Because I believe Jesus, I will...

I recently attended a Christian women's conference.  It is always nice to get away for a retreat and get refreshed and learn new stuff.

Here's a bit of what I learned, or observed, this time around.

During one of the segments, some from the audience were to bring their bits of paper and share what they wrote down, how they finished the sentence, "Because I believe Jesus, I will..."

It was interesting to me that around 70-80% of the women mentioned the same thing.  "Because I believe Jesus, I will stop controlling everything."

It was obvious that this trying to control stuff was a great source of stress and anxiety for these women.  But my first thought was, why do they think they are in control at all?

God knows that there are plenty of "movers and shakers" among His daughters.  But who is behind the moving and shaking?

As Christians, are we proud when we can "make things happen" in our own strength? How is that being a Christ follower?

Jesus told us flat out that apart from Him, we can do nothing.  Nothing.  That pretty much covers it and leaves no room to the imagination!

Yet we know that there are millions of people who know nothing of Jesus who do much apart from Him every day.

So what was Jesus talking about?  Well first, though those people may not be aware, their very breath is being maintained by Jesus anyway.  "In Him we live, move, and have our being." (Acts 17:28)

But for now, I'm focusing on those who belong to Him.

When "capable" Christian women try to manage and control everything, and they get away with it (!), their works lack the power of God behind them.  That is what Jesus was referring to when He said that apart from Him we can do nothing.  

There is no God power in it.  Things will get "done," but if God isn't fully empowering it, what's the point?  To say we "accomplished" stuff?

I'm not saying that we sit back and do nothing.  But when the majority of women, as I saw at the conference (and they were simply a microcosm of the bigger reality), were giving up control, I only hoped and prayed that they meant it for the long-term.

Because when we surrender to the power of God in our lives, to His wisdom, His leading, His ways, that is precisely when we have the most power!  Power is a big buzzword these days, even among Christians.

I get leery when I hear them talk about it, though, as if it is something that is inside of us, that we conjure up on our own.  The apostle Paul talked about being strong in Christ only when he himself was weak. There cannot be two competing generals!  Just as there is only one overall general of the army dishing out the commands, there is to be only one General in our hearts and minds and lives:  General Jesus!

So any "power" that women may exert in their own strength, coming out in the form of "controlling" everyone and everything, is as nothing in Jesus' eyes (and may even border on outright witchcraft).  I mean, c'mon.  Can our "power" compete with the Creator God who holds our universe together and all that is in it?

Why would we settle for feeling like we're in control when we can let go and have His power fill us?  Talk about real power!

Jesus' power was not to lord it over anyone but was used for our good.  To heal, to teach, to reprimand when necessary, and to overcome the forces of darkness.

God help the "capable" woman!  

So when the majority of those women at the conference were admitting their "control" over stuff and that they wanted to stop controlling (!), my only response while seated in my chair was, "I never had any." 

I've never felt like I was in control of my life, of others, of anything.  And yet I do not feel anywhere near powerless.

Jesus was kind enough to me to nix any "control" I could take or make from the get go.  Don't get me wrong - I can be mighty stubborn!  But Jesus wins.  Every time.  He shows me that He's the boss, not I.  And you know what?  This doesn't bother me one bit.  Why?  Because I feel His power and strength in me instead.  And it is beautiful.  There is His peace that comes along with His power.  

There is release and letting go.  There is the ability for others to be around us without them feeling tense!  Because, as we all know, being around those controlling types can be very stressful.  We feel their controlling and it is distasteful, to say the least.

Once you feel the power of Christ in you instead of your own puny power, you don't want to go back to that illusion of control that you were trying to maintain.

It takes trust.  Trust in the One who knows all.  Trust in the One whose power is limitless.  Trust that He knows best for us, even when He takes us through the pit.  Trust that He will work His will in us.  Trust that He is over it all.  Trust that whatever concerns us, He is more than able to take care of it for us in His perfect way and time.

Because I believe Jesus, I will place Him first as Lord over my heart, mind, and life.

I encourage you to finish that sentence for yourself...

Because I believe Jesus, I will...