Here’s access to part one : https://yastogod.hashnode.dev/waiting-for-god

→ If you are continuing from “Waiting for God” :
I’m so proud of you and happy you want a deeper relationship with Christ. It will be a beautiful journey.

════════════════════════════════════════

Quick important facts :
- Please do not make the mistake of thinking this is some shortcut to end the waiting period. There are no shortcuts and no one can cheat it. It’s a beautiful process you are called to embrace.
- The rest of the article will take the form of a prayer outline. I’m only sharing what I felt led to but please allow The Holy Spirit to lead you as He likes. He will guide you beautifully.
- The prayer outline is mainly based off a prayer video from YouTube. I have edited, reorganise and added to it as I felt led to refine. I will be adding the link to the original video at the end of the article.
- Worship music is a big part of my prayers and I have included links to songs throughout which will be indicated by ♫♩♪ symbols. A full track list will be included at the end article. Having a playlist is a great way for uninterrupted prayer time.
- I believe in active prayer. Sometimes you will fine little notes starting with * symbol. This means a call for personal reflection. Highly invite everyone to take time on the days following to revisit these prompts.

════════════════════════════════════════

Let’s dive in :

but first, may God bless you ♡

01. Ask The Lord to help you open your heart and reveal to you the things that keep you from getting closer to Him.
02. Invite God to cleanse and refine you through His Holy Fire.
03. Ask God to take what remains, mould and craft you to become who He intended You to be.
04. Take the bold step of letting go of control and choose His will above our own.

05. Seek a deeper relationship with The Lord.
06. Complete and total surrender. This is obedience.

════════════════════════════════════════

05. Seek a deeper relationship with The Lord.

.

♫♩♪
Spirit Fall - Hillside Worship [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/78b9QoQwtzMAyAwheUUFnt?si=3c9b4d0fbd714038

I Surrender (Live) - Hillsong Worship, Matt Crocker [ worship ] https://open.spotify.com/track/4irEfIEfEXuaPVOYDCw5Rm?si=282f40debc524f24

-

³⁷  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸  This is the first and greatest commandment.

[ Matthew 22:37-38 ]

Heavenly Father, my heart is open and it yearns for more of you. As I come before you in earnest and hunger, I ask The Holy Spirit to reignite my fire for you. Let it burn like never before.

⁸  Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

[ Psalm 34:8 ]

¹  As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.

[ Psalm 42:1 ]

-

Lord, there have been times when my passion for You faded. I allowed myself to be distracted with things of this world. I was impatient and weak.

-

Please forgive me for the times I chose the ways of the world over You. Forgive me for when I fed my soul with things other than what is pleasing in Your eyes. For the moments I filled my time with distractions instead of Your presence. For the times I allowed my heart to grow cold.
Please forgive me for the moments I neglected my time with You. Draw me back to You Lord. If I have allowed distractions to become my priority please rearrange my desires.
Where I have settled for comfort, shake me out of my complacency. Awaken me to the wonder and awe of who You are. I don’t just want to hear about You from others. I want to experience Your goodness for myself. Yes, for myself, Lord.

¹³  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

[ Jeremiah 29:13 ]

I want to seek You more. Bless me to be a witness of your glory Lord because I want to know You with deep, unshakable conviction. I never want to be satisfied with surface level faith. I want to go deeper. Take me beyond routine and memorised prayers. Take me beyond empty rituals. Draw me in to a place of intimate communion with You.
Father, I refuse to be a Christian with lukewarm faith.

God I ask that you create in me a holy dissatisfaction for all things lesser than You. let nothing else satisfy me and let nothing else fulfil me except walking in Your righteousness.
Let Your presence be the greatest delight of my life. let nothing else compare to it. You alone are my portion, You alone are my satisfaction, You alone are my great reward. I hunger and thirst for You and You alone.
I choose You above all else.

¹  You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
In a dry and parched land
where there is no water.

[ Psalm 63:1 ]

Let me always hunger for your presence with a passion that cannot be quenched. Make me desperate for Your goodness, Your love, Your word. Instil in me a deeper craving that only You can satisfy. Father, make me restless for You. Make me always seek the joy and peace only You can bring. Make me yearn for Your voice, everyday. Make me crave time with You more than anything else in this world.

Lord I ask you to make your word alive in me. Let me wake up every morning with excitement to meet You and to read Your word. Let me meditate on it day and night. Lord I want to remain hungry for You always. Let this not be a temporary feeling. I want to be in life long pursuit of Your presence and in communion with You. keep my heart burning with love for You. Keep my soul burning for more of You. Keep my mind set on the things above.

¹⁰³  How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

[ Psalm 119:103 ]

.

06. Complete and total surrender. This is obedience.

.

♫♩♪
The Stand - Hillsong Worship [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/32XDVF9eKnPncOsZpQOlSQ?si=c316c658de4c446a

From The Inside Out - Hillsong Worship [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/5R0IWKojrz9gE8PPU55vMd?si=01ff31e7cf4a4b3e

-

God I am Yours. Take my life and use it for Your glory.

Heavenly Father here I am. I may not feel ready I may not feel worthy and I do not fully understand how to do any of this but I am willing. I bring you all that I am. Every gift, every strength, every weakness, every dream, every scar. Though unworthy, I give you my all and I lay it all at your feet. Everything I have is Yours to use as You desire.
Lord you have been so merciful to me. You have carried me through when I did not know how to keep going. You continued to carry me even when I wasn’t gracious to accept You or thank You. You Never gave up on me. Your grace and favour you have always freely poured over my life. You always believed in me. For this and the countless good you have done for me, I lay my life down as a living sacrifice.

¹² Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

[ Romans 12:1 ]

Father, I want to live for kingdom purpose. If there is still any pride in me, burn it away. if there is personal ambition change my heart. if there is fear in me replace it with faith. If there are gifts I have buried, I request You to awaken them. Cleanse me Lord, shape me, refine me and prepare me. Lord I give You permission to interrupt my comfort if that is required to help me fulfil Your divine purpose, the vision You have for me. You can send me, stretch me, use me however You choose. Open my eyes to see the blessings around me, open my ears to hear Your calling, open my heart to say “yes Lord!” even when I don’t understand.

⁸  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

[ Isaiah 6:8 ]

Here I am lord, use me for the big and small. Use me bring your love to those who feels forgotten, use me to speak life where there is hopelessness, use me to carry light in to dark places. use me to touch lives and take the message of your goodness and glory to all your children through the path meant for me.

I surrender my plans, my goals, my comfort, my timeline, even my pain(s) that no one knows about, the dreams I fear to speak about and I place them in your hands. Lord use my story from every failure to every breakthrough for Your glory.
Lord if You want to use my voice you can have it, if You want to my hands take the them, if You want to use my journey lead me, if You want to use my influence guide me, if You want to use my silence show me, if You want to use my patience teach me how to wait well.

I desire to be useful in your hands. dear father, even if it’s behind the scene, use me. Even if it’s uncomfortable use me. Even if it’s not what I planed use me anyway. Because You see what I can’t see. You see the beginning and the end. You see the impact of a single surrendered life. I believe God You are a generous and loving Father who makes all things for good.

⁹  He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

[ 2 Timothy 1:9 ]

Heavenly Father thank you for hearing my prayers. Thank you for stirring my heart to hunger for more of You. I trust that as I seek You I will find You. Take my life Lord. Not just pieces but all of it. Every breath for Your glory

In the mighty name of my Lord and my Saviour Jesus Christ,

Amen!

♫♩♪
Majesty - Delirious [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/4hzMOBrtzVjWNj0uGpnErg?si=4c92b64e9e824373

Glory and Majesty - Jon Reddick [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/5lvrYFNaUV2eib9Tas1gZK?si=7066d52197864a2c

Everyday - Hillsong Worship [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/6ATqyILcMver9SrOpfHfFK?si=2bfcfbde7fbb4d46

════════════════════════════════════════.

YouTube Prayer :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJcWJZV7oTg.

.

Track List :

Spirit Fall - Hillside Worship [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/78b9QoQwtzMAyAwheUUFnt?si=3c9b4d0fbd714038

I Surrender (Live) - Hillsong Worship, Matt Crocker [ worship ] https://open.spotify.com/track/4irEfIEfEXuaPVOYDCw5Rm?si=282f40debc524f24

The Stand - Hillsong Worship [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/32XDVF9eKnPncOsZpQOlSQ?si=c316c658de4c446a

From The Inside Out - Hillsong Worship [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/5R0IWKojrz9gE8PPU55vMd?si=01ff31e7cf4a4b3e

Majesty - Delirious [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/4hzMOBrtzVjWNj0uGpnErg?si=4c92b64e9e824373

Glory and Majesty - Jon Reddick [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/5lvrYFNaUV2eib9Tas1gZK?si=7066d52197864a2c

Everyday - Hillsong Worship [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/6ATqyILcMver9SrOpfHfFK?si=2bfcfbde7fbb4d46

But God is good and I think that He intervenes in our set paths to be like “psst, it’s okay. Lean on me…You wouldn’t believe the plans I’ve got just for you! You are my absolute favourite and you deserve it all.”

“All” is according to His will and purpose and the plans He has for us. “All” is already set aside for us.
The only thing He wants is for us to lean on Him.
Lean on Him, not because of the rewards but leans on Him because it would be so tragic to have The Creator seek you in the most humble and gentle ways, yet you refuse. Can you imagine how unfortunate someone must be…to settle for a life without Christ.
How infinitely blessed are you if The Lord, shows up in your life and creates time and space for you to get to know Him intimately.

My first season of waiting I was called to get to know Him more. Knowing Him, is learning to let go of everything. Because as the saying goes, you cannot fill a cup that is already full. In this instance the cup was full of own strength, more than a dash of ego, worldly pleasures, secular media and disbelief in the Lord ( Yes even a negative takes up space. It’s the absence of something but still the presence of another thing ).
What I came to learn is as the Holy Spirit reveals to you the majesty of God, nothing else comes close. Nothing else matters, compares or is relevant.
I can’t do justice to what it means to know Him but God is God. He is the beginning and end of all things, time and space. Infinite and exponential in all sense. He is the alpha and omega. All things known and unknown, of matter and of thought, it is all Him…He is brilliance and endless overflowing love.
I could go on forever- He is just all.

When learning to lean on The Lord, and when it comes to the Christian life as a whole a very powerful tool is prayer. Prayer is direct communication with The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Prayer has the power to unlock the supernatural. Prayer has the power to transform, transmute and transcend things in 0 time. Prayer is a force. Prayer also has a way of elevating your life, faith, experience in the most wonderful way. I struggle to pray in that spontaneous-effortless-word-flow way everyone else at church does. Some times the enemy literally pulls away all inclination for prayer. In moments like that I turn to prayer channels. They’ve been a massive help. If you’re thinking of exploring prayer this way always ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to the right channels and for His presence during your prayer times.

What’s amazing is in one of those moments I was struggling to pray in a structured, organised and cohesive way I think I came across how to deep dive in prayer to surrender.

Backtracking : I was moved to a season of waiting. Waiting for me was about learning to trust and lean on God. I wouldn’t know how it works generally with people but I have always fully explored one extreme to welcome the other. A very extreme dark to extreme light existence. Where my faith was stretched thin is also where I started learning to fully surrender. In plot twists- it’s the finest.

My disposition is to go-hard-or-go-home so I obviously has to go off on the deep end with this. Beyond surrender is another amaaaazing place of faith. It’s as intense as it is brilliant. It’s where surrender turns to seeing the glory of God. This is where your eyes fully open, the concept of time disappears and you see how insanely faithful, kind hearted, generous and humble The LORD of alll has been to us…us! We don’t deserve it ( Jesus had to come and save us, we could never save ourselves. Not if we genuinely tried till the end of time. He knew and He didn’t want heaven without us! What an amazing Lord ). Once you go there and you are blessed to “know your God” you will see how empty and unfulfilling all else is. Now you’re on kingdom purpose, assigned mission for The Most High and you are on fire for Christ.

So I am very very excited to share this with everyone!
I write for my future self and for anyone it may help or inspire. I believe this will be a blessed experience for us all.
Let the prayer come from your heart.

Quick important facts :
- Please do not make the mistake of thinking this is some shortcut to end the waiting period. There are no shortcuts and no one can cheat it. It’s a beautiful process you are called to embrace.
- The rest of the article will take the form of a prayer outline. I’m only sharing what I felt led to but please allow The Holy Spirit to lead you as He likes. He will guide you beautifully.
- The prayer outline is mainly based off a prayer video from YouTube. I have edited, reorganise and added to it as I felt led to refine. I will be adding the link to the original video at the end of the article.
- Worship music is a big part of my prayer time. I have included links to songs throughout which will be indicated by ♫♩♪ symbols. A full track list will be included at the end of the article. Having a playlist is a great way for uninterrupted prayer time.
- I believe in active prayer. Sometimes you will fine little notes starting with * symbol. This means a call for personal reflection. Highly invite everyone to take time on the days following to revisit these prompts.

════════════════════════════════════════

Ready to draw closer to God? Let’s dive in :

We go step by step, each step will unlock and guide you to the next till you are fully and wholly welcoming His way.
This entry contains the first 04. steps. These steps are about opening to God’s will and surrendering.
Steps 05. and 06. will be a separate entry. They will help you go very deep and seek a personal relationship with God ( Find link at the end of the article. Also accessible from home page “Waiting for God - Continued” )
I’ve broken these into two parts only to keep the content length controlled. Highly recommend everyone to go through with all steps from 01-06 because it is just so very special and you definitely don’t want to miss out.

May God bless you ♡

01. Ask The Lord to help you open your heart and reveal to you the things that keep you from getting closer to Him.
02. Invite God to cleanse and refine you through His Holy Fire.
03. Ask God to take what remains, mould and craft you to become who He intended You to be.
04. Take the bold step of letting go of control and choose His will above our own.

05. Seek a deeper relationship with The Lord.
06. Complete and total surrender. This is obedience.

════════════════════════════════════════

.

Remnant ( Rightful Place ) - Ernstly Etienne [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/683SI6Ii3cAauPf1GsuoYf?si=3e833aae015f469c

-

01. Ask The Lord to help you open your heart and reveal to you the things that keep you from getting closer to Him.

Lord I come to you with an open heart. I come to You in honesty, in humility and with a desire to know You more.
You know the areas I struggle in, you know the areas I cannot see. You know my heart Lord, so reveal to me the things I need to change and help me remove them. Because though I struggle in my weakness to face my own shortcomings, with you I am strong and I know I can overcome.

¹ You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.

[ Psalms 139:1 ]

Remind me Father that I do not have to fear being fully known by You. You don’t condemn. The weaknesses and the shadow areas You bring to light, You revel to me so they can be healed. Help me remember that You only want to lovingly realign me with Your truth.

¹  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ²  because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³  For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴  in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

[ Romans 8:1-4 ]

I invite Your Holy Spirit into my heart Lord and I trust You are doing a deep work in me. Grant me the strength and grace to release what you bring to light and obey You in all things.

Let your spirit search me Lord and please reveal to me what it is in me that needs to be refined so that I may serve Your highest purpose.

¹⁸  The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

[ Psalms 145:18 ]

♫♩♪
Break My Heart Open - Kingdomcity [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/6QwtcAa3L8YfDHj7YPCPhQ?si=4ceb8847b2bc4329

.

02. Invite God to cleanse and refine you through His Holy Fire.

Lord cleanse anything that stands between me and You. I invite your refining fire to make me pure. I choose to trust you even when it is uncomfortable. Even when it seems dark and I cannot help but fear the unknown.

Burn away anything that does not honour you. Remove the impurities in my heart. Everything that separates me from You. I want to be purified, moulded and strengthened into the person You created me to be.

Lord if it’s my pride that keeps me from fully surrendering, break my pride.
If I have chosen to trust my own strength rather than You, break my self-reliance.
If I have allowed sin, bitterness, fear to take hold of me, break those chains.
If I have allowed lies and deception to cloud my heart and judgment, grant me new sight.

* If you feel drawn to it, take a minute to think about areas where you have stood in the way of God’s promise in your life. Put pen to paper. Cross them out as you invite the Holy Spirit to help you remove each of these areas of sin and weakness from your life.

-

I know that when you break me it is never to destroy me. It is to remove everything that is not of you
so that I can be purified and strengthen for greater things. just like gold is refined in the fire. you are refining me and reshaping me to something beautiful.

¹⁰  See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

[ Isiah 48:10 ]

Therefore lord, if there is anything in me that needs to be surrendered, help me to lay it at Your feet. if my desires are not aligned with Your will refine them, if my heart ever starts growing cold I beg you, please rekindle the fire of passion for you. father I surrender to your process I will not fight the fire I will embrace it. I know that whatever You burn away is not needed and whatever remains will only shine for Your glory.

I’m sorry for the times I resisted your breaking. The times I tried to hold everything together on my own. Times I didn’t let go because I didn’t know what will come next. But from today I chose faith over fear. I choose surrender over control. I choose to trust that when I put my life in Your hands You will do far more than I could ever ask, think of imagine. You have destined me for greatness and to bring glory and honour to Your name. Today, I choose to let go of my ways and accept Your way as the only way.

¹⁰  And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

[ 1 Peter 5:10 ]

Lord I trust you. even in the breaking, I surrender knowing that in the end I will reflect your glory
I desire to walk in freedom that comes from knowing You are the Lord I server. Above all I will walk through all things knowing that You are my Father.

Dear Holy Spirit help me to always remember that brokenness in God’s hand is not the end, it is the beginning of something new.

⁸  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹  As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

[ Isaiah 55:8-9 ]

-

Lord I know that fire is not comfortable, refining requires heat, pressure and breaking but I trust you Lord. I trust that You are purifying me and You are removing what is holding me back so that I can walk in greater obedience, holiness and power from You.

I trust that what you have started in me You will bring to completion. That specially in seasons of breaking you are moving and working all things for my good. That in seasons of stillness You are right beside me.

¹⁹  See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

[ Isaiah 43:19 ]

¹⁴  Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

[ Psalm 27:14 ]

Lord I confess at times the fire feels overwhelming, sometimes I wonder if I can endure it. Jesus when the trials come when I feel that everything is being stripped away, please remind me that I am not alone. remind me that you are in the fire with me.

²  When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

[ Isaiah 43:2 ]

I hold on to this promise: no matter what I walk through You are with me, my Lord, my Saviour Jesus Christ. When I feel the heat of refinement I will not give up. Your presence Lord is all I need, as in the story of Shadrach, Mishach and Abednego who were not consumed by the fiery furnace because You stood in the fire with them. I know that You are standing with me now, through all things. Father, I trust You. even when the fire burns intensely I will continue to put all my trust in You.
I will walk through the fire with confidence, I do not fear the fire. I welcome it. -Because I know on the other side I will shine brighter, love deeper and walk closer with You. You are a merciful, loving and generous Father.

Lord I know that Your fire, the fire of God does not consume, it purifies. It burns away what is of the world and reveals what is eternal. So I ask you again, in earnest, refine me with Your holy fire.

♫♩♪
Another in the Fire - Hillsong UNITED [ worship ] https://open.spotify.com/track/77yuZSTyvX71hl5ip4SRfd?si=94c0538d55944ae9

Waiting - Healing Place Worship [ worship ] https://open.spotify.com/track/4C41l6YLhOzX3A5aCdedcQ?si=383660aff7094852

.

03. Ask God to take what remains, mould and craft you to become who He intended You to be.

⁶  He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.

[ Jeremiah 18:6 ]

As every craftsman agrees, refining is proof that He sees real value in you, that He is preparing you for something even grater. A diamond is grinded, wood is sanded, marble is quarries and hammered and all of them are polished before they are used in any work of quality. It is the same for you if you are to be used for God’s work. If you are still here…that means He is not finished with you, yet.

Lord, I trust You will shape me to be the person You created me to be. I trust You work all things for good.

⁸ Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

[ Isaiah 64:8 ]

Lord I ask You to shape me, mould me, break me and remove all things that keep me from being fully Yours. I do not want to be hardened by lesser qualities and things that are not of You. I want to be broken and malleable in Your hands. so I can be made whole. Deep down I know You see what I cannot see, You see what is best for me. Help me trust You in the unknown. Even when life doesn’t make sense I want to continue believing that You are still good. You are eternally faithful and You work all things for my good.

¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

[ Psalms 51:17 ]

²  Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

[ James 1:2-3 ]

I know you are building me up. building my faith, my character, my endurance.

♫♩♪
Broken Vessels ( Amazing Grace ) - Hillsong Worship [ worship ] https://open.spotify.com/track/28prI2jK5TZmBKkdAb2sKB?si=e0f03c20f42f4760

Not in a Hurry - Will Reagan & United Pursuit [ worship ] https://open.spotify.com/track/4Xwry2rjyXZg9unm8QaRFL?si=5c7039949d9b46af

.

04. Take the bold step of letting go of control and choose His will above our own.

Dear Holy Spirit, help me fully open my heart and surrender all to God.
Heavenly Father, I come before You with an open heart, I know there are areas in my life that I still need to yield to You.

* Take a minute for honest reflection. Try to go one step deeper than the obvious. See which areas in your life you are unwilling to bend in and surrender to God. Listen to your heart.

-

Lord, as a human, surrender is hard. I’m used to wanting things my way, according to my planing and in the time I expect. I’ve felt secure in this control. -But today I choose to trust that Your plans are better, Your timing is perfect and Your way is best.

-

My health, my physical condition, the food and drink, every meal I am blessed with I surrender to You God.

Lord, I surrender my expectations and dreams to you. The ambitions I have, the desires I hold in my heart, the goals I have set for myself, my career, the rooms You are yet to put me in, I lay them all at Your feet.

My possessions, my finances, every privilege and abundance I enjoy, every overflowing coffer you’ve set aside with my name on them, they are all your Lord. I surrender it all to You.

I surrender my family, every friend and foe. Every person who is yet to bless me in this life, every individual I will inspire and influence, they are all in Your hands Father.

I choose to trust that Your plan is greater. My heart and my soul, I give You full control because you are my Lord and I know, Your plans and purpose for me exceeds my highest expectation.

²¹  Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

[ Proverbs 19:21 ]

Father I surrender to you the disappointments that have burdened my heart, the time I've thought my prayers were answered and questioned You, the periods of waiting where I allowed my faith to stretch thin, the moments I have worried I’ve lost control. The times I thought You were not listening and relied on my own might. All my my struggles, the battles I’ve been fighting alone, the burdens that weigh me down, the fears that keep me restless, I release them in to your hands.

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

[ Proverbs 3:5-6 ]

-

I ask for your forgiveness and mercy for all the times I failed to trust You.

God, if I have been dishonouring your perfect creation, teach me how to honour the work of your mighty hands and appreciate it.
Father, if the doors I’ve been knocking on are not meant for me, please keep them closed.
If the plans I have made for myself are not according kingdom purpose, help me realign my plans.
If I have been selfish and ungenerous with my wealth, show me how to give freely and be a good steward of my finances. Guide me on how to grow my wealth, share humbly with Your children and sow in to the right places.
If the relationships I have been holding on to is not what you intended for me, please remove them from my life.
If the path I am walking is leading me away from you Lord, redirect my steps.

³  Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.

[ Proverbs 16:3 ]

I choose to I surrender my fears. I refuse to let worry control me.
I recognise that doubt, fear and worry are the enemies schemes and they have no hold on me, because You God have already disarmed him.
I accept now, that I don’t need understanding in Your divine plans, all I need is trust. I choose to put all my trust in You. Even if my faith is only of a mustard seed I know through You it will move mountains. My plans, my desires, my timeline they are all Yours.

From today Lord, if You call me to wait, I will wait with faith. If You call me to step out I will move with boldness. If You call me to let go I will trust that You have something greater in store.

If Your answer is yes, I will praise you. If Your answer is no I will thank you. If your answer is wait I will trust You.

²⁰  At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”

²²  In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

[ Job 1:20-22 ]

Father God, I ask you again to shape me, mould me, refine me. Make me more like you. Yes Lord, I want to be more like you, less like me.
Take my desires and align them with Yours. take my plans and make them better than I could ever imagine. Take my life and make it for Your glory. Today I say YES to Your will, YES to your way, YES to your perfect plan.

Lord I say it again with all my heart, not my will but Yours be done, in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

* We often forget, Jesus felt every one of these feelings. Because He came to us as The Son of Man. Meaning He felt every sensation of the flesh. When he prayed at Gethsemane He asked God to take the burden of crucifixion away from Him. Yet He did not disobey God but submitted to God’s will in faith.

³⁷   And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
³⁸  Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”
³⁹  And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

[ Matthew 26:37-39 ]

♫♩♪
Yield - Jon Reddick [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/4W7PAKB9E09thAedKXcPyd?si=3338ca47d2ce4a4e

Blessed be Your Name - Matt Redman [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/14HrSWGYPCDwqAcVFUYKsq?si=fce4e7f4f4ff4e6e

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It’s so amazing you have surrendered everything to The Father and you welcome His divine will in your life.

If you are ready, I invite you to go very deep and seek a personal relationship with God. It will change everything.
https://yastogod.hashnode.dev/waiting-for-god-continued

♡

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YouTube Prayer :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJcWJZV7oTg.

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Track List :

Remnant ( Rightful Place ) - Ernstly Etienne [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/683SI6Ii3cAauPf1GsuoYf?si=3e833aae015f469c

Break My Heart Open - Kingdomcity [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/6QwtcAa3L8YfDHj7YPCPhQ?si=4ceb8847b2bc4329

Another in the Fire - Hillsong UNITED [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/77yuZSTyvX71hl5ip4SRfd?si=94c0538d55944ae9

Waiting - Healing Place Worship [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/4C41l6YLhOzX3A5aCdedcQ?si=383660aff7094852

Broken Vessels ( Amazing Grace ) - Hillsong Worship [ worship]
https://open.spotify.com/track/28prI2jK5TZmBKkdAb2sKB?si=e0f03c20f42f4760

Not in a Hurry - Will Reagan & United Pursuit [ worship]
https://open.spotify.com/track/4Xwry2rjyXZg9unm8QaRFL?si=5c7039949d9b46af

Yield - Jon Reddick [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/4W7PAKB9E09thAedKXcPyd?si=3338ca47d2ce4a4e

Glory and Majesty - Jon Reddick [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/5lvrYFNaUV2eib9Tas1gZK?si=7066d52197864a2c

Blessed be Your Name - Matt Redman [ worship ]
https://open.spotify.com/track/14HrSWGYPCDwqAcVFUYKsq?si=fce4e7f4f4ff4e6e

When I was listening to a sermon about the Israelites in the wilderness -the grumbling, complaining, whining lot of them, I remember thinking “wow, these guys were so ungrateful, God actually made Himself seen / His presence known in many way AND He was with them day & night as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. Come on how do you see A PILLAR OF FIRE right in front of you and still doubt and question!? These guys were soo blessed and they still struggled to trust??”

I feel today we are no better than the Israelites. It’s so humbling to become aware of this.
[ *Sidetrack - I’m starting to love how God doesn’t give up on us but find subtle ways -eventually not so subtle ways to help us realise we have strayed and bring us back to Him. Just how amazing is that…That He waits for us, is patient with us and genuinely wants us, his children to return to him. We truly have such an enormously generous and gracious Father. When they say Jesus didn’t want heaven without us…God doesn’t want heaven without us either. He’s so so good to want to share His kingdom with every single one of us. I mean my God is the BEST God! He is THE God. He The One!! Love Him. ]
The point is, Our Heavenly Father already knows what we need. If He could send His only son for our salvation, knowing very well what He would have to go through what would The Father not do…for us.

⁷  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you needbefore you ask him.

[ Matthew 6:7-8 ]

²⁸  “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. ³⁰  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

[ Matthew 6:28-32 ]

But that’s not all. The Scripture tells us that God actually wants things to be good for us.

²⁸  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

[ Romans 8:28 ]

All we need to have on our list, is to ask God to help us draw closer to Him. Ask him to soften our hearts and for the Holy Spirit to come in to our lives and teach us how to be more like Christ and less like ourselves.

²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

[ Ezekiel 36:26-2 ]

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

[ Matthew 6:33 ]

In the last weeks I was made aware of the magnitude Paul and Silas’ story. All they did was praise and worship God. In their time of trouble their faith was unshakable and they seeked to glorify The Father, rejoicing in His goodness and mercy and God who is all knowing simply made a way for them. The presence of God in their midst was all that was required for Paul and Silas to be given what they required, in that moment it was freedom.

²²  The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. ²³  After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. ²⁴ When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶  Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. ²⁷ The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

[ Acts 16:22-28 ]

Note *
- The crowds at Philippi, a Roman colony were against Paul and Silas.
- They were beaten and severely flogged
- Special orders for the jailer to guard them carefully
- They were placed not just in any cell but an inner cell meaning they couldn’t run even if they tried
- Their feet were fastened in stocks further restricting any delusions they might entertain about breaking out

This was an impossible situation for man to handle but so simple for God. And just think…if Paul were to ask God for help he’d have to list out each of the above points and add many more for safe passage and then some more to avoid being convicted by the Romans in the future. The list would have been endless.

As we become more like God and less like us, God will bless us and His goodness and grace will follow us for all our days. God will do it. Because he said he will.

³³ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. ³⁴  The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. ³⁵  They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.” ³⁶ Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’

[ Ezekiel 36:33-36 ]

When we pray let’s pray for God to draw us closer to Him and never let us stray.
Let’s ask God to soften our hearts, remove our desire of the flesh.
To reveal His will for us and grant us the spiritual insight and wisdom to understand and accept the divine plans He has for us. Let’s ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we become more like Him and less like us. Let’s recall the following words and know in our heart of hearts this is God’s promise to us and God’s word is true yesterday, today and tomorrow.

¹¹  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

[ Jeremiah 29:11 ]

♡ Yas.

[ The inspiration for the prayer outline is by my amazing sister in Christ, Anne. She shares great insight on The Word and is truly inspiring in her faith. Find her at https://annethanyamendis.medium.com ]

[ Isaiah 65:24 ]

⁵⁰  “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. ⁵¹  While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. ⁵²  When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

⁵³  Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

[ John 4:50-53 ]

While praying for each other at Connect last night I felt most of us have a bountiful level of anxiety about writing our life story. Anxiety at the core of, it arises from fear of the unknown. It’s that inability to control the outcome of a situation. The fine detail we oversee when we react from such a place is we are not just trying to control our story, we are trying to tell the LORD how he ought to write our story. Mind you this is the God who created the entire universe- in the observable universe it is estimated there’s over 200 billion - 2 trillion galaxies. He rules over every.single.one of them… He commands legions of angels, the God who is alpha and omega, He is The God who knew you inside out even before you were formed in our mother’s womb. Imagine trying to tell THAT God how to play this right. Giving THAT God a deadline.

I get it though and I think this is very much why God loves us and will always continue to love us no matter what. He sees us as his little children and so he excuses our “I know what’s best for me” stance and the “Yes but-” moments. Still, I think it would be amazing if we try to do better. One day at a time.

If tomorrow you wake up and say “God, I don’t see a way through this. All this is too much for me. I need you God. I can’t but You can. In the scripture it says just the faith of a mustard seed is enough to move mountains. The faith of a mustard seed is all I have Lord but I want to trust you and I want to surrender all things to you, today”. I promise you, when your head hits that pillow in the night you will feel lighter. You will see that one day of giving up control over to the Master didn’t leave you in shambles. I’m pretty sure it will be the opposite and you will feel a sense of security.

Let’s try build on this. A small exercise compounding the days of surrender to God. It’s getting in flow with the divine plan. Not my plan, not your plan or anyone else’s plan for us…I’m talking about God’s plan. Where not a single thing we encountered was meant to harm us but were all blessing to renew us, strengthen us and expand us to hold the bigger blessing God has in store for us, the bigger rooms He envisioned for us, reach places we never even thought we could.

As pastor Mark Lassey said Let’s try giving that pen back to the author.

Our God is a gracious God… How about we allow Him to be that. Hold on to His promise, Let go of our preference.

When we were wrapping up our prayers, God was saying to me “It is already done”.

All I’m saying is “Amen.”

♡ Yas.

More thoughts on It is Already Done → https://yastogod.hashnode.dev/its-already-done

Their reaction was…not something I’d have expected. Not to me speaking about God. Not this early. Definitely not while I’m literary still so unsure on my own feet and struggle to string two words together. I’ve been totally wrecked! I barely know what’s right or wrong as a Christian. I’m just following what God prompts me to do. Still…here we were. One clasped her hands together and was tearing. The other was completely blown away and kept saying “wow…” on repeat. Then there was me in the mix eyeballing the entire spectacle like what just happened. These guys have been with KC longer than me…-

Massively surreal and made me realise...”huh, that actually had nothing to do with me”. Yes the material I’ve been consuming lately gave me the knowledge to regurgitate. But…that was God, His words and His wisdom through me.

That’s not all. On my way to Connect there was a moment I was the medium for the Holy Spirit to bless someone. It was a decently dressed boy of around 27, helping an old feeble person to cross the road in the pouring rain. Nevermind jumping in without hesitation, he was the only person to jump in. Almost a do-good-er cliché IG reel ( the glow of the traffic lights in the night rain, industrial zone neighbourhood adding that steampunk aesthetic ). The Holy Spirit was telling me to pray for this boy.
I tried dismissing it…it’s not a big deal. Good for this boy for having a good heart and yeah I hope he will inspire others to be kind wherever he goes but that doesn’t make him so special and I was exhausted. I wasn’t sure how I was gonna last till the end of the Connect Night. The Holy Spirit, was insistent. So I prayed. When I did I felt His power move through me to this boy. It was insane! I physically felt power leave my body and I was brimming with Him. I’m blessed to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and I’ve dabbled with the elements before in my heathen / pagan era but this was something else. Tangible with a sense of Heaven and Earth colliding.
Guess the question for discussion at connect today… How have we felt the Holy Spirit works through us? [ Gotta source*. ]
I was stunned throughout I couldn’t say a word during discussion.

Here’s a bit of context : Of late, everything has been highly volatile. It’s been a full throttle mad roller coaster ride. “Unprecedented” doesn’t come close to describing it. It left me feeling like I fell off a rocket going 10,000 mph, fell on the middle of a highway and kept getting hit and run over by truck after truck after truck- this can go on but you get the idea. So I do not feel anywhere near being anything that can be of any use to Christ. Sure, when I recover I can be of service but I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m unsure of standing on my own feet. I honestly am.
But Jesus couldn’t care less. I struggle to grasp it and process any of this but…He didn’t need me to ready to touch other people through me. He just did.

It got me thinking…we miss the whole point. We think struggle is bad. We think breaking is bad but it just might only be the start of something greater. It could be that He has to put us through the grind so we come out more able. We didn’t fall, God was only getting us ready for His calling.

When I read the following passages I want to take the highlighted words metaphorically. A physical fall representing a spiritual fall. No, not as falling in to sin, but maybe spiritual warfare. A place of higher density where you are challenged to hold your own and your truth. My favourite bit is this…it is immediately followed by AND. “And” as in a conjunction…meaning this does not end here. There is work yet to be done…God has started something and he is working on it. His work is not yet finished!

What appears as falling is actually preparation for the calling.

Just how cool is that…come on!

Check this out.

³  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

[ Acts 9:3-6 ]

¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. ²  Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

³  Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, ⁴  “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. ⁵  No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶  I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. ⁷  I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁸  The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”

[ Genesis 17:1-8 ]

See I love this soo much…Because it takes me back to these words I’ve heard, man makes plan but God has His plans for us [ Proverbs 16:1-25 ].

Often we fall short in establishing our own potential but the Lord who sees beyond and knows all things about us has greater things for us in store. We are so shortsighted that way because I am pretty sure like 99% of the time we add that fullstop to our story before the And. Just how unfortunate is that. Super funny too. Like everything just right there in reach and with your name on it! But you the one like “nah, I’m done. woe is me”. I can picture God shaking his head in dismay…wanting to smack some sense into us.

A little attempt here to drive home the point. God’s Anointing → Time of Waiting → Blessings Received :

• Abraham leaves his homeland and waits years for his promised son. Is tested time and time again.

  [ Genesis 12 ]

• Moses spends 40 years in the Midian dessert after fleeing from Egypt

  [ Acts 7:29-30 ]

• David was anointed by the Lord as a young shepherd boy and spend years of hiding and fleeing from King Saul.

  [ 1 Samuel 16:11-13 ]

• Joseph had prophetic dreams as a young boy, was rejected by all 7 of his bothers, enslaved and imprisoned for years. [ Genesis 37 ]

• Paul spent time away in Arabia and three years in Damascus after encountering God before starting his missionary work [ Galatians 1:17–18 ]

I mean even Jesus prepared 30 whole years before He started ministering.

I feel that we need to keep coming back to this. Remind ourselves that nothing is ever working against us, it is all for us. The blessings are yet to come. God is a generous, gracious and loving Father.

♡ Yas.