“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear [reverence] Your Name.” (Psalm 86:11)
King David frequently prayed asking God for guidance, direction, and protection:
Prayer for Guidance: “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.” (Psalm 143:8).
When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we become His disciples, who commit to follow Him with love, loyalty, and faithful obedience.
What does this mean in real life to be a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ? To follow Jesus, every day, we surrender to His Sovereign Authority as our Shepherd by praying, The Believer’s Prayer of Surrender: “LORD, what do you want me to do?”
- Surrender instead of Self-Reliance: David routinely stops trying to figure things out on his own and explicitly asks God to “show him the way.”
- Trust in God’s Righteous Character: His requests are anchored in God’s faithfulness, mercy, and unfailing love rather than his own merit.
- The Desire for Obedience: Asking what to do is paired with a commitment to follow God’s Commandments and Precepts and to live according to His Truth.
From the moment we wake up, our first prayer is a prayer of surrender, which reveals our deepest desire to put God First by acknowledging that Jesus is LORD, and He is The Sovereign Authority over our lives.
Praying for God’s Wisdom and Guidance is a natural response of our love, reverence, and gratitude for God’s Love, Grace, and Mercies.
God Says: Trust Me with Your Life!
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear [Revere] the Lord and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-8).
From studying the Holy Scriptures, we learn that God does not make suggestions; Scriptures of Guidance and Warnings are God’s Commands, given with the expectation that we will obey.
Faithful Obedience is Worship, Acknowledging God as Holy and His Sovereign Authority Over Humanity
Jesus reveals that He was always obedient to God, His Father: “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” (John 8:29).
“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8).
If God, the Father required total obedience from Jesus, His Son then as living beings created from the dust of the ground with the purpose to honor and worship God, we reveal our love, reverence, and honor through daily surrender and faithful obedience.
Surrender versus Self-governance
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).
“Rejection of God’s Divine Authority: Willfully breaking God’s command is not merely a minor mistake; it is an act of aligning with Satan, choosing self-supremacy over God’s government.”
“Destiny and Consequences: Obedience or disobedience determines every person’s eternal destiny. While obedience brings life, health, peace, and protection, disobedience separates humanity from God’s blessings and leads to spiritual ruin.”
One of Satan’s most effective lies is that we can live as we please and because God is Loving and Merciful, He will not destroy us, despite living sinful and disobedient lives.
Jesus clarifies in the Scriptures that disobedience to God results in destruction, The Second and Final death: Study Revelation 19; Revelation 21:8; and Malachi 4, which reveals that God does not have an eternally burning hell; sinners will be destroyed.
In 2 Timothy 1:7, God tells us that He did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind, which is self-control.
Reflection: If we obey the government’s, state’s, and county laws, and our employer’s policies and procedures then something is not right within our hearts when we choose to willfully disobey God, by not obeying His Commandments and Righteous Precepts.
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14).
“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26, NLT).
Every day, our choices and lifestyle reveal whether or not we love God, and the destiny we have chosen. Satan knows that his destiny is destruction, so he presents God as a tyrant who loves to see people suffer.
Jesus’ Response to the unrighteous: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44, NIV).
Even before Jesus created humanity, God the Father, and God, Jesus the Son, who are Omniscient [All-Knowing] were aware that Adam and Eve would disobey the command, Do not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Yet it was from a love that many of us still do not understand that God, the Father and God, Jesus, the Son made the decision to move forward with the Divine Plan to create humanity, knowing that most would rebel against and reject God’s Love, Grace, Mercies, and His Sovereign Authority.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. …”
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17).
There is no Middle Road, either we choose to follow Jesus, or to follow Satan: “…But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15, NIV).
When we live a life of pleasing ourselves, our mindset is the same as the unbeliever’s mindset, who choose the world’s temporary wealth and material possessions over Jesus and Eternal Life.
Today is a precious gift of time revealing God’s Love and Faithfulness to you and me. With determination, we can repent, ask God for forgiveness of the sin of self-reliance, and begin to travel on the Narrow Path of Righteousness under the guidance of God, the Holy Spirit.
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24). We only have one opportunity to prepare for an eternity of worshiping God, which begins in our existence right now.
Take Back Control of your time by setting aside at least one hour a day [30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening] to separate yourself to worship God through Prayer and Bible Study, which places us in the Presence of God.
In the Great Controversy of Good and Evil, every believer is Satan’s Target. Each day, we desperately require God’s Presence to live righteously on our planet that is filled with hardship, evil, and never-ending temptations designed to separate us from God.
We must ask the same question that the jailer asked the Apostle Paul: “What must I do to be saved?”
Jesus tells us exactly what is required to love God: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:3-4).
Prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Lord Jesus, today we realize that we desperately need You. And we ask You to forgive our sins and to restore us back into the safety of Your Love, and the Covering of Your Righteousness. We also ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we continue to follow You, Our Faithful Shepherd. In faith, and with love, we ask this prayer in the Loving and Righteous Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
© 2026 STEPS 2 Success With Spiritual Solutions Ministry
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