“We fear His intrusive touch might disorder the life we’ve built or are trying to build.” Priscilla Shirer
I started reading Priscilla Shirer’s new book, ‘I Surrender All’, and the quote above jumped out at me because of the word ‘intrusive.’ It’s a word with mostly negative connotations. But, it fits God in the best way possible.
If we have areas of our lives that we aren’t quite ready to surrender to His Lordship, it can disturb our mood or our lives in a way we do not like.
Priscilla gives a list of things where we might not welcome His intrusive touch. Her list includes things like our ambitions, entertainment choices, opinions, and family traditions. When we fear giving Him full access, we can’t quite declare, “I surrender all.” Perhaps the thought of letting go causes our hearts to whisper, ‘I can’t surrender _________.’ In those times, God’s nose in our business feels like interference.
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23 NLT
There are moments when it’s difficult to give up my own way and pick up my cross. When my mind is distracted and my priorities are tested, God knocking at my heart feels overwhelming. But the difference between a believer and a disciple is found in surrender. Absolute surrender.
His intrusive touch reminds me of my mother demanding me and my four brothers get up early on Saturday mornings to clean the house. The. Whole. House. She would open the closets and look under the beds. And we knew better than to play games with her. As children, cartoons and donuts motivated our cleaning sprees. But as adults, the motivation for a disciple is intimacy with Christ now and throughout eternity.
Conviction
Knowing who God is and what His word says can help us dig in deep and let go of all that hinders our pathway. Growing up in church the old saints used the word conviction, that’s the word that disordered my young adulthood. Conviction is how God touches on those areas we want to hide from Him. I’m convicted to keep reading this book and I promise to report back to you on how the Holy Spirit intrudes into my life and causes me to continue surrendering to Him.