Have you noticed that there are many words that we talk about in spiritual terms that aren’t used much in every day language? Today in the Holy in the Moment Book Club we’re talking about these three words: abide, surrender, and rest. Welcome to week two! If you missed week one, you can find our discussion questions here. https://gingerharrington.com/holy-in-the-moment-book-club-lets-get-started/
Abide isn’t a word we use much in today’s culture. Think about it–when’s the last time you were out to dinner with a friend and you talked about the topic of abiding?
Right–it’s just not a concept that is part of our cultural conversation. But it is a holy choice for every day that enables us to receive God’s Spirit and provision. Abiding is a natural connection with God.
Start your day with a simple prayer for abiding in Christ:
“Lord, I want to stay connected to you today. I rely on you for apart from you I can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Surrender is a deep act of trust and worship.
Then there’s the word surrender. To be honest, this isn’t a word we like to chat about either. Most of us has mixed feelings about the idea of surrendering everything to Jesus.
We tend to think of it as some uber-spiritual practice that only the strongest believers can accomplish. We want to surrender our lives fully to God, but our flesh balks at “giving up” the rights we’ve come to claim as our own. When we make the sacred choice to surrender our desires to Christ,
Safe in the love of Christ, we can make the choice to release our rights, confront motivations, put aside ungodly thoughts, confess any sins, and surrender our wills. Surrender opens the prison door of the thoughts taking us captive.
Rest for your soul.
Now rest is a word we can get behind–especially when we drag ourselves out of bed, tired before the day has even begun. Living in overdrive, many of us have scheduled our lives with little to no white space for attending to our souls.
And yet–abide, surrender, and rest are three power words that make up a spiritual rhythm for everyday living , as well as for overcoming our greatest struggles.
Abiding in Christ, we learn to trust Him enough to surrender our hard things to His loving care. Surrendering our desires, hopes, and fears to Jesus brings rest for our souls–rest from fear, striving, bitterness, control, and discouragement.
Rest the outcomes of your efforts in God’s capable hands and release the stress of performance.
This week on the Holy in the Moment Book Club, we’re exploring chapters 4-6:
- Moments to Abide
- Moments to Surrender
- Moments to Rest
These three important concepts are the heart of Holy in the Moment, setting the foundation for the rest of the book. Give yourself time to read, using these questions to unpack holy choices that empower us to live in freedom and joy. . . every single day.
Chapter 4: Moments to Abide
- How can awareness of our needs draw us into an abiding relationship with Christ? When you experience the deep needs of your soul, do you tend to rely on Christ, others, or yourself? In what ways do you try to meet your needs with your own efforts?
- How can abiding in God help you to practice the presence of God rather than the presence of your problems? What simple things help you abide with Christ?
- We often define a good day in terms of what we’ve been able to accomplish. How would your stress level change if you focus trusting Christ rather than accomplishing every task, controlling uncertain situations, or fixing every problem?
Chapter 5: Moments to Surrender
- When we resort to the flesh, we want to control the answers, demanding things must be a certain way in order to be happy. What are your must-have’s or what-about-me’s, the things you believe you must have in order to be okay in life? What level of stress do you experience by trying to meet these needs through your own efforts?
- I can’t… I won’t… I don’t deserve… This is the language of resistance that can reveal areas of our lives in which we need to surrender our rights to God. When have you said one of these things to yourself? What right is attached to this area of your life? What choice can you make today that will help you trust God with that need so you can move forward?
- We often think of surrender in terms of losing something we want or think we must have to be okay. How can surrender open the door to receiving God’s blessings? What have you gained through the process of surrender in your experience?
Chapter 6: Moments to Rest
- What area of life do you most need rest at this time: physical, mental, relational, or spiritual? What warning signs do you experience when you are exhausted physically, mentally, relationally, or spiritually? What is God revealing to you about rest?
- What situations or relationships tempt you to take responsibility that isn’t yours to bear? How can you entrust them to Christ?
- What could it look like to rest the outcomes of your efforts in God’s capable hands and release the stress of performance? How might this empower you to rest in a new way?
- What relationship do you see between a need to rest and a lack of surrender in your life? What is God teaching as you learn about the holy rhythm of abiding, surrendering, and resting?
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A powerful encouragement for anyone who struggles to overcome anxiety, perfectionism, insecurity, or other mindsets that hold us back. Grow in holiness without the pressure to have everything “just right.” Through gentle encouragement, biblical insights, and applicable ideas you can experience a deeper life of freedom in Christ. Transparently sharing my own struggles, I want to help you live from the reality of hope, healing, and holiness.
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Recover Your Best Rest
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