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Christians are repeatedly reminded to be unyielding with their religious beliefs. Yet, aside from growing into it, they’re not as well-instructed about taking the first step with God.
The hardest part of every journey is always the first step.
Without knowledge of what’ll happen once taken, this is where most confusion and hesitation occurs. It takes determination, confidence, and the guts to overcome and face whatever lies afterward. But with religion, taking that first step with God often entails more, such as surrender.
Surrender—a seemingly straightforward notion requiring an equally straightforward action. However, when taken under the context of religion, it becomes more complicated. Surrender under religion entails an intricate process of mission and omission that will all lead to happiness, peace, and meaning.
Yet, as satisfying as this pursuit may be, the strain and trouble experienced when taking that first leap is why most hesitate to live religiously.
The Trouble Upon Taking The First Step With God
While the book may appear fictional, Wayman Jackson’s The Sword of the Spirit is primarily a book about walking with God through faith. It depicts how, with one’s belief in goodness and God’s salvation, everything works out for the best. This reflects the reality that people become courageous and willing to overcome the most challenging endeavors through religion and a conviction to a bigger purpose.
All of this they can achieve if they take the first step with God and surrender.
However, people desire control.
This is a basic human need that forces people to plan and organize most processes in life to a T, ensuring they’ll maximize benefits and avoid losses. Knowing what will happen next gives people a sense of stability and order. It makes them cling to the possibility that things will turn out to their advantage, an ideology that makes life worth it.
What happens when this control is diminished?
This is the biggest sacrifice people must make when walking with God. Like a toddler being guided and led to the right path, they must learn to trust in Him.
Yet, not everyone is prepared to do it. People seek control, and more often than not, this desire pulls them away from undertaking that journey to Christianity. They would have to compromise if they wish to walk with Him.
But what do they need to practice to trust in Him fully?
Brushing Up On Letting Go And Letting God
When taking that conscious first step with God, the challenge revolves around letting go. People must realize and embrace the unknown and the belief that not everything is within one’s control. This can be a complete game-changer for them, a frightening concept to contemplate, let alone embody.
Letting go is terrifying. But what most miss to see is that it can also be freeing.
There’s a massive misconception surrounding the idea, and perhaps this is what contributes to people’s hesitation. Giving it up to God doesn’t mean losing every ounce of bodily autonomy.
This doesn’t mean having to take the backseat in life and simply observing it unfold; the human is merely reduced to an audience in their life. Instead, it’s merely walking alongside Him and allowing Him to redirect oneself when necessary. This means acknowledging one’s control limitation in life and recognizing that one’s purpose and meaning have long been designed.
Surrendering as the first step with God is a healthy in-between.
It’s allowing Him to take over their lives and learning to be in the middle – to allow Him to lead and give them purpose but also take accountability for their actions and behaviors. To some, this is a place they wouldn’t wish to be. They’d rather have the burden of accountability than lose even an ounce of control over an external factor. This belief is what needs to be let go.
Realize. Recognize. Receive
To fully know and start one’s journey with God, one needs to realize and recognize what this entails. They must realize their needs and recognize their limitations. Imperfect as they are, humans may believe their needs are limited to their earthly desires, overlooking the spiritual aspect. In accepting what they lack and need, people become more open to taking the risk and letting go. It’s because they understand this need that they would do anything to achieve satisfaction.
They’re also expected to recognize their limitation. It’s saying they need to accept that not everything is in their control, which has already been established and clarified. Once they open themselves to this need and recognize the limitation, people can freely receive guidance from Him. This propels their journey to Christianity.