February 22, 1999

I usually do not post on Sundays... but today is different, because...

10 years ago today... my life changed forever.

10 years ago today... I finally surrendered everything to my Lord and Savior.

Ten years ago today, I realized that I was not living the victorious, abundant life that my Savior had intended for me to live, and I realized why... I had not completely surrendered all I was and all I had to Him. So I did! And my life has not been the same since, praise the Lord!

I also learned about the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit. I knew about the Holy Spirit, but had always pictured Him as this ghost like "thing" hovering around with God. The power of the Holy Spirit became real to me, I experienced the life changing power of allowing His Holy Spirit to invade my life, to search my heart and my mind, and to change me. It was like I received my battery source for my walk with my Lord and Savior...

My life changed dramatically. The things I used to enjoy I no longer enjoyed, and the things I desired to do with my life totally changed.

God gave me an insatiable hunger and thirst for His Word. I became a very diligent student of the Word, and now, 10 years later, I still find His Word as captivating and life changing as I did then.

God changed the desires of my heart... I began to desire the things of the Spirit over the things of the world and the flesh. My taste in music and reading materials completely changed. I stopped listening to all secular music and listened only to praise and worship music, I quit reading trashy romance novels and began reading the Bible. I went through my home and threw away things that were not honoring to Him. Years later I was introduced to Christian fiction, which I highly enjoy, but the Bible and books expounding on biblical themes are by far what I am drawn to now.

God changed my social life... I began spending time with friends from church and with some godly women through a local women's ministry I became active in. I began to going to Bible studies and prayer meetings. I began going on ladies retreats. My friends and I would get together on the weekends and study the Word, pray, and praise and worship our Lord.

God changed my communication with Him... I had a rather sporadic prayer life prior to this time in my life. I prayed in times of trouble or need, but never just to talk to my Father. However, after attending a Bible study on prayer and hearing how others prayed to their Father, I was given such a desire and longing to spend time with Him in prayer. I read every book I could get my hands on about prayer, and I began praying all the time. I first prayed out loud in my car, so no one could hear me, but then as I became more comfortable talking with my Father, I was able to pray in groups and with others. I even got to the point where I would stop and pray with my home health patients or with people I didn't even know that God would bring across my path... talk about a change!

God has and is changing my life! He is my reason for living, He gives me purpose, He is my goal, He is my lifeline... without Him I would be absolutely nothing. So today, on my 10 year "Surrender Birthday" I want to give Him the honor and praise for all He has done and will do in and through my life... What a mighty, wonderful, and magnificient God we serve!

And to top it off, tomorrow is my earthly birthday. And every year since 1999, the day before my birthday I look back and remember the best birthday present I ever received... the awesome and mighty life changing power of God in my life!

Father God, I thank you for loving me enough to show me 10 years ago that I needed to surrender to You, that just having Jesus as my Savior was not enough, You also wanted to be Lord of my life. You, the God of the universe wanted an ongoing, personal, and intimate relationship with little, insignificant me. Thank you for turning my heart and my world upside down, thank you for how You have worked mightily in my life over the past 10 years... I cannot wait to see what the next 10 years with You brings... I look forward to the privilege of loving and serving You! In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.