He knows
He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. ~ Mark 14:20
Have you ever seen someone try to hide something from someone who already knew? Maybe it was a child hiding a cookie behind their back while chocolate was still all over their face. We smile because we know the hiding isn’t fooling anyone. Sometimes we do the same thing with God. We convince ourselves that if we don’t talk about something, maybe it isn’t really an issue. But God already knows. He doesn’t know so He can condemn us. He knows so He can set us free.
If we’re honest, most of us can identify something in our lives that the Holy Spirit has gently been talking to us about. Maybe it’s an unhealthy habit, an attitude, a relationship that’s pulling us away from God, an unforgiveness we’ve been carrying, or something we’ve simply refused to surrender. It may not seem like a major issue, but if the Holy Spirit keeps putting His finger on it, there’s a reason.
Recently, I finally surrendered one such area in my own life. It wasn’t something that people would consider a big deal, but it was something I was quietly holding onto and not surrendering to the Lord. I found myself having all kinds of internal conversations trying to convince myself that it wasn’t a big deal. I had every reason ready to defend it.
Finally, I lifted my hands and said, “Okay, Lord. You win.” What surprised me was realizing that God wasn’t trying to take something good away from me. He was trying to make room for something even better.
That’s the heart of our Father. He doesn’t ask us to surrender things because He’s controlling. He asks because He loves us. He sees what we cannot see, and He knows what is keeping us from experiencing His very best.
In today’s passage, Jesus was sharing the Passover meal with His disciples when He announced that one of them would betray Him. The disciples were stunned. One by one they asked, “Is it I?” But Jesus already knew. Judas may have thought he was keeping his plans hidden, but nothing escapes the eyes of God.
In another Gospel account, Jesus tells Judas, “What you do, do quickly.” It almost sounds as though Jesus is giving permission, but that wasn’t the case. Jesus wasn’t dependent on Judas to fulfill God’s plan. The cross was always God’s plan. Judas simply chose to become part of the wrong side of the story.
That reminds me of an important truth. God never needs our disobedience to accomplish His purposes, but He delights in using our obedience. The beautiful thing is that while Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, He also knew Peter would deny Him. One ran away from grace. The other ran back to it. The difference wasn’t what they had done. The difference was what they did next.
Here are a few practical ways to respond when God puts His finger on an area of your lives.
- Be honest with God. Stop trying to justify what the Holy Spirit is already talking to you about. He already knows, and He still loves you. Begin your prayer by simply saying, “Lord, show me anything that’s keeping me from walking fully with You.”
- Surrender one area at a time. Don’t become overwhelmed trying to fix everything at once. Ask God what one area He wants you to release today, then trust Him enough to let it go.
- Believe God’s plans are better than your own. Every time God asks us to surrender something, He is making room for something greater. His goal isn’t to take away our joy. His goal is to increase it.
- Respond quickly to conviction. The longer we argue with the Holy Spirit, the easier it becomes to ignore His voice. Obedience becomes much easier when we respond the first time He speaks.
I’ve noticed that the Holy Spirit is amazingly patient. He doesn’t usually shout. He gently whispers, nudges, and lovingly reminds us. Looking back, every time I’ve finally surrendered something He had been speaking to me about, I’ve wondered why I waited so long. On the other side of surrender, I’ve always found greater freedom, greater peace, greater joy and the breakthrough that my disobedience had been holding back.
I’ve also noticed that I’m a pretty good lawyer when I’m arguing my own case. I can come up with reasons why something isn’t really that bad, why I’ll deal with it later, or why it’s different for me. Then the Holy Spirit quietly speaks one simple sentence, and suddenly all my carefully prepared arguments disappear. Thankfully, He doesn’t win the argument to prove He’s right. He wins it so He can lead me into something better.
Today I want to encourage you to stop hiding from the God who already knows everything about you. Open every room of your heart to Him and invite Him to search every corner. Whatever He’s asking you to surrender today is not because He’s trying to take something away from you. He’s preparing you for something greater. Trust His love, respond quickly to His voice, and remove every obstacle that stands between you and His best. The God who knows your deepest secrets is also the God who loves you the most. As you surrender every area of your life to Him, you’ll discover that His plans are always better, His peace is always deeper, and His blessings are always worth trusting.
Today’s scripture reading: Mark 14:12-21
12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”
13 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.
14 Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’
15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.”
16So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.
17 In the evening He came with the twelve.
18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.”
19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?”
20He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.
21 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”
Journal Questions:
- Is there an area of my life that the Holy Spirit has been gently asking me to surrender?
- Have I been making excuses instead of responding in obedience?
- What fear is keeping me from fully trusting God with every part of my life?
- How has God blessed me in the past when I surrendered something to Him?
- What is one practical step I can take today to remove a roadblock between me and God’s best?
The Daily Dose 