As I was lying there covered in dirt and the wind knocked out of me, I heard a voice whisper, “Are you finally done?”

I never thought the day would come that I would allow anger, hatred, and bitterness to drive me to involve myself in a physical altercation.  Yes, you heard correctly— a physical altercation in a public place, people staring and yelling. It was a scene straight out of a reality television show.

This was the end of a 7-year relationship that I should have never entangled myself with.  The end of a 7-year running away from what I knew God had called me into as a child.  There I was, the consequences of my choosing to go against all that I knew in my heart was right—on a spectacular display for all to see.

As I hobbled back to my car, shirt ripped, hair standing on end, and dirt filled tears streaming down my face, I heard the voice again, “Are you finally done?”  As I drove home, I finally realized that the little, small voice was the voice of God beckoning me to let go and pivot. He had been calling over and over during that entire season of my life, but I would not listen nor was I ready to let go.

For some, the call to surrender is answered with an immediate “Yes, Lord, I surrender!”  Rarely, has this been the case for me.  I have been determined repeatedly to do things my way, to try it out first on my own before consulting God.  The thrill and rush that came from “getting things done” or accomplishing a goal made me feel like I knew best all along.  However, what my pride and stubbornness never told me was that “my way” was only going to end up in temporary fixes, superficial success, and/or having to either: apologize, admit that I was wrong, go back to square one, or work overtime to maintain or keep up with what I made happen because I did it “my way”.

These are all very hard truths I had to own and do what I call the hard work of heart work. Can you relate, friend? Have you been feeling the nudge or pulling of God to surrender in an area of your life? God does not just want to be Lord over certain areas of our life. He wants to be Lord over our hearts. He wants us to trust Him with every single part of our life— the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Proverbs 23:26 (New Living Translation)- O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways. 

I love this definition of surrender from the Merriam Webster dictionary: to agree to stop fighting, hiding, resisting because you know that you will not win or succeed. If we are truly honest with ourselves, we know deep down in our hearts that doing things our way will never allow us to experience true victory in Christ Jesus. See, our human nature, our flesh will always desire to be in control, to do everything separate from God, and take all the credit.

This is why it is so crucial for us to maintain a space for quiet time each day.  Public victory starts with private surrender.  Establishing a quite time is a not a luxury or a once in a while self-care strategy.  Quiet time is essential to living the surrendered life God is calling each of us into.  As we spend time in God’s presence, He will show us the parts of us that we have a tight grip of control on. Surrendering is a process, not a one time thing.  When we establish an intentional space to reflect and allow God to do the heart work, we will experience a level of freedom we never have before.

In Your Life

I want to challenge you to establish a consistent quiet time each day.  I prefer early in the morning, before the noise of the day has a chance to take over. Here are four things that I do during my quiet time:

1. Pray (Philippians 4:6-7 TPT)
2. Read the word- through a devotional or a specific scripture that speaks to the season I am in
3. Sit still and listen- invite God to speak to you
4. Journal- what you heard God speak to you through His word as well as any reflections you have. Sometimes I write out my prayers

We Recommend:

• Wait and See by Wendy Pope
• In Want and Plenty by Meredith McDaniel

Let’s Connect:

I would love to connect.

Website: www.latashaferguson.com

Instagram: @latashamferguson

Podcast: Overcome to Become (anywhere podcasts are available)

Latasha Ferguson

Latasha Ferguson is a fire-lighting speaker, writer, ministry leader and podcaster at the Overcome to Become podcast. Her heart beats for empowering women to overcome anything that dares to stand in between them and who God has created them to be. She’s married to her best friend and mom to four beautiful girls.

Read Latasha’s articles HERE.

Learn More at: www.latashaferguson.com