Surrendered Obedience. By Sara Jellsey.
There is a difference between being obedient and walking in surrendered obedience. We can do all the “right-living” Christian things, read the Bible, check! Attend church weekly, check! Pray before we start the day, check! Attend a weekly Bible study, check!
We do these things because we love God and we want to walk in obedience to Him. These are good things and yet we can come away feeling completely empty and exhausted because we were doing it all in our own will and strength.
Obedience is defined as “compliance with a command or instruction”. Sometimes we fall into a thought pattern of thinking we have to earn communion with God, thinking we must work for His gaze, but that isn’t true! While obedience isn’t a bad thing, the fruit it produces is lacking.
John 14:15-
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
When we surrender our whole heart and life to Christ, our heart posture changes from one of working for our worth to one of surrender.
A surrendered heart reads His word because it simply pleases God, prays because it is an intimate conversation with Him, attends Church and Bible study because we are hungry to learn more about Him and be with Him in His word.
Surrender is about yielding your power over to Him and letting the Lord lead you in all things. It is about trusting Him with all you hold close and dear and more. He cares about every moment of your day, how you act, how you speak, what you watch, how you spend your time. He is with you each breath of each day.
Luke 9:23-
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me,”
God cares more about the posture of your heart than just how you act and behave. How you represent Him matters to Him, yes, but your heart and your behavior need to be in alignment with Him. The questions we must ask ourselves are:
Is what I am doing pleasing to the King or is it pleasing me?
Am I checking boxes or am I surrendering my heart to Him? Do I trust Him? Do I truly believe that God has good for me?
If you find yourself simply checking the boxes and are left empty, God has more for you. Walking in surrender, trusting God, builds your faith and faith produces good fruit.
God cares about your whole being, your body, your mind, your heart, your soul and everything around you and about you. He desires to be more than your Savior; He desires to be the Lord of your life!
Matthew 11:28-
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
He has rest for you, all you need to do is let Him lead, let Him be the Lord of your life.
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Sara Jellsey will be one of our Speakers at our Chico Hearts Being Healed Conference this month, speaking on self-identity. She states:
“A lifetime of rejection, abandonment, and betrayal left me feeling unworthy, silenced, and alone. Through God’s persistent love, I found freedom from shame, restoration of my identity, and the truth that I am deeply loved and fully known.”
Chico Hearts Being Healed Conference
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026
Time: 8:00-9:00 a.m. – Check-in Registration; 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Conference
Venue: Neighborhood Church, 2801 Notre Dame Blvd., Chico 95928
Cost: $25 includes all day events plus continental breakfast and catered lunch. Some scholarships may be available.
Online Registration is open now through Sunday, March 15 at 11:59 p.m.
For more information and registration, click here:
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