Transition. Surrender.

This is going to be my first "real" blog of 2011.

I was looking up the meaning behind the number "eleven" and it's interesting to note that eleven means a time of transition. Interesting stuff...

I was listening to a prophetic word given to me back in April of last year by a group of people and they prophesied that I'm in a time of transition. In my mind I thought, "Still..?! I thought my transition was over when I left my old church and decided to commit to serving at LoveHOP. New ministry. 'New' theology. New people I can run in ministry with. It was a huge transition for me leave a church I got saved in and have been going to for 9 1/2 years. But still a transiton...? What more of a transition can I go through?"

Then throughout 2010, God has been putting it in my heart to finally get areas of my life in order- education, work, ministry, family, finances, relationships, etc.

I'm at crossroads in my life where I need to set priorities in order. Should I pursue work full-time? Should I quit my job and jump into full-time ministry? What about finishing school? I feel 2011 will be a year that will finally start giving clarity in direction of my life.

Just recently a friend of mine of whom I haven't spoken to in several weeks called me up and declared that 2011 will be a year that God will shift things into my favor. I found it encouraging but soon after, events started to happen that seemed to be quite the opposite. It left me feeling a but discouraged and hopeless and wondering if the word she really gave me was from God. But then a revelation came to me...

I'm thinking about the biggest transition in the history of the world. A transition that brought reconciliation between a holy God and sinful man. The night before this transition happened, Jesus struggled. Yeah, Jesus was and is 100% God but He was also 100% man. And as a man, the night before His transition- the crucufixion, He struggled in prayer. He spent hours in the Garden of Gethsemane in prayer, knowing the way of the Cross involved pain unexplainable. But He knew this transition would exalt Him to glory and He saw the joy that was set before Him. He ultimately said the greatest expression of surrender- "Not My will, but Your will be done."

I'm learning that there's a process before the favor. Before I can see the promises of God be a reality in my own life. I'm learning that there's surrender involved. A surrender of ambitions, dreams, desires, agendas, and wills.

If I want God to align my life and see His favor poured out and see His promises come to pass in this time of transition, I must choose the way of the Cross. Surrender.

There is freedom in a fully surrendered life. God's love makes it worth it all.