Surrendering Control (with Barb Roose) - Episode 8
Hi, my name is Amelia, and I’m a control freak. Haha! While that’s not true of who God says I am, control and surrender are something I resonate with deeply. I bet I’m not the only one, which is why I’m so excited to share this episode with you.
Barb Roose is a popular speaker and author who is passionate about teaching women to live beautifully strong and courageous in spite of their fears so that they can experience God’s great adventure of faith and purpose for their lives. A champion for getting women in God’s Word, she has written several Bible studies and books. She also hosts the Better Together podcast!
Oh friend, this episode is powerful. Barb lives what she teaches, and you’ll hear from a real woman who has experienced depression and anxiety, parenting challenges, family addiction trauma, and long seasons of walking by faith in unanswered prayer. In today’s episode, you’ll feel like a big sister is cheering you on to discover how to finally let go and discover God truly is all we need.
My Key Takeaways
1) Jesus is our model for how to handle wilderness seasons. We see this in Matthew 4. Regardless of the season, He always had the presence of the Comforter. In my own wilderness seasons, will I cling to the Comforter or will I try to control it myself?
2) Joy doesn’t come from trying to control our situation. How do we count it all joy in the midst of trials? We give the control to Him. Like the simple prayer Barb shared, we can remember: “I can’t, but You can, and I will let you.
3) Pray for the willingness to surrender. Often, we aren’t willing to let go yet. We think we can handle life in our own capacity. Barb’s diagnostic questions about being tired are a great list to go back to. Am I tired of trying to control the situation? Am I tired of trying to help people who don’t want help? Am I tired of playing God? When we answer yes to those, that’s how we begin to surrender.
4) Surrender is my only path to God’s peace, power, and promises. When I feel myself taking over control, this truth is one I can whisper to remind me of who God is and what He promises.
Resources Related or Mentioned
- Barb's new Breakthrough Study
- Barb's Podcast: Better Together
- Free eBook: Taking Care of You in Tough Times
- Wandering Wilde's Bible Study Journals
- Connect with Wandering Wilde on Facebook and Instagram.
Where I've Been Wandering
Lately I’ve been studying in Galatians. Read starting at verse 15 with me: “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
How often do we use control in our lives to make us look good on the outside? It makes us feel like our works are accomplishing something… like we can be good enough for what Christ did for us. And friend, we just can’t be. We can rest in the work of Christ, that He died for us and lives for us. There is nothing we control, or do, or post on Instagram that can justify us. I’m inviting you with me, because I’m on this journey too. Let’s stop striving and stop seeking that control. There is nothing we could have done to earn His love or our salvation. Because while we were STILL sinners, Christ died for us. Hold it all out and surrender.
Help Us Spread the Word
We want this to be an honest, encouraging, and inspirational resource to remind you that you're not alone, that you truly can grow closer to God each day, and that you have all you need to be transformed by the Word. We'd love for you to help us tell other women about it! You can do that in 2 ways:
1) If you listen on Apple Podcasts, please take a moment to leave a review! That's such a big help to us.
2) Send the link to this episode to a couple friends or family members that should hear it. I hope it even launches some good conversations!
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Again, thank you for listening and we'll be back with Episode 9 in just a couple weeks!
