By Minister Adanna Ironnah

1 Peter 5:7  “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” 

An intimate relationship with God is not reserved solely for those seen as highly spiritual or holding leadership roles in the Church. If you are a Christian, this profound relationship is available to you. God yearns to engage, converse, and share His heart with you, but your desire for this relationship matters too. There’s an invitation to join in for those who aren’t Christian. This is a relationship of immense significance—one that shouldn’t be overlooked—and it’s accessed solely through placing your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Surrender Begins With Trust

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”  

Can we surrender to someone we don’t trust? Absolutely not! Trust forms the foundation of surrender. When we lack familiarity with someone, skepticism often arises due to our uncertainty about their intentions. God’s invitation into His rest hinges on trust—He gave us a commandment to trust Him with ALL of our heart. To achieve this trust, a personal relationship with Him is crucial. Often, we perceive God as distant, like a stranger, altering our behavior accordingly. However, as we draw nearer to Him, our actions and demeanor transform because our knowledge of Him has deepened. This relationship with Him must be deeply personal, for God isn’t distant; rather, He resides within us, intimately close.

The Bible illustrates numerous instances of people unfamiliar with God, like the narrative in Deuteronomy 1:26-33. Here, God instructed the Israelites to explore the Promised Land, and only two returned with a positive account aligned with God’s word. Others, however, conveyed negativity, rebelling against the Lord’s command by grumbling and murmuring. Their lack of trust in the God who guides and fights for them was evident. In their discontent, the Israelites even went as far as claiming that God HATES them. They listened to the bad reports others gave instead of trusting in what God had spoken to them from the beginning.

Jeremiah 17:5 tells us that “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.” This is exactly what the Israelites did, and they became cursed. The result of not trusting God caused them not to enter His rest. God prepared the Promise land for them, but they weren’t able to enter it because they didn’t trust what God said.

Trust is Established When You know You are Loved

The Israelites’ struggle to trust God stemmed from their belief that He didn’t love them, indicating a lack of a personal relationship with Him. Love, inherently tied to knowing God, eluded them. God operates at His own deliberate pace; WE are the ones who put a time limit on God to do things. His nature embodies tranquility and restfulness. This sense of rest, like trust, blossoms when we understand and embrace His love. In moments of worry and anxiety, reaffirming God’s promises is crucial. One of these promises is in Jeremiah 29:11—”For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” These affirmations guard against the enemy’s attempts to flood our minds with negativity, allowing us to ground ourselves in God’s promises.

God’s love for us is not like human love. Human love is selfish and limited. It has expectations and conditions. God’s love is beyond our actions and behavior. It is not dependent on who we are or what we do. Romans 5:6 says “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” Do you know any love like this? There is NO greater love! God loved us when we didn’t know Him or want to know Him. This love surpasses human understanding.

Knowing His love, we cannot be anxious or afraid. The peace of God brings contentment. He said to cast all our burden on Him for He cares for us. Worrying doesn’t come from God, it’s from the enemy. The Lord instructs us in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Aren’t we tired of carrying our burdens on our own? Jesus wants to give us rest! Surrender into HIS rest today my brothers and sisters!

Adannah Ironnah is a Minister at Rising Generation,  Fountain Of The Living Word Church, New Jersey.