5 steps toward surrending to God

I recently picked up a book called The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith, by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich. I'm slowly working through the book and seeking to use a six question pathway to get the most out of a book.

The book is pretty deep. So, I'm only handling about five pages at a time.

Hagberg and Guelich describe the six stages as 1) the recognition of God, 2) the life of discipleship, 3) the productive life, 4) the journey inward, 5) the journey outward, and 6) the life of love. We all must walk this pathway if we want wholeness and holiness. Between stages 4 and 5 is something they call The Wall. According to the authors, we hit The Wall when a crisis happens, when we meet spiritual boredom, or when we experience a deep longing.

They describe various types of people who can be resistant when it comes to going through The Wall. A high-achieving person with an intellectual bent and a strong ego can try to outwit The Wall or build a wall next to The Wall and try to jump over it.

What God is looking for is surrender. The authors quote an old hymn, "Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me." The authors write, "Previously, we may have allowed God to melt an arm or leg, head or foot but now we offer more of our body, mind, and soul for melting and molding." When I read that I thought, "Busted!"

What are 3 to 5 action steps you will take based on what you've read in this post?

Here are a few ideas:

1) Sing "Spirit of the Living God" or "I Surrender All."

2) Give your entire being to God to be molded.

3) Ask God for grace to go through The Wall.

4) Stop asking for a healing, a solution, or an answer and simply accept what is, leaving it in God's wise and capable hands.

5) Sing, "Have Thine own Way, Lord. Have Thine own way. Thou art the potter. I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will while I am waiting, yielded and still."