1 Kings 18:21 NLT

Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How long are you going to waver between two opinions? If the L ORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.

 Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

Trust in the L ORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

1. What does it mean to commit everything to God?

A. Define “To Commit”

“To pledge to do something, to make a binding declaration, to be bound, to entrust.”

 Mark 12:30 NKJV

And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

a. “All your heart” (the inner man)

b. “All your soul” (your emotions & will)

c. “All your mind” (your thoughts & reasoning)

d. “All your strength” (your physical efforts)

B. There are things that hinder us from committing everything to God

a. Idolatry

Exodus 20:1-4 NLT

Then God gave the people all these instructions: “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind…”

Idolatry -anything that raises up an image that opposes the image of God in us.

Telltale signs of idolatry’s influence in our life: The time you spend, the money you spend, the preoccupation (thinking, feeling), your habits.

b. Three common areas of idolatry.

THINGS

Matthew 6:26-28

Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not. “And why worry about your clothes?

Matthew 6:28-30

Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you? You have so little faith!

RELATIONSHIPS

Luke 14:26-27

“If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.

“You don’t always have the power to control, but you always have the power to surrender!” Craig Groeschel

OURSELVES

Psalm 139:23-24 NLT

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You.

Galatians 2:20

I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

2. Why commit everything to God?

A. We are told in the Word to commit everything to God and take wrong thoughts captive.

2 Corinthians 10:5

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

B. As we commit, we learn how to commit more.

Genesis 17:11 NLT

You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you.

Deuteronomy 30:6

And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

C. The more we commit the more it becomes a lifestyle and not just an event.

D. The more we learn to overcome our fears of not trusting the more we learn to rest.

Matthew 11:29

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

E. What are the benefits when I commit everything to God?

a. Increases your faith

“In the world we surrender when we lose, but in the kingdom we surrender to win!” Kris Vallotton

b. Releasing more areas of our life to the Lord.

c. A testimony to others of a lifestyle of trusting God.

“We have missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable. We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.” David Platt

1. Choose first to believe God and His Word.

2. Start capturing your thoughts with the truth.

3. Be led by God’s promises not your feelings.

4. Combat your fears by trusting God.

“The only thing that ever hinders peace is what someone doesn’t surrender.” Jack Hayford

Colossians 3:15 NLT

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let go of any need to “look good.”