Not Enough

Let’s see if I can surprise you…
It is NOT enough to give God control of your life.    
Yes, it is absolutely necessary but it is not adequate. 
Are you shocked?
God is in control already.  My freewill is His gift -- everything I chose to do is permitted by Him.  My life is dependent on Christ -- everything that happens to me is allowed by Him.  So to “give” God control is simply to align your thinking with reality. And that is wonderful….but it has to go further.
My motives must become God’s.  The “why”I do things.  The why I say what I say.  The why I pray and ask for these things must be fundamentally altered to match Christ’s.   They must be submitted for God to change and transform. 
Otherwise, obedience to God is seen as a simple transaction -- I obey to get what I want.  Unfortunately, this does not work; ever heard of Job?  And when obedience, inevitably, does not yield what I want, I am angry because I was cheated.  I “paid” and didn’t get what I “paid for”.  Then confused and discouraged, I battle a heart and mind that are bitter and smoldering against God.
But when God has control and my motives are the same as His, obedience is a joy and the peace that passes all understanding guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7).