufficating. And I remember like it was yesterday the Lord said " If you continue on like you are I will have to say that you are not mine" I knew right what he ment. Talk about scared straight! I knew I had to get serious about God!

So for a week or so I had to prepare my heart to approach the Lord! I refused to repent til I could do so 100% sincerely! I asked the
Lord to humble my heart, and allow me to respond to him not for all the blessings he can give but just because he is God and he knows my heart!

This is what I have written in my notebook as my sinners prayer that the Lord lead me to pray! Though it may not be word for word!

Lord I no longer want to live according to my own ways! I am a sinner and I want to live the rest of my life completely in accordance with your holy will for my life! I am turning from my sin and embracing you! I am imploring you to be the Lord of my life, my finances, relationships, my heart, attitude, desires! Search me O Lord and tear from me any and everything that would hinder my relationship with you! No matter what the cost is, what the result is, what I have to give up! I am not seeking you with ulterior motives, and let my heart be clean befor you! Ignite my soul with that of you own, and give me power over sin so that your name may be exalted! Fill me with true Godly humility, mold me into your image! I lay it all down before you Lord Jesus! My percious Lord and savior!

This did get his attention! I did become a new creature for sure. I wasn't just a prayer it was more a perminent dirrection of mt heart that had turned "repented" and was remain that way perminently! And has!

What I would like to do is have you tell a little about your experience being a new creature! What changed! How do you respond to sin in your life? And so forth! I always say that the lord is holy and does not change! So if you are a real beliver their is a look that this Holy God has when he is free to mold you into his image! The closer you get you start to realize his awesome majesty and your awefull wrechedness! How aresome is our God!

Jon

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Ignitemysoul Jan 26, 2007

As an addition to the above just tonight I heard pastor Cole on open line tell a young girl what I have heard a million times but it never sat well with me. That is just to confess Jesus as lord and have assurance that you are saved! No mention of repentance, being a new creature, how to deal with sin, just confes with your mouth and belive with your heart1 Nothing else! And like most they are not really much different than before maybe gave up a few bad habits or so! Like Paul Washer said you can't come into contact with a mack truck and not be totaly changed let alone encounter a holy God and not be redically different! (just a paraphrase of what he said"

So it seems true that to actually be saved you need to totaly surender to or Lord! He is either the Lord of all or not the Lord at all! Anyone localy here would say no total surrender is for sanctification not salvation seperating the two. However, ye can not serve two masters and sanctification comes with salvation but over time since the dirrection of your heart has changed and is now God powered!

sermonindex Jan 26, 2007

Hi Jon,

Thank you for sharing all this with us. I like the freshness of your style..... of writing what God has put in your heart to write.

You said

and sanctification comes with salvation

This is something I've been taught..... that 'sanctification' is really about being set apart for God from the start.

I think this is where terms of reference can merge a bit. Redemption is also about being bought over completely by God and for God, regardless of the state we are in at the time. Instantly, we are restored to fellowship with Him inwardly. But, then, as He restores our inner man in greater fulness, the signs of His hand on our lives can be recognised more and more easily by those outside, or who only can see the outside, because they have no spiritual discernment.

Part of my story is, that the outside of my life was a combination of total wreckage and a good attempt at looking normal. Inside, apart from God, I was pretty much destroyed, and this had worked its way into everything about how I felt in my mind and body. But God....

I read in Oswald Chambers, that it is important to concentrate on the inner man which God sees, and not to worry about what even fellow Christians made of the inconsistencies they could see. This was a great comfort to me, and I literally stopped worrying about my 'testimony' .... for years.

Also, another great influence on my life for God, was the early years when I associated with an organisation called Scripture Union. Their work with young people affected me deeply, as they had a very serious line on 'knowing the will of God' for one's future. Thus, I spent many hours opening myself to be willing for His will, and many more hours in later years, asking Him to deliver me from myself! I'm not exaggerating! During these times, I learned to wait until I had heard from God, and not to make half-baked decisions on the basis of my personal preferences. These were times of real agonising over giving up both things and relationships. I do not regret a moment of it.

Eventually, I learned that it is a lot quicker to seek His will and do it, than to approach Him with the idea He would bless my good ideas. I also learned the hard way (that is, through literal physical illness), that there is a cost to pay for known disobediences. The corollary of this is that making a mistake unbeknown to oneself, is not nearly as costly (as deliberate resistance to His will), in that He protects us from the worst (I believe).

During my searches for God's will, I learned to let Him deal with my natural will and any idols which presented a real barrier to reaching His peace in my heart. Much heart-searching, praying of dangerous prayers - risky in there abaondonment to Him, that is - and finding that my hope was only in Him, time and time again.

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Ignitemysoul Jan 27, 2007

Hello Dorcas,

Thank you for your responce both now and on my last thread wow this is it! I have enjoyed what you have written also!

I also wanted to mention that the Lord has given me a deep desire to see many in this country wake up and behold God. But what will get them to respond properly? Honest truthful teaching so they can know what their responce should be like and a focus on the enormity of God of which their is so much to know, the stakes are so high, eternity is mind numbing, and also the love of God well it is far too undescribable for this side of eternity! However, God could use this to get peoples minds shifted in another dirrection from normal and convict their souls unto repentance. Since it is a work of God anyway! I have spent much time in prayer on this lately! And this seems to be his plan. We shall see!

H

hmmhmm Jan 27, 2007

here is a free audiobook, absolute surrender- andrew murray

its only free this month so......
you have to register to download it but its nothing complicated, very good book i must say

http://christianaudio.com/free_download.php?osCsid=295b6bda0e3bacd54f30375e074b44d6

G

Goldminer Jan 27, 2007

I have to say Ignitemysoul, both yours and dorcas' posts blessed me. I have to agree whole heartedly that something is amiss with the altar call that says come receive Jesus but doesn't press home the need of deep repentence.

I read about Charles Finney and how when he held meetings the would drive home the fact that the listeners hearts were corrupt and in need of a saviour. He would show them the things that were in their hearts until the were screaming for mercy, but he would tell them they weren't ready. He would not offer the way of salvation until he was sure they understood their true condition and were really ready to repent. Then they understood just what they were getting themselves into.

When I got saved I was so... wretched that when the word finally penetrated my heart the light spotlighted all my filth and I was undone. I repented to God and to my family and it was a deep broken repentence that has impacted my life ever since, for 31 years now.

This all happened outside of church through the ministry of a friend and a book, Hal Lindsay's "The Late Great Planet Earth", believe it or not. I don't really know how God used that now, but it worked then. I saw that I was a sinner and going to hell and I was afraid. I was brought face to face with my sin and the consequences of that sin. It broke me.

I then went to a wonderful church that did stress repentence and also baptism was very important as well. It wasn't a baptist church but a non-denominational church, but they had excellent teaching on buring the old man and coming up to walk in newness of life. I am a firm believer in water baptism for this reason.

A while later I read a book that really solidified things for me by Watchman Nee called the "Normal Christian Life". It is one of the best books I have ever read and every believer should read it. It was a milestone in my understanding of the process we go through in our sanctification. Check it out if you haven't.

Again I want to thank you and dorcas for sharing it was a real blessing to me.
:-)

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Ignitemysoul Jan 28, 2007

Hey Goldminer,

I am glad our messages have been a blessing to you! Your post has been a blessing to myself as well! I have a bood by watchman Nee but not that one, I will see if I can find one localy! I wish I had a local church that taught repentance but I guess I'll have to see if I can convert mine! We do have a new pastor!

God Bless!

R

Racward Jan 28, 2007

ignitemysoul this is a wonderful word and i am touched by this thank you for sharing this i know what i need to do now

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Ignitemysoul Jan 28, 2007

Hello Racward,

I am very happy and most pleased this has been of help to you. However, please do give your appreciation to Jesus though he is truely the only one deserving of any credit! I have been silent for far too long, being lukewarm and indifferent to the many things he has taught me or done for me!

I can say that God is on the move! I can sence very powerfully that God wants to make a mighty move of his true self in this country and in others of course too. So few know him, so few give glory to him by the testimony of their lives and their character! Him being far, far beyond awesome and very few can he reveal him self to since their "hands are dirty" and they seek him not! They seek not since they know not whom they seek! How holy is the Almighty and what does he require if you are to be one with him? Sin! God can not tolerate it! Not at all, not even a little! But how about you? How about me? Lord progress you have allowed me to make in this area, but desperate help! Wow I need that! This kind of power only comes from you! Send the FIRE! BURN it away! Sadly my flesh is infachuated with sin day in and day out! But thanks to your work not my soul! THIS IS WAR!