as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
~ Philippians 1:20, ESV ~
Turning to Jesus Christ may be a last resort for those of us seeking spiritual transformation: because of our acknowledgement of living with a problem that was too much for us. Coming unto Christ allowed us to deal with those problems through application of His teachings and truth. Every day, we apply His truth to our thoughts and actions. Through the spiritual disciplines, our lives become influential in experiencing a spiritual impact. This is a new year with a new outlook in which a person may want to write a record of their personal experiences and growth toward authentic spiritual maturity.
Perhaps we are still burdened with confusion and despair where we are tempted to fall prey to the false belief we have authority over our life without Christ. Let us keep to the point for making a spiritual impact by reminding ourselves that we are only empowered, through Jesus Christ, to live one day at a time.
He has asked us to yield our will and life over to His. Without yielding ourselves, and those areas of our lives, over to Christ, we may feel very much ashamed. This is not a matter of debate. Our spiritual determination is to absolutely and irrevocably surrender our will over to Christ. Yet, we allow ourselves undue amount of thought and reasoning from making such a decisive move. Although, we may justify our consideration on the premise that it is others we are taking into consideration. When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call to come unto Christ; we are saying to God “you don’t know what it means for me to surrender all to you and obey your call upon my life.” God does know and we ought to shut out any thought contrary to His teachings and commandments.
Therefore, it is our unstoppable determination to turn our lives and will over to God. The Apostle Paul, himself, knew this truth and expressed it to the early Christians. His words empower us to make this same determination where we walk in obedience to God’s will and purpose for our lives. An absolute and irrevocable determination comes, only, when we’ve experienced a significant crisis in our lives. This crisis requires we make our choice in that moment to surrender our will and life over to Jesus Christ with absolute and irrevocable commitment to walk in obedience thereafter.
Today, realize that nothing is stopping me from leaning unto Christ. I seek guidance through the hours and minutes of each day. I will constantly remind myself to bring every problem to Him as I know He will show me the way I will go.
Mindful Latter-day Saint Apologetics 