Godly Gals ~ Debbie Petras
I am an ordinary woman who serves …an extraordinary God.
My desire is to live a life of love in obedience to God.
As a believer and disciple of Jesus Christ, I’m filled with His Holy Spirit. So, I have the power to submit and obey Him.
But I’ve got a problem. I still have my flesh to contend with this side of eternity.
So I must make a heart choice.
Do I give in and …satisfy my flesh?
Or submit and obey …the Spirit of the Living God?
It’s a moment by moment choice.
I’ve found that the key to submitting and obeying is …to abide and remain in Christ.
John 15: 4-5 says “Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
How do I apply this in my life?
• Offer myself daily: Each morning, I come before Him in prayer and submit to Him. Romans 12: 1 says that I am to offer myself as a living sacrifice which is holy and acceptable to Him. Not because of my good deeds or works but because of what Jesus has already done for me. He paid the penalty for my sins in full. Now I make the heart choice to give my life back to Him each morning. I turn over the reins of my life to His control.
• Allow Him to transform me: Instead of going along with the world’s ways of thinking, I allow His Word to teach me and change me. In Romans 12:2 it says that by renewing my mind I will be transformed. I cannot do this in my own strength. I make the heart choice to sit, learn and grow by reading the Bible daily.
• Remain in Him: When I’m tempted to act in selfish ways, I listen to His quiet voice inside telling me to trust and obey Him. I remember the truth of John 15: 4-5.
During this Christmas season, will you make the choice to submit your life fully to the Lord?
What a perfect time to let Jesus be Jesus in you and through you. Living a life of love is so different from our self-centered world.
Then when someone notices the difference in you …give God the glory.
Merry Christmas!
Debbie Petras is a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ. She’s been married to her husband Greg for 25 years and they live in Phoenix, Arizona. As a former cardiovascular nurse specialist, she loves to write and share on her blog called Heart Choices. The focus of Heart Choices is …your day to day choices determine what your tomorrows will become. Those choices impact your body, soul (mind, will and emotions) and your spirit.
If you’d like to be a part of the Godly Gals team, then send me an email at melsworldministry {at} gmail {dot} com. I’ll send you a copy of the Submission Guidelines and review your ministry, blog, or website. I’d love to have you join this team!
I’m looking forward to uncovering more of God’s special treasures with this Godly Gals series and hope you are too!
Hi Debbie,
Beautiful post and filled with truth. I always see your heart when I read your devotions and posts. Tenderness, kindness and your authenticity. I see the love of Jesus in you.
Merry Christmas, hugging you this day. Lynn
Debbie has said it well here… these are the things each one of us need to stay where we belong, yielded and obedient. And I love what she always emphasizes… it is our choice!
Good choice today… Debbie is a real blessing to me!
Debbie, beautiful words of wisdom. It really is a daily struggle and to fight that we need to submit daily. Our flesh does not like to submit, but with God's help we can.
Merry Christmas my friend.
Debbie, this was awesome!
"It's a moment by moment choice." So very true. In big things and in little things, decisions come at us from every direction, needing us to make a choice, a healthy heart choice.
Loved your 3 point application, too.
Blessings my friend.
Oh, and Mel, thanks for doing this on your blog! LOL ; )
Thanks for featuring Debbie, she is a precious gift to this world.
Debbie,
Loved your heart shared here…
what a beautiful post. The whole Blog site is awesome. Debbie you inspire me every day. Today I will choose to obey Him in all I do. I watched a man die Tuesday night and however sad that may seem, there was glory in knowing it was only his flesh that died but his Spirit was taken up to be with Jesus. It was a very spiritual experience. The flesh is only with us for a short time but the Spirit is eternal. We will experience victory and joy in this life if we keep our eyes focused on Jesus.
Hi Melissa,
I came over from Debbie's blog, Heart Choices. She mentioned that she wrote an article here. I really love this article. (Thanks, Debbie, for sharing with us!)
Recently, the Lord has been reminding me wonderfully of John 15:4-5 too! Surely this is no coincidence. I have been praying and asking Him to teach me how I may walk more closely with Him and be more fruitful in His kingdom. And the Lord in His faithfulness has led me to read some articles as well as listened to sermons on Abiding in Christ and this passage.
So I am so thrilled and encouraged to read Debbie's writing. I am going to emulate her 3 points to offer myself daily to our Lord, to allow Him to transform me and to remain in Him.
Thanks for this blog. Take care. May God continue to bless you and the godly women here who are after His own heart!
Warm Regards,
Nancie
What a lovely reminder of our need to spend time with our Lord….the scriptures are wonderful. And you are right, we are just ordinary women, serving an extraordinary God. Thanks for this insightful post.
Debbie, you are such a marvelous inspiration.
It is true, we have to submit daily and stay connected to Him and His word. Not sure if I could get through the day if I would not get first strength through Him.