Embarking on a journey of a life surrendered is a nuanced process. It demands courage, patience, and vulnerability. One thing we know for sure is that the rewards are always worth the sacrifice. Tap in as Brenda guides us in uncovering and embracing her obedience to God’s calling over her life to show us that we too, can live a life surrendered. ___________________________________ Watch the FULL “Surrendered: A Devotional w/ Brenda Palmer” series on the Woman Evolve TV App. REGISTER for WE24: womanevolveconference.com Stay plugged into the Woman Evolve community: www.womanevolve.com www.womanevolve.tv download the app from any mobile device’s app store, first 7 days are FREE! Want to support this ministry? Text WEGIVE to (833) 611-9066 FOLLOW US ON THE SOCIALS: Instagram: Woman Evolve and Sarah Jakes Roberts Twitter: Woman Evolve and SJakesRoberts Facebook: Woman Evolve and Sarah Jakes Roberts”
[Music]
hey guys Happy New Year I am Brenda
Palmer and I am elated to be kicking off
the year with the
delegation we are starting woman evolved
devotionals and I think that at the top
of the year is the perfect time that we
reflect on our lives and how we want to
move forward and what better way to do
that than talk about Sur surrender now
before we kick off with surrender I
definitely want to let you know what
we’re defining that as it’s simple it is
taking the life that Jesus has graced us
with and saying God you can have it back
that means my will my plan my emotions
how I thought life should go I’m saying
actually you gave me this life and I’m
going to trust it back to you I think
before we jump into the conversation I
should probably tell you who I am and
why I am here uh when I think about the
word surrender it probably could be the
underscore of My Life um I feel like so
much of my life has been creating a plan
and then God disrupting the plan um I am
from Chicago born and raised I have
literally lived on all the coast uh of
the country um I grew up in Chicago I
went to undergrad in Mississippi I went
to grad school in New York and now I
currently live in LA so I feel like the
Lord has just tossed me around like a
ping pong ball my parents are pastors
and I grew up actually not wanting to do
anything in Ministry in my entire life
basically revolves around me being in
Ministry it’s kind of like you have a
plan and then God tells you girl I
created you I have a plan we going to
roll with that one um I originally went
to school to be a producer I worked in
entertainment a little while I created
content and majority of I actually moved
to LA understanding that I would be in
Ministry but having no context of what
that would look like I really came here
under the pretense of following my
dreams um you moved to LA that’s usually
what it’s about um but I always felt
this tug and this pull that there would
somewhat be Ministry so even though I
did get a chance to like work on sets
and work in entertainment I still also
held a Bible study in my house like it’s
just kind of always this undertone of
God allowing me to step into things that
I dreamed about about while also
Ministry so I moved to California August
28th 2018 the date is very important
because when I got on that plane I had
just walked through probably the biggest
betrayal of my life and I was broken my
life felt completely shattered with like
all of these pieces that I didn’t know
how they were going to be put together
again but what I did know is that when I
got on that plane God promised me that
he would work all things together for my
good and literally I didn’t even
recognize that I was on a plane on
August 28th which on the calendar looks
like 828 and majority of the times that
I’ve seen God show up in my life it has
been like with the number eight it’s so
weird like I was without a job in
California for eight months um I had my
first interview for a real job like one
that comes with benefits and a check you
know cuz that’s a real job uh on April
28th it was like it was like all of
these ways that I knew that I was
stepping into these things and it was
God’s way of saying remember what I said
and he would just prove that so I used
to always say growing up I wanted to
work on a talk show wasn’t very specific
so I ended up working on a Christian
talk show it was a Christian Women’s
talk show on a particular Network and
while I thought it was about being a
producer it was really God’s way of
showing me what he was going to walk me
into majority of those women that were
on that show that I served are women
that I now consider peers and who I get
to walk along the same path and Ministry
with them and so sometimes we can think
we’re in a thing because it’s the thing
we want want to be in but it’s really
God’s way of unveiling us to us but
sometimes he has to give us context in
order for us to be able to have um a
image of what God wants to walk us into
if I could sum it up how did I get here
child obedience and Faith uh working
together um I really always say that
obedience is a seed for the unimaginable
because when God CA you to take a step
we have no idea where that step is going
to lead us but if I use my faith and app
to the fact that I cannot see where this
is leading me but I can trust in the god
who’s leading me into it then anything
can happen so when I think about um
probably the step of obedience or the
moment of surrender
that felt like the biggest one would
definitely be um last year God called me
to walk away from my job um and it was
actually Ministry but it was a secure
check and benefits remember we talked
about that that’s what a real job is um
and it was really really weird it was
like at the most unexpected time like
the timing of the request actually did
not align with the trajectory my life
was going in um I was serving on a staff
at a church I was in the process of
becoming uh consecrated as a pastor I
was about to move into a new apartment
shorty was about to get a new whip like
I had these plans right um I preached a
sermon January 8th there’s that eight
again and in the sermon I said when I
think about 2023 I want to walk with God
y’all be careful what you say because
the Lord was like oh for real Let’s Do
It um and I remember even like relating
it to how Enoch walked with God until he
was not like he there’s no record of him
dying he just walked with God owned in
heaven like that’s crazy and I literally
say that like that’s when I think about
my year 2023 that’s what I want to do
and God was like all right let’s walk I
preached that sermon January 8th and on
January 10th I gave my 3we
notice now um it feels very very weird
to say that uh I actually can say it
with joy now that I walked away from uh
stability and um it’s really weird
because there is this like um awkward
Nuance of being in something that felt
like a God thing God taking me away from
it into something that felt like nothing
and it was sometimes we battle in the
surrender because the thing that God’s
calling us away from is not a bad thing
but if God is asking you to step away
from it it’s no longer a God thing it’s
just a good thing and we always want to
be in the God thing the good thing is
going to feel stable it’s going to feel
secure it’s going to feel comfortable
but a good thing without God will not be
good for long and so you got to trust
God and whatever he’s calling you into
and so uh I gave my notice February 5th
was the day I was supposed to become a
pastor and it turned out to be the day
that they were releasing me
into whatever God was asking me to do
now the crazy thing is sometimes we can
feel like these moments of surrender are
um abrupt but really it had been
something that God Was preparing me for
in December I started to feel unsettled
and instead of just jumping and saying
oh it’s time to qu my job I started to
seek God in prayer and remove my
aspirations and whatever I wanted to do
in that moment and kind of leave space
for God to show me what he was trying to
say at the top of the year I was given
instructions it was to double down on my
podcast I had started a Ministry in
November of 2022 that I had no idea was
a Ministry I just was out here following
the Lord um and also to work on a book
those are the three instructions well
the actual time I needed to make sure
those things were done in excellence
there’s no way I could work a full-time
job so if I’m going to do the things
that God’s asked me to do I’m going to
have to relinquish something I’m going
to have to surrender something and
basically the Reason God needed to pull
me out of that full-time position was
because I needed to focus on the things
he was asking me to focus on and it
wasn’t abrupt he had already prepared me
he just gave me instruction bit by bit
and each step of obedience revealed that
and so for the entire year I doubled
down on those three things um and
I stepped out I surrendered was not easy
at all I cried I was depressed I was sad
I didn’t I didn’t like how not knowing
where my next uh provision would come
from I did not like how that made me
feel at all and I recognized that I had
a lot of ego I had a lot of Pride I had
a lot of of my identity um locked into
being able to provide and do for myself
and I felt like suren surrender takes us
into Seasons that will strip us of the
things that cannot go into the next
place that God’s trying to move us into
and I for sure know that pride and ego
and horrible identity issues have no
place in the place where God’s trying to
take me and some things I didn’t even
know existed until I was put in this
position that would call those things
out and reveal those things that were
hidden because I was hiding in security
I put my things in storage and I was
back and forth on a plane from Chicago
to La um kind of living by Coastal the
crazy part about it is I never didn’t
have a there was not one time I didn’t
have a place to sleep there was not any
time where I didn’t have food there was
not one time I didn’t have money to
survive child I still was shopping I
still was like it’s crazy like
everything I needed literally God
provided and it would be like the
craziest things like I would have to
travel to Atlanta to host a popup Bible
study and I would have a a friend who’s
like oh I’m out of town you can stay at
my house like or I would be back in LA
and people would be like hey I’m going
here for 3 months you want to like stay
at my house like
literally God would give me an
instruction and he would provide to
ensure that that instruction was carried
out the same thing like I didn’t have
any jobs like no like I don’t have a
consistent paycheck and God would say go
to Atlanta and host a Bible study y’all
that cost money we need a location we
need people to do stuff and literally it
would be like would give an instruction
I would take the step towards it I
remember being on a plane and God saying
you need to have Bible study in Atlanta
I’m like that’s not that’s not in the
budget that’s not in the plan by the
time I got off the plane my dad
literally text me and says hey you got a
check in the mail here like y’all it
would literally be that thing like it’s
so crazy I I could like give you
countless ways that God literally would
give an instruction see if I would trust
him and then he would provide like he
would meet me on the other side of my
obedience is and so I want to encourage
you with that surrender you are not
going to have all of anything you’re not
going to have all of the instructions
you’re not going to know what the
outcome is going to be but if you have a
word from God that is as sure as having
the money in the bank that is as sure as
having a place to lay your head like a
word from God is the most solid and
consistent thing you could ever have in
your life and I’m not just telling you
something I read on the pages of this
book I’m telling you what God has done
for me literally I’ve been hosting popup
studies in LA and it that that’s kind of
expensive when you doing something every
week I remember the first time I did it
they sent me a contract and I’m like
this is really official all right I
literally had the exact amount of money
that that contract needed to be
fulfilled in my account but when I say
that to you how I’mma live for the rest
of like I was like God I got it but we
don’t really have it so I stepped out on
faith I got the cashier check I give
them the money y’all before the Bible
study starts I get a random message on
Instagram from this lady who goes hi I’m
not sure if you remember us you met us
um I we go to Center Point we’ve been my
husband and I have been so impacted by
your Bible study we want to sew a
seed it was the exact amount of money I
had just paid to make sure that we have
Bible study y’all I promise you a step
of obedience and choosing to surrender
to what God wants to do will never have
you out here I promise you that I can
give you I wish I could show you my DMs
on how many times it has happened where
absolute strangers have said hey I feel
like I’m supposed to sew into your
ministry I feel like I’m supposed to
tithe like even that couple sewing that
amount of money is connected to a step
of obedience where I had to leave one to
go and serve at a church of people full
of strangers like I didn’t know them I
remember crying and telling PT I don’t I
don’t want to go but I feel like this is
what God is saying well had I never made
that move I would have never met those
people who would have needed to se a
seed into the season I’m currently in
and so you have to know that
your obedience has fruit Your Surrender
will always produce fruit that you may
not see until just the right time and so
I just want to encourage you with that
there’s something that God’s calling you
into that you’re afraid to do because
you don’t know what it’s going to look
like on the other side I promise you God
will always meet you on the other side
of your surrender so I know that was a
lot to take in um but before we move
forward I want you to take a moment to
reflect on what do you feel like God is
asking you to do I don’t want you to
think about like what you don’t have I
don’t want you to think about what this
is going to cost you the simple question
I’m asking you is what is God asking you
to do and I need you to get that in the
Forefront of your mind when I think
about when I was stepping into my
surrender uh this scripture that I
always use is Romans 8 and14 and it says
the mature sons of God follow the
impulses of the Holy Spirit if you ask
my parents my friends anybody with some
sense they would have told you that my
surrender was impulsive I didn’t
consider all of the things right I
didn’t consider that child your credit
score is going to drop you know in
negative numbers no I’m just kidding you
know what I’m saying like I didn’t
consider all of those things because
nothing mattered more to me than
following God and so as you reflect on
what God is asking you to do I want you
to eliminate all of the factors that
would tell you not to listen and just
focus on what he’s asking you to do and
then focus on the fact that it’s God
asking you to do it it’s not like a
parent or a friend or somebody you don’t
know it’s somebody you have a history
with it’s somebody you know well and so
while you meditate on that I just want
you I don’t want you to make a decision
on whether or not you’re going to do it
just ask yourself what is God asking me
to do and what does that mean for me I’m
excited to continue this conversation
with you in the next session we’re going
to talk about
surrendering our past I ain’t even going
to give you no sneak peek you just got
to pull up on us for the next episode
this has been amazing and I cannot wait
to continue our
conversation