Sweet Grace For Your Journey

Episode 210-Surrender Bad Habits

As humans we want to be in charge of what we want. We want others to listen to us. We don’t want anyone telling us what to do.

We don’t want to give up what we think we have to have in order to endure this life and all its temptations, desires, wants, needs and must haves. We want stuff and we don’t want the trials, tests, and troubles. We think we know what we need but if we get what we want, we don’t have what we really need.

Our desires have become our needs. Everybody else has a big house. I need a big house. Everyone else has a new car. I need a new car. Everybody else eats sugar. I need to eat sugar because I like sugar and I want sugar and I have to have it. The same is true with anything that we think we have to have. Those things become addictions. That means we feel like we can do without them. 

What we think we have to have will end up controlling us to the point that even if we want to give it up, we can’t. The interesting thing to me is we know we need God, but we think He will give us what we want even though we know it’s not what He wants for us. The bottom line is we don’t really have a strong enough desire for God.  We don’t listen to what He is saying to us and even if we do, we refuse to give up our desires. Our wants rank higher than God. Then we wonder why He’s not answering our prayers.

In this episode, we talk about surrendering our bad habits to God.

Overcomer’s Academy is changing! We’re moving off of Facebook to the Circle Community. Everything will be in one place with guided courses, weekly calls, podcast episodes and more. Doors are closed for now, but go and sign up on the waitlist to be notified when doors open! I can’t wait and I want y’all to come and join us!

Link to sign up on the Overcomers Waitlist: https://TeresaShieldsParker.com/overcomers/

Episode 209-Surrender the Hard Stuff

Why is this topic of surrender so difficult for us? As soon as I said that I answered my own question. “We can’t surrender to God, because the only one we have ever fully surrendered to and trusted in is ourselves.” It’s hard to trust in Someone you can’t see.

While this is true, there have been many times when I have surrendered things to God that looking back now seem like small things. After we surrender them, they become easy because we’ve already surrendered them. We’ve already gotten through those issues. At the time, though, they were huge obstacles looming in front of me, daring me to go past them.

If we don’t surrender the hard stuff to God and let Him lead us, the thing God really wants us to do will not get done. Our life’s mission will not get done.

Surrendering to God and asking for His help makes the Hard stuff easy. You’ll look back and say like I do about losing 250 lbs, that’s the easiest hard thing I’ve ever done.

Link to sign up on the Overcomers Waitlist: https://TeresaShieldsParker.com/overcomers/

Episode 208-Why Surrender to God?

Why should we surrender to God? The unstated question here is, what’s in it for me. I mean I’m doing pretty good here on my own. Besides I know a lot of people who say they are Christians and they are just as bad off as me. I don’t really see a reason to give over control of my life to anyone. How do I know what God’s going to do when I give things over to Him? Things might get worse than they are now.

Here are six reasons to surrender to God. And just to make sure you understand. Surrendering to God is always for your good and not your disaster. Always. That’s the number 1 reason to surrender to Him.

For the other five, listen to the podcast. You’ll be glad you did.

Sweet Victory: Winning the Battle Link: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Victory-Winning-Battle/dp/0986159263/

Episode 207-Surrender Control

Surrendering what little control we have feels impossible. The truth is when we are trying to be in control, we many times wind up out of control while trying to be in control. That became the story of my life. I had been trying to be in control of everything and everyone in my sphere of influence. I finally had to admit the truth. That wasn’t working. I was exhausted and in control of nothing.

The truth I didn’t want to face was: I will never be IN control until I let God have FULL control of everything in my life including what I eat. This is a good definition of what Surrendering to God looks like. It includes laying down my desires in order to take up His desires for me.

The beautiful result of surrendering to God is that there is no need to hang on to stress and worry. We just leave all that junk with Him. He’s big enough to handle it. “Pour out all your worries and stress upon Him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you” (1 Peter‬ 5‬:7‬ TPT‬).‬‬‬

Overcomers Link: https://www.teresashieldsparker.com/overcomers/

Episode 206- Intentional Surrender

Surrendering to God is a choice we make, but it’s much more than just choosing whether we will eat a huge piece of cake or not. It’s an intentional, purposeful choice to lay everything at the feet of Jesus and then follow Him completely. 

That means we will be intentional about listening for His voice. We will be intentional about making sure we know what He wants us to do. We will have intentional focus on God. We will be committed, purposeful and deliberate about following God. When we are surrendered to Him every single day we intentionally set our minds to follow His will and not our own.

This episode will help you understand more about how surrendering to God helps us live in tune with Him.

Overcomers link:  https://TeresaShieldsParker.com/overcomers/

Episode 205-Surrender Takes Trust

I know, above and beyond everything else, God is my source and the source for my family. I trust Him as the ultimate Puzzle Master, the only One who really knows what my final picture or story will look like.

I didn’t always trust Him as my total source. My future used to be rather disconcerting. I said God was my source, but I relied on things I felt were more tangible, like foods made with sugar and flour or my job. I still don’t know exactly where all the pieces fit in my life, and yet I’ve learned that living trusting the God of the universe is so much more secure.

It takes sold-out trust in God to surrender to Him. It takes surrendering to God to live in tune with Him completely. How do we do that? This episode gives some insight.

Sweet Victory: Winning the Battle link: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Victory-Winning-Battle/dp/0986159263/

Episode 204-Surrender and Destiny

Why do we think it’s OK to ignore what God is telling us and yet get mad at Him when He doesn’t magically make the money appear to pay our bills, or stop one of our kids from doing drugs or getting in with the wrong crowd.

Why do we refuse to surrender to God, but we still want Him to answer our every prayer exactly how we want it? There is something missing from this equation. God is not our genie in a bottle so all we have to do is just speak and all our wishes will be granted.

God tells us He will bless us, but His version of blessings and ours are vastly different. Our might involve money, but His will more than likely involve our calling and our destiny.

Until we surrender to Him, He will not trust us with the calling He has for us. Until we are willing to follow Him instead of what we want, we won’t be do what God wants us to do. Surrendering to God is the key to our mission and our destiny.

Sweet Victory: Winning the Battle link: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Victory-Winning-Battle/dp/0986159263/

Episode 203-Fear and Surrender

Through the last nine years, I have coached many women who tell me they want to surrender to God, but are afraid of giving up the foods they love. Surrendering to God reminds them of giving up. It reminds them of being forced to do something. When we feel forced, many of us rebel. That’s because it reminds them of a fear from their past. 

If that fear involved a father or father figure, we may transfer those fears to Father God. Then unknowingly, this fear will hold us back from surrendering totally to God.  The evil one likes to imbed fears into us in a way where we don’t recognize the source. He knows if we discover the source, we can allow God to help us get rid of the fear.  The evil one hates this because he uses our fears to stop us from doing what God wants us to do. 

In this episode we will discuss how can we discover the source of the fear that is holding us back from trusting God in order to surrender everything about us to Him.

Overcomers Link: https://Teresashieldsparker.com/overcomers/

Episode 201-7 Steps to Surrender

God wants to be first without a second in our lives. He wants us to be totally surrendered to Him. He told us this in the first commandment. “You may worship no other god than Me.”  (Exodus 20:3 TLB).

Here are seven steps to surrender.

1. Have a relationship with God. 

2. Get to know God better. 

3. Understand what God wants from us.

4. Confess when we mess up.

5. Pivotal moment of surrender

6. Surrender requires God’s strength

7. Surrender daily

Overcomers Academy: https://TeresaShieldsParker.com/overcomers/

Sweet Victory: Winning the Battle: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Victory-Winning-Battle/dp/0986159263/

Contact Teresa: [email protected]

Episode 202-I Surrender All

What does it mean to surrender all? What things is God asking us to surrender that we haven’t? Does it really matter if we don’t surrender everything to God? Can’t we hold back a little for ourselves?

When we think about surrender, we should immediately think about what Jesus did for us. When He came to earth was and still is God, but even before He came to earth He surrendered to the Father’s will and laid aside his Godly position to become like one of us. 

All He asks of us to surrender to Him. It may seem impossible but we can surrender everything to Jesus, but if we realize the true beauty that total surrender brings into our lives, we will run towards it with all that is within us.

Free Sugar Addiction Quiz Link: https://www.teresashieldsparker.com/sugar-quiz/.