Psalms 23:5 (NLT)
“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.”
After she gave her life to Christ, Tasha changed more than she could ever have imagined. She had endured a tremendous amount of heartbreak and after a failed marriage, she went into a deep sadness. No matter how many good things happened to her, she always felt that there was a dark cloud over her head, following her everywhere she went. For over two years, she struggled, trying to handle things her own way. Nothing she tried seemed to work. Tasha desperately wanted to be happy and to have the peace she used to feel years ago, but she couldn’t find her way back there. Deeply troubled by a sadness she couldn’t shake or explain, she began to seek the Lord with all her heart.
Jesus Christ said in John 16:13(NLT), “13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” The Holy Spirit comes to live inside us when we give our lives to Jesus Christ and make him Lord of our lives. When you and I try to lead our lives, we repeatedly make mistakes, but the Holy Spirit never makes a mistake. He leads and guides us into all truth, the place where God’s freedom, power, love, and peace cover our lives. This is where God leads us, but sometimes we will not surrender to where He wants to take us. We continue to hold tightly to the wheel when we should move out of the driver’s seat and let the Lord Jesus Christ takeover.
1Corinthians 6:19-20(NLT) tells us, “19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” Even after the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us, we still try to hold on to aspects of our old way of living. As we realize that these things are more harmful than helpful, some of us surrender them. When we do, things change and so do we. This change in our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors is a sign that we have finally surrendered. It’s when we give up the leadership position of our lives and allow the Lord to lead us through His indwelling Holy Spirit.
So many of us are afraid to release control of our lives to God in this way. We think that He will not help us, or that He might allow us to fall, but this will never happen. God promises in Romans 5:4-5(NLT), “4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” When we trust Him with our whole hearts, our Heavenly Father will not allow us to be put to shame. Instead, He will bless us beyond our greatest imaginations.
In the beginning, Tasha found it challenging to surrender to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. He was pulling her one way, and her friends were pulling her in a different direction. They didn’t understand the commitment she had made to God through Jesus Christ. As her love for the Father grew, she was convicted of many of the habits and ways she used to have. Growing closer to God became the focus of her life, and her friends were not happy about the direction she took to preserve and maintain the peace the Lord had given her. They didn’t understand it, didn’t support it, and wanted things to remain the same. During this time in her life, many of Tasha’s friendships diminished, but her intimacy with God increased, and what she gained in Christ was infinitely greater than what she lost.
It’s been almost ten years ago that Tasha went through this troubling season in her life. Some of the people who were close to her back then looked down on her for seeking the Lord the way she did. They thought she was making a mistake by abandoning the things they held on to. The lesson for us is that we must never hold on to anything too tightly, and we must be willing to give up everything for our God. He’s worthy, and we can be confident that when we make Him our number one priority, give Him the glory, and thank Him for all He has done, He will never disappoint or make us ashamed. Tasha rarely sees the people who were a part of her past, but when she does, they can’t help but see that her life is a testimony of God’s power, and that what He has done for Tasha, He will do for them.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“God Will Not Make You Ashamed”, written by KLizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.