Hello HEART PARTNERS!!! I hope and pray you are all doing well, processing with YESHUA! I missed writing to you all last week, but I was at a RETREAT in the gorgeous mountains…processing more of SURRENDER!!! I am positive we all have thoughts of the MEANING OF SURRENDER, but do we truly understand ALL of the things, situations, and people we have SURRENDERED to over the years? You know…waved your white flag because you felt like there was NO OTHER CHOICE? Well, let’s dive into this ACTION WORD, and see if we can find the REAL SURRENDER that will save our life!

It was 50 years ago when I was at a summer camp that I first SURRENDERED my heart and life to YESHUA! I remember it like it was yesterday…I was in chapel at a CHURCH CAMP in BIG BEAR, CA., with 100’s of kids looking for HOPE! Did I know what SURRENDER was at that point…NO but I knew I wanted to go down to the front and MEET MY SAVIOR! FIRST STEPS…BABY STEPS! I remember coming home from camp, sharing with my grandmother as she gave me her Mom’s KING JAMES BIBLE, and told me to write down the date so I would never forget that first step with YESHUA! JULY 11, 1974 was my NEW BIRTH-DAY, and all I wanted to do was FOLLOW HIM, and learn all about YESHUA! I read that old BIBLE cover to cover, with all of the THEES and THOUS!! I fell in love with MY FATHER’S WORDS!! I wish I could say that everything became PERFECT after that…but that is NOT what HE promises…HE PROMISES to never leave us nor forsake us! A favorite verse, Deuteronomy 31:5-6 Complete Jewish Bible “Adonai will defeat them ahead of you, and you are to do to them just as I have ordered you to do. BE STRONG, BE BOLD. Don’t be afraid or frightened of them, for Adonai your God is going with you. HE WILL NEITHER FAIL YOU NOR ABANDON YOU.”

We all SURRENDER to someone, or something, and often neither of those are GREAT for us, and often NEVER HIS plan for our lives! Isn’t it quite comical how we really BELIEVE that we know what is BEST for ourselves?? For me…It’s a BIG OH DEAR, or a GIANT GONG, but sometimes I create these GONGS by NOT surrendering myself and my agenda to our FATHER! Do you have a close HEART FRIEND that keeps you in check? Well, if not it’s super helpful as the WORD says, “AS IRON SHARPENS IRON,” this person can simply listen, and ask, “Did you pray about that?” Proverbs 27:17 “Just as iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character of his friend.” It’s not always people’s favorite, but we need someone who loves us to be so bold!! I have that in my life…my sister does not hesitate, and I know it comes from her HEART OF GOLD, and her love for YESHUA! You see, when we are NOT SURRENDERED to YESHUA, we are not practicing “death to self” which is critical as SELF can get really BIG and convince us that there is no need to surrender!

So, I attended a women’s retreat with my daughter, and besides the fact that it was in the gorgeous mountains…I really took time to look at my SURRENDER with YESHUA…Life has been a little “tricky” lately on many fronts…I am POSITIVE many of you can relate…but I needed to re-evaluate my focus, and see if I have given everything and everyone to MY FATHER and did I LEAVE it all with HIM? At the end of the weekend we were given an opportunity to launch a pumpkin into the woods as a symbol of LETTING GO and giving whatever to YESHUA!! As you can imagine, I wrote my things I needed to surrender on my pumpkin and LET IT FLY!!! Now here’s the cool part…the reason we used pumpkins was not just that it is harvest time, but also the deer, raccoons, bears etc could enjoy, and when launched they go SPLAT and are ready to be consumed! (TOTALLY WARMED MY HEART) What a terrific symbol of SURRENDER for me…as in truth SURRENDER is very purposeful, and we must be INTENTIONAL as we give our “stuff” over to our amazing FATHER!

As we drove down the mountain, I kept thinking about how important it is to PRACTICE SURRENDER…it’s not a ONE and DONE…it’s a LIFESTYLE with YESHUA, and I CHOOSE SURRENDER again and again and…..MY INTENTION!

I pray now for each of you…whatever it takes…PRACTICE SURRENDER…OUR FATHER has you and will never disappoint!!! May you be filled with HIS PEACE that passes all understanding! Remember I am always here for you…feel free to write!!!

UNTIL NEXT TIME…

SHALOM,

DanaKae

Psalm 42:2 “JUST AS A DEER LONGS FOR RUNNING STREAMS, GOD, I LONG FOR YOU”