Welcome to Week 3 of Season 5: Encounter to Embody — Living the Word from the Inside Out.

This week, we step into the tender and often misunderstood invitation of surrender. For many of us, surrender feels like failure, loss of control, or falling off a cliff.

But in the Kingdom of God, surrender is not falling apart — it is falling safely into Someone who holds you.

In this Encounter episode, you’re invited to:

• breathe deeply

• soften your body

• notice what you’ve been gripping

• release the pressure to perform

• and rest in the presence of a God who never demanded perfection
  

We’ll sit with Scripture from John 6, Matthew 11, and Philippians 2 — passages that remind us:

• the work is to believe

• rest is a refuge, not a reward

• God is the One working in you

• surrender is trust, not defeat

You’ll be guided through grounding practices and gentle invitations to let your body, soul, and spirit relax into the truth:

“I don’t have to carry what isn’t mine. I don’t have to hold everything together. Jesus is inviting me to rest.”

This episode is not about forcing yourself to let go. It’s about learning to trust that you are safe enough to release your grip — even a little.

Reflection Prompt: Where is God inviting me to soften my hold and trust Him with what feels heavy?

Download the Week 3 Encounter Resource: https://bethanyjoyministry.substack.com/api/v1/file/d764d9e7-9d91-424f-ab33-bb5737bfc4a5.pdf?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoyNjA1ODAwNDIsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4MDg5MDk3MiwiaWF0IjoxNzY1MDM3NjYwLCJleHAiOjE3Njc2Mjk2NjAsImlzcyI6InB1Yi03MTA1NzUwIiwic3ViIjoiZmlsZS1kb3dubG9hZCJ9.hmVrWzA-OUaKBeg4DCOo0-4rFLorEDkYMrXKH_1COjA.pdf

For the Joy,

Bethany