Godly Gals ~ Susan Norris
Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to be Mary, mother of Jesus?
She was approximately 13 years old when the angel, Gabriel, visited her telling her she was highly favored by God [Luke 1:26-38]. While those words might bring a smile to most of us, Mary was alarmed by those words. It was almost like she knew something else would follow that would change her life forever. Once the Holy Spirit came upon her making her the mother of Jesus, the Son of God; life as she knew it would never be the same.
If you read through the New Testament, you will encounter story after story of how peoples’ lives changed once they encountered Jesus. Peter, Andrew, James and John left their fishing businesses to follow Jesus [Matthew 4:18-22]. The woman at the well began to evangelize to those in her town once she encountered Jesus [John 4:1-26]. A paralyzed man walks after he was healed by Jesus [Matthew 9:1-8]. Peter walks on water when Jesus tells him to come [Mark 6:45-51].
Each of these stories showcases people who surrendered themselves completely to Jesus and how He used them to testify to others about the glory of God.
No one who has an encounter with Jesus remains the same. He changes us and challenges us to step out of our comfort zones- to stretch beyond what we are capable of doing on our own. He does this to increase our faith and His glorify [Matthew 5:16, Luke 17:5-6].
Take a moment today to reflect upon your life since you’ve encountered Jesus. Have you seen a change?
If so, continue to pursue Him for more.
If not, then ask Him to show you areas you’ve held onto that need to be surrendered to Him.
His desire is to develop and intimate relationship with you and to have you partner with Him for the purposes of the Kingdom.
It involves risk;
it involves the unknown;
and it will bless your socks off
and blow your mind.
However, one thing a life totally surrendered to Jesus does not involve is regret.
Run passionately after Him. You’ll be glad you did!
Susan Norris is a popular speaker and author. She is committed to helping others foster an intimate relationship with Jesus through prayer and the scriptures. Making the Bible relevant and alive for her audience is Susan’s passion. She longs to see others walk out their faith through powerful relationships.
Susan is a CLASS certified speaker and the founder of Righteous Relationships and she writes a weekday blog. She has published multiple devotions with CBN and was a contributing author to the compilation book “Moments of Grace.”
Susan also has a passion for serving in ministry with her children. For the past four years she has served as a sponsor for Fellowship of Christian Athletes at the middle school level and has also been a featured speaker at their President’s Weekend held in Florida. Susan and her husband, Mark, live in Marietta, Georgia with their children Sam and Laura.
God has a plan for all of us. He had one for Joseph and one for Mary. We can question or we can trust. Either way, God’s plans are always better than our own.
So glad to meet Susan and to read her wonderful devotional. Surrender is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Surrender involves trust. And when you’ve been let down by people it can sometimes be a problem. I know I placed a wall around my heart years ago to shelter me from more hurt. But as I’ve grown in my faith, I’ve found that God is trustworthy. And I can open my heart and surrender it all to Him.
Thank you Susan for sharing with us today.
Blessings,
Debbie