Pastor Jon Burgess
March 10, 2019 - W1910

Surrender my Problems 

Surrender 

Pastor Jon Burgess 

March 9 & 10, 2019  

[Video – Pastor Jon Burgess & Kaipo and Aina Moniz]

Thank you, New Hope, for joining us as we continue our Surrender series! Today, we’ll talk about how God has called us to Surrender My Problems to Him.

It's interesting that in Psalms 23:3, the Shepherd leads us through the valley of the shadow of death, then, in verse 5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.” We don't want to eat with our enemies! Yet, the Lord is saying, “I’ll provide for you, but you must face the problems that you rather avoid! I’ll show you how to overcome them!

God doesn’t let us escape our problems; He leads us right though them! He shows us (through His eyes) that what we see as problems, He sees as possibilities!  Ezekiel is facing a valley full of dry bones; God wants him to overcome this problem and see them as possibilities, by prophesying...  

Ezekiel 37:1-6 NIV says, “The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.  ² He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know. ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!  ⁵ This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

We met Kaipo and Aina Moniz at our Doing Church As A Team (DCAT) conference and have asked them to share some of their story. They met and married in college while working for their master’s. After graduation, Aina was working as a preschool teacher when she began to experience severe intermittent abdominal pains that, finally, caused her to, eventually, quit her job. She was misdiagnosed with kidney stones and had surgery, but the pains continued. She was later diagnosed with endometriosis, and had another surgery! While Kaipo held a job, they did not have the necessary funds for rental deposits (so they lived in a hotel), and all their money went just to survive on a day-to-day basis—it was like standing in a valley of dry bones! 

Kaipo and Aina knew of God, but did not have a strong relationship with Him. Around 2015 they began attending New Hope Oahu, and both accepted Christ, together. Eventually, they were able to find housing;  “Not because I was praying,” Kaipo said, “but because others were praying for us.”  

They wanted to know more about God, so they participated in DCAT and started to tithe.  They had heard Pastor Jon say that we tithe our way out of problems with provision—making sure that we’re putting God where our money is! That we cannot serve two masters (God and money)! Kaipo said at first it was difficult to pay 10 percent tithe, but he believed that God would provide for them, and somehow (after paying his tithe) all their bills were getting paid! So, instead of seeing their problems as insurmountable, God began to show them that their problems are actually a possibility to see Him come through for them!

This testimony is to encourage others (who are going through great trials and hardships) that God will bring them out of their problem—when they surrender and participate in the solution! We must be all in for Jesus, and not let our current problems define and determine our future! 

1. An Invitation To See My Problems As Possibility 

So, whether we’re facing financial, emotional, health, and relational problems, we understand from Ezekiel, Kaipo and Aina that God wants us to see our problems as possibilities!

Ezekiel 37:7-10 NIV says, “⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it,‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.” 

When we agree to participate in the natural, God completes it in the supernatural! Ezekiel had to say it and participate in what God commanded him to do before he saw the miracle come to pass! Kaipo said he wasn’t making any more excuses and surrendered all his problems to God.  We, too, must be willing to open our mouths and do what God is asking us to do—then we’ll see blessings coming from every direction—that we could not have done on our own!  

At DCAT, Kaipo and Aina learned that it wasn’t enough to just attend church; they learned that everyone is a “10” somewhere, and each person needs to find their fit/identify and use their gift to serve in church to honor God. Through Design, DCAT, attending church, tithing, journaling, serving, worshipping, and getting baptized, The Lord is helping Kaipo and Aina get rid of the hindrances they do not want in their lives—while they are waiting for Aina’s physical healing!

[End Video]

Some of us are missing out on our breakthrough because we're waiting for God to resolve all our problems first; but resolution comes when we first surrender and obey God’s commandments to serve and give as He directs. 

Acknowledge that even when we see the bones come together and the problems turn into possibilities, we don’t stop contending! We build on the fact that God has seen us this far, and He will lead us even further!  We don’t know the problems that others have; but we must understand that everyone is fighting a battle that no one knows about!  

We have control of only one thing: Surrender our cares to the One who really cares and is actually in control--God! Everything else is outside our control!  Some of us are missing out on a breakthrough because we haven’t fully surrendered to God. Don’t wait another moment or put off another day in doing what God is calling us to do, today!  Resolution comes as we prophesy and participate in what God is calling us to do!  

2.  We Have An Invitation To Participate In The Miracle

Ezekiel 37:11-14  "¹¹ Then he said to me: 'Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ''My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”

How do we get out of the place of hopelessness and despair? How do we escape?  We do as Ezekiel did—prophesy and speak over our problems and remember God’s promises. 

No matter how scattered or distant we feel—the Lord will restore unity and purpose as we prophesy over our problems! His promises never change (no matter how large or insurmountable they seem); He is larger! Miracle starts the moment we participate with God.

Jesus conquered sin, death and hell!  How do our problems compare to that?  Our problems may seem insurmountable, but they are not greater than sin or death—not even hell.  If Jesus can conquer all of that, He can most certainly conquer our problems—but, first, we must speak it!

Think about the biggest problem you have (in relationship, finance, physical ailment, or despair); take it to the Lord.  Picture yourself with outstretched arms and open hands, laying down your problem at the foot of the cross, and say, “I put my trust in you, Lord, right now. You are bigger than my problem, and greater than my fears. Carry me through.  In the name of Jesus, Amen.”   

Do this multiple times each day as we have an avalanche of problems; we cannot see anything else because we let them build up!  We’re hit, right and left, with all kinds of issues, crises, and problems that we cannot handle or solve—but we serve a God who is willing and able!   

Surrendering immediately puts the miracle in motion.  If we do not participate in seeing our problem changed, we will hold onto it, and God will never arrest it out of our arms. Do what He asked Ezekiel to do—speak over the valley of dry bones! We have authority with our mouths to speak/prophesy over our marriage, children, and financial situation, in the mighty name of Jesus to call those things that aren't as though they are!   

God won't force us, but He invites us to participate in the miracle—just as he did with Ezekiel, Kaipo, and Aina. He calls us to a place where we’ll see things begin to change, when we step up from the natural into the supernatural—and God gets the glory! 

3. We Have An Invitation To See People The Way Jesus Sees Them

Matthew 5:43-48 NIV says, ⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

When we begin to see people, not as problems, but as possibilities, we will recognize that they have problems just as we do!  God asks us to see people in a different light—even our enemies!  If God can see potential in Paul, who as Saul was persecuting the children of God, how much more can we look past other people's shortcomings, situations, and the times they have offended, slighted, or were rude to us? How much can change with a simple act of service and kindness, such as, giving them a cup of water? In Ezekiel’s time, Samaritans were ill treated and considered half-breeds and despised, but Jesus came and changed all that! He said to love our enemies and bring them before the Lord in prayer because He changes hearts! We will begin to see and understand how Jesus was able to die for us on the cross (beaten and crucified), so we could come to the Lord as forgiven people!   

Start by speaking life over people! If the valley of dry bones represents the mean, cruel, rude people in our lives, we could prophesy over them as our Savior did for us; then, we would love them as Jesus loves us, and we begin to understand and forgive them as Jesus did us while He was on the cross!  

Kindness is free; prayer is free! They don’t cost us anything; but they change the atmosphere in our hearts; and we no longer look at people as problems to be solved, but as sons and daughters of the Most High God! Remember, no matter how mean people are to us, Jesus died for them—just as He did for us!

STUDY QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

1. What does it mean to walk through the valley of dry bones?
2. How do we overcome problems that almost overwhelm us?
3. What does it mean to love our neighbor, and how do we serve our enemies?
4. What must you surrender to God today?