🕊 Yielded, Not Driven

Trust grows when we stop guessing and start yielding to the One who knows the full design.

Devotional Credit: His Victorious Indwelling by Nick Harrison
Photo Credit: Unsplash

Today’s reading from Nick Harrison centers on the quiet but costly power of a broken will—of surrendering not just our decisions but the very engine of self-direction that propels us through life. C.H. Mackintosh draws a striking contrast between the youthful Peter—driven, impulsive, self-willed—and the older Peter—guided, yielded, and willing to go where he once would not.

The warning is clear: the danger isn’t merely in disobedience, but in imitation—doing what others do because they do it, instead of waiting upon the Lord to know His heart. True service isn’t measured by movement or action but by surrendered obedience. It’s not about being busy for God; it’s about being available to God. The noise of religious activity can mask a self-led life. But in quiet submission, the Holy Spirit finds room to lead us in ways we wouldn’t have chosen but that glorify Christ.

The mark of spiritual maturity is not increased ambition, but increasing submission. Even Jesus, facing the cross, said: “Not My will, but Yours be done.” If He, who was without sin, could entrust Himself fully to the Father’s will, how much more should we? There’s mercy, not misery, in letting go of our preferences and laying down our plans.

This isn’t passive resignation—it’s Spirit-led, joyful relinquishment. And it leads to a freedom not found in chasing opportunities, but in abiding where the Father places us, knowing that Christ’s life in us will fulfill the will of God through us in His way, in His time, and for His glory.

📓 Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I am not looking for your energy; I am calling for your surrender. The self-life wants to move, to perform, to prove itself. But I do My work through those who have ceased striving and who rest in the Son. A broken will is not a broken spirit—it is a yielded soul that no longer insists on steering.

I led your Savior to the cross not because He desired suffering, but because He desired the Father’s will. That same Spirit that enabled Him now lives in you. Trust Me with the direction. I know where to send you, when to pause you, and how to shape you. You don’t need to copy others; you only need to abide in Me.

Let Me lead you where you would not go on your own. What you once resisted will become the place where My glory rests. It is not the volume of your service, but the heart behind it that matters. In the stillness of yieldedness, I will fill your silence with life.

Scripture references: Luke 22:42; John 21:18; Galatians 2:20; Romans 12:1–2; Philippians 2:5–8; Psalm 143:10; John 15:5; Isaiah 30:15; Romans 8:14

🧩 Real-Life Analogy

Imagine assembling a complex piece of furniture with no instructions, only glancing at your neighbor’s project to figure it out. You may end up building something completely misaligned with your intended design. But when you stop, open the guide, and follow the step-by-step instruction, the process slows—but it finally fits.

Likewise, following the Holy Spirit isn’t about mimicking someone else’s steps. It’s about slowing down enough to be personally guided. Today, whether you’re facing a decision, a conversation, or a quiet hour, trust the Holy Spirit to move through you—not in the way others would expect, but in the exact way the Father intends. When you feel restless or pressured to act, pause and say: Lord, You know the next step—I trust You to live Your life in me and through me in this very moment, whether that means speaking or being silent, going or staying, doing or waiting.

🙏 Prayer of Confidence

Father, I thank You for the mercy of a surrendered will. I no longer have to chase meaning or mimic others. In Christ, I already have all I need. I rest in Your direction, not mine. I rejoice that the Spirit in me will lead me into whatever glorifies You most. I embrace that even the uncomfortable places are filled with Your presence when I walk in yielded trust. Today, I gladly say—not my will, but Yours be done.