RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

I’ll never forget that night. I had just prayed to receive Christ as my Savior. As a university student, I had discovered the true meaning and purpose in life. I was in awe of God’s goodness and grace. I approached the man who had been speaking and said, “I think God wants me in the ministry.”
His words would set the direction for the rest of my life. “Do you realize what it took for Jesus to save you?” he asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” I sheepishly replied.
“Jesus was, is and always will be God,” he responded. “Yet He left His glory to come to the earth. He came to die for your sins. He was forsaken, beaten and ultimately hung on a cruel Roman cross. He did all of that for you, and remember, He’s the King of Glory. If He did that for you, then you ought to be willing to do anything for Him.”
Those words pierced my heart. That night, I found myself praying, “Oh, God, whatever you want to do with my life, I give it to You. I’ll go where You want me to go, do what You want me to do, and become whatever You want me to be.” Little did I know the impact that prayer would have on my future.
I didn’t know how God would use my life, but I decided that night to place my complete trust in Him. I learned a lesson that night that would remain with me for years in the future – when I commit my life and work into God’s hands, He will bring to pass all that He desires me to do.
Normally, we plan out our lives and then build our works around those plans. But God tells us to do just the opposite. He says, “Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3 NASV). God desires that our lives be wholly surrendered to Him. When we commit ourselves unto Him and walk in humble obedience to His word, then He establishes our plans.
When we’re surrendered to God, He will show us His plans and thus enable us to carry out those plans. The prayer of surrender to God is the greatest assurance of living our lives to our fullest potential. Our future will find its greatest direction in the prayer of total abandonment to His will.
Find a place where you can get alone with God and commit today’s works into His hands. Learn to do that daily. As you do, you will discover that God will begin to reveal His plans for your life. The will of God for your future is in your surrender to Him today. Most people look for some dramatic sign in order to discern their future direction in life. But God encourages us to start with the small things – committing today’s works into His hands. Then we will see our plans, or should we say His plans, established in our lives.