Mind of Christ: Ep 1: Surrendered: The Mind of Obedience

0:12 Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast with your host, Connie Morris, where healing has a voice and truth is no longer silent. Father God, like Jabez, we cry out that thou would bless us indeed. Bless every woman listening beyond trauma, beyond limits, beyond what she thought was possible. Enlarge her territory. Expand her purpose. Let your hand be upon this moment. Saturate every word with oil and truth. break cycles, cancel every curse sent to silence her. This isn't just a podcast. This is holy ground. In Jesus' name, amen.

0:53 This is your host, Connie Morris, and I welcome you back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast with our Faith on the Go series. We know faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God, and this is why this space was created for your quiet moments, your work days, your commutes, and those in-between places where your spirit just needs to be refilled. Faith on the go is for the times when you're fighting battles not yet won, but already finished in Christ. It's for the ones who keep believing, keep pressing, and keep walking, even when the road gets long. So wherever you are today, settle in and let the Word of God strengthen your faith on the go.

1:39 Today's topic for our day one is a mind of obedience, surrendered to the Father's will. The key scriptures today is found in Philippians chapter 2 verse 8. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Even if we think about this, we know that this was a hard thing, right? And so we know Jesus humbled himself by becoming obedient even unto death, death on the cross. So let's see this through Jesus' eyes. When God says, let this mind be in you, he invited us to think like his son, to see life through the lens of surrender.

2:26 Obedience is not a rule to follow. It is a relationship to protect. It's what kept Jesus aligned with his father through every season of his life. We know God loves obedience. And so if you get aligned with God, with that mind of obedience, then you too will love obedience. And that will continue to grow in that relationship. You know, when you have someone you trust, say, for instance, your parents, and they tell you to do something when you're a child, it seemed like you didn't have a choice. But in reality, we did, right? We did it. And after a while, we realized that doing that one thing for our parents, it was because we didn't want to.

3:07 It was our attitude more than anything that had to change. But once we did it, we realized that when we are obedient to our father and our mother, the Bible says we will be blessed. But also, you see those blessings as you get older. they begin to trust you. Can you go do this? Can you go do that? Can I trust you in the little things so that I can give you more? And so those little acts of obedience as a child gives us the attitude like, okay, if I clean my room up, that's not going to hurt anything because I know I'm going to ask my mom to use the car this weekend or I'm going to ask for money for this event that I want to go to. And she says, yes, but she'll ask me, did I clean my room? Like that was a test, right? So even Jesus, as a young boy in the temple courts, Jesus looked at his anxious parents and said, did you know I must be about my father's business?

3:57 It was something ingrained in him at a very young age. That moment wasn't a childless defiance. It was divine awareness. He already understood that his life was an assignment. Think about this though. When we know that our life is an assignment, we won't go wasting time. It's interesting that I say that because when I look back at my life, I feel like I wasted a lot of time. But as I'm getting older, I'm realizing this is an assignment. Everything I do is part of God's bigger plan for me. It says, I'm going to continue. Obedience began before the miracles.

4:38 Remember Jesus did miracles, but he had to be obedient to first his father in heaven, which means he had to follow what his parents said on earth, his natural parents that God gave him. And we know that if you're obedient in the little things, when the big things happen, you won't draw back like Jesus didn't draw back from the cross. Years later, when Jesus' ministry grew through multitudes, the scripture said, Jesus often withdrew to a lonely place and prayed. That's found in Luke 5, 16. He refused to be led by the pressure of popularity. The son of God, full of power, still stopped to listen. His secret was not strategy. It was stillness. How many of us take time to just listen in a stillness, right?

5:27 In the stillness. He said, he refused to be led by pressure. Of popularity. Then came Gethsemane. Under olive trees and moonlight, he fell to his knees. Father, if you're willing, take this cup from me. Yet not my will, but your will be done. Luke 22, 42. This was obedience at its deepest when the will of heaven collides with the weakness of flesh. In that garden, surrender wasn't easy, but it was holy. Obedience opened the doorway to redemption. Finally, at Calvary's hill, with the weight of the world pressing down, Jesus declared, it is finished, John 19.30.

6:10 He completed the assignment in full. Obedience wrote the last line of the greatest story ever told. Let's look at some biblical commentary to get a better understanding about Jesus having the mind of obedience. Every step Jesus took revealed that obedience is born from trust, not fear. He obeyed because he knew his father's character. He believed that love never leads to loss. That's why his submission in the garden wasn't defeat. It was victory disguised as surrender. For us, obedience is the bridge between revelation and fulfillment. We can hear God's word daily, but until we act on it, we remain spectators of the promise rather than participants in it.

6:59 When your mind is renewed to trust the Father as Jesus did, obedience stops feeling heavy. It becomes a holy alignment. God's instructions are invitations, not impositions. Every yes draws you closer to his heart. Sometimes obedience means stepping forward. Other times it means standing still until he says move. Both require faith. So reflection here, I want you to ask yourself, where have I hesitated because I couldn't see the outcome? Have I been waiting for clarity? When God's already gave a command? And am I obeying because I'm afraid of the consequence or because I love the Father's will?

7:45 Let the Spirit show you that obedience isn't losing control, it's gaining peace. A section I have for this devotional is walking it out like Jesus. And so I have like five different points I want to show you how to walk it out like Jesus. So you start your day in surrender. Whisper this prayer. Whisper his prayer before your feet hit the floor. Not my will, but your will be done. So we're shifting the focus. Many times we're so we focus instead of outward, right? We want to think about how this is going to affect me when we're supposed to declare, not my will, but yours be done today, Lord.

8:28 That single sentence resets your day. Number two, listen before you act. Follow Jesus' rhythm. Withdraw, pray, then move. Luke 5.16 and John 5.19. Create quiet moments where obedience can be born. Obedience is born in the quiet time when you're listening to the whispers of Jesus on what's next. Trust the timing. Number three, Jesus waited 30 years for three years of ministry. Hidden seasons prepare you for visible purpose. Ecclesiastic. Number four, obey when it costs. Love something, ask for a sacrifice.

9:13 So even when it costs, when you love something, it does require sacrifice. Jesus chose the cross because he saw resurrection ahead. Hebrews 12, 2. And number five, finish what you started. Let his words be yours. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. God is saying like, can you finish the work I gave you to do? Seeing your life as an assignment, it shifts your focus. You're not going to waste time. I say sometimes I'm meant to daydream, you know, like I do. I like to take a moment and maybe watch a few videos or listen to a couple podcasts. But overall, that's not my meat to eat for the day. My meat is the word of God.

9:57 What can I learn about Jesus today? Let's pray. Father, thank you for giving me the perfect example in Jesus. Teach me to recognize your voice above all others. When my plan collides with your purpose, help me to choose surrender over stubbornness. When obedience feels costly, remind me of Calvary, where love obeyed unto death and gave me life. Let my daily yes become a testimony of trust. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's decree, I have the mind of Christ. I trust the Father's heart and obey his word. My steps are guided by faith, not fear. Like Jesus, I say yes before I understand, knowing his will leads to a perfect peace and purpose.

10:43 Where is God asking you to take a step of obedience that feels uncomfortable? And how can you mirror Jesus' trust in the faith in the Father as you respond? Where is he taking you? Where does he want you to go? Remember, our life is an assignment. it. Assignment unto God. If you were born again Christian, then you know that your life has been dedicated to Jesus and he has plans for you. He also has a way to get to those plans, right? So just pay attention. You've been listening to Faith on the Go series with your host Connie Morris from the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I pray this word energized your faith and reminded you of God's promise.

11:26 So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It should not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing which I sent it. Isaiah 55, 11. Every prayer, every decree, every act of obedience, it adds up to something. If God said it, that means it will not return back to him. Some scriptures said empty-handed. He put his hand out, and when he pulls it back, he's not going to be empty because it's going to be full of all the things that you have done in obedience. Amen. And be confident of this. He who began a good work in you should carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

12:11 Philippians 1.6. Remember, it's him who gave you the work and it's him that's gonna finish it in you. So keep believing, keep walking, keep trusting because God will finish what he started in you. And I'll see you on the next episode. Thank you for listening to this episode. And before we close out, I want to speak a word of promise over you from Jeremiah 29, 11 through 14. Father God, you declared, I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. So today we receive that truth. You said when we call on you, you will listen. So we pray.

12:55 You said that when we seek you with our hearts, you will be found. So we pursue. You said you will restore us from captivity. So we declare freedom over every place where our listeners feel stuck, silenced, or small. Thank you for always drawing near when we show up in faith. In Jesus' name, amen.