This probably sounds silly, but have you ever tried to live fully surrendered in a day to Jesus in the power of The Holy Spirit? I ask this because each morning I make this commitment to do so and by the end of the day I can almost always confess where I failed. As I was journaling this morning I was writing to Jesus about this. When I asked Him what He wanted me to know for today, I head him say: “The Joy of the Lord is found in obedience. In order to find obedience one needs to recognize his selfishness in the day. Selfishness is the great blocker for obedience.”

I lived so very long to never be like my dad who I saw as one of the most selfish men I’ve ever known. Selfish in how he wanted things not wanting to see how someone else might want it. My mom was a victim to this and all of us kids felt it severely. I gauged my own selfishness on dad’s. Now, all these years later, I see my own selfishness as my own. I can no longer compare it to dad’s, for Jesus wants me to compare it to Him. It was easy for Satan to keep my eyes on dad for his ways loomed in front of me. I could feel good in this light. However, today, that comparison is behind me. Today I see my selfishness as mine.

Today my commitment is to be obedient to The Holy Spirit within me surrendering my mind, my sprit, my body, my soul so that Jesus will be seen. At the end of today I can know the Joy of the Lord with no guilt or shame, only JOY!