My present lessons from God have a common thread for me–learning to live fully surrendered to His Holy Spirit’s leading in my life. I’ve tried to do this for many, many years. The problem has been who was doing the work of “trying”. I’m learning to replace trying with surrender. In my devotional time this morning God helped me see something about surrender I haven’t understood until His Light got my attention.

James 5:16 tells us to confess one to another so we can be healed. It goes on to say that the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective. I’ve tried to rely on this verse for many years now since I learned its importance in Celebrate Recovery. Today it personalized more deeply for me. As I confess my temptations and my sinfulness I humble myself in so doing. Confessing makes me surrender my pridefulness in wanting to keep any of this need between God and me, leaving out “one to another”. I’ve known this truth, but today I suddenly realize that it is when I “humble” myself telling “one to another” that The Holy Spirit can now come into my humility replacing my sinful pride. The confessing displacing the pridefulness with God’s Holy Spirit and now I have His Strength instead of my self-reliance which has never worked.

Often I think I’m part of God’s special education course for learning to live for Him. But, as I write this I realize God personalizes lessons for all of us so maybe we are all part of God’s SPECIAL education course!