I am continuing “Truth for Thursday” here at Being Refined As Silver. We are on the last chapter of “Lies Women Believe”, chapter 11: “The Truth That Sets Us Free”. It will take several weeks to review this chapter, so I hope you will continue to come back each week.
Nancy Leigh DeMoss encourages her readers to take time to savor these liberating, life-changing truths. She suggests saying each Truth aloud, again and again until your thinking becomes aligned with God’s way of thinking.
Here is the fifteenth truth:
The pathway to true joy is to relinquish control.
Who doesn’t want true joy? We all do. There is something that gets in the way, especially for us women. CONTROL. It is a consequence of the fall. Didn’t God tell Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge? What did she do? She thought that she knew better than Him. She ate from the tree. Then she hid when she heard God. When asked about what she had done, she started trying to pass the blame. She said that the serpent deceived her. Are we much different?
We try to control people, our environment, and different situations that we find ourselves in. We manipulate, worry, and dominate in a vain attempt to control what we can’t control anyway. The only way to experience true freedom and peace is to let go of the reins- to relinquish all control to God, believing that He can be trusted to manage all that concerns us. (DeMoss, page 261)
What are we saying when we try to control? We are saying that we know better than God and He can’t be trusted so we have to intervene. The problem is we don’t know God well enough. God loves us (John 15:9). He has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11). He knew us before we were born (Psalm 139:13). He sent His Son to die on the cross to pay for our sins (John 3:16). He sent His Holy Spirit to be our helper (John 14:16). He who began a work in us will complete it (Philippians 1:6).
“The pathway to freedom is to relinquish all control of our own lives, of our families, and of every circumstance in our lives. Not until then will we see Him do what only He can do.” (DeMoss, page 261)
As I was writing this post, the whole screen on my computer went blank. The program shut down and sent me to my home page. Everything I wrote was gone. I didn’t save as I was writing. I was tempted to get upset and start having a fit, but then I reminded myself God is in control. We can trust Him that everything thing that comes into our life is for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28). Praise God!
~Theresa
Oh Theresa you were with me this morning..ha, ha...I went to get some downloads of Nancy Leigh De Moss because of your post. I downloaded one, thinking it was her, but it was from her talk show. She had spoken at a conference I so wanted to go to, but money wouldn't allow...so I download the show and guess what...it was one of the talks from the conference...it was Kathy Arthur on "What Kind of Women do you Want to Be"...it was unbelievable and then DeMoss finished it up!!!
ReplyDeleteI needed the word and because of your post I looked her up and God meet the cry of my heart!
This post of yours today just finishes it all out....BRAVO GOD!!
Thanks for sharing and taking the time to post!!!
I'm so glad that you did not give up, & you started over writing these truth-filled words!! How hard it is to remember that God IS in control & to allow Him to be!!
ReplyDeleteJessica
This is so good and true! I love the part where it points out that we don't have control anyways. Isn't that right!! We would live much joyful lives if we just let Go and let God. =)
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect example of allowing His control...the fact that you chose not to get upset and instead rewrote your post...not an easy thing to do! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteAmen Theresa!! This has been the biggest barrier to my growth with God! Now that I am learning to give more control to God... the more peace I find everyday! You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
ReplyDeleteLove ya!!
Your GMG
Missy
That's a tough one to let go of!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be thinking on this one! The path to joy is to relinquish control...... That is definitely true!
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed weekend!
So very true.
ReplyDeleteI remember thinking that I was relinquishing control over my life and even speaking about it to a group of women. Then three weeks later Todd was diagnosed with cancer. I joke now that I went from me releasing control to me falling flat on my face at Jesus' feet.
Beautiful post, my friend!