Life in God is where we learn together to surrender, dwell, and abide with the Lord in our everyday lives. The whole intent is for you to taste and see, first hand, that the Lord is good for yourself.
Surrender, dwelling, and abiding is the process and formula the Lord revealed to me last year. We repeat these stages so many times throughout our lives because there is always a deeper level of surrender in each season, and a reminder to dwell, to live from God’s presence, to cultivate the secret place, and ultimately to abide with God through every season. Abiding is to remain, to have a resolve not to be shaken or moved from your dwelling place because of your situation, circumstances, trials, etc. And it also means to be aware of God’s presence. I don’t want us ever to lose awareness of God’s presence, and I don’t want the outside to speak louder to you than the Holy Spirit.
- Surrender is reckless abandonment to follow Jesus
- Dwell is the growth of intimacy with Jesus
- Abide is to remain attached to Jesus
The formula for life in God begins with surrender, grows through dwelling, and matures into abiding.
Surrender is where we give up our desires, our need to be right, our trauma, and everything holding us hostage or hindering us. We give up death for life so that we may take on a new identity, life, and form in Christ.
In the secret place, your dwelling place, is where you learn to abide. The dwelling place is where you are transformed, renewed, strengthened, empowered, and enabled by the Holy Spirit.
Abiding is the place from which everything flows. It’s the attachment to Jesus the Vine, because you are the extension of Jesus.
The formula for knowing God and hearing from God is spending time with Him. I want to teach some ways for us to begin spending time with God, and for your study time to be not just about you reading the Bible, and you leaving with a lot of information, but no depth or encounter.
Below is a way, not the only way, and the starting place, and not the final place.
1. Read the Bible, start in the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) or find a Bible plan, and take it verse by verse or chapter by chapter.
The Bible is never a book you finish. It doesn’t matter how many times you read it. The Bible is not just information or quick inspiration. As you immerse yourself in Scripture, it changes the way you see God, yourself, and the world. If you neglect God’s voice through the Word, you are shutting off a critical part of your relationship with God.
2. As you read Scripture, look up words, don’t assume you know what a word means.
Let’s take, for example, this verse, “mediate on the word day and night” (Joshua 1:8). What does the word mediate mean? If I go off head knowledge, that means think about it, say it over and over in my head, but when I search the term in the context of Scripture, it means, “deeply ponder, to call to mind, thinking over, dwelling on, applying to oneself, to chew on.”
3. Repeat it to yourself daily, return to it often, don’t just read it once and think that you have it, return to it, that’s a part of the meditation example, to continue to chew on it, and sit with it. That’s how it becomes a part of you. When you do this, it becomes muscle memory.
4. Ask questions, research, and investigate
I mean relevant questions like what’s happening in the context of the Scripture, what’s going on during this time, and read commentary, examine the text, and exegete the text.
5. Read a different translation, recommended ones like the Passion Translation, ESV, NLT, KJV, and AMP.
6. Be Consistent, and Repeat.
This is a process, and one you do consistently and repeatedly.
The 6 keys above can be an example of what it looks like to hunger and thirst for something. “Hunger and thirst for righteousness…” because when you are hungry and thirsty, you go into the kitchen. Your hunger drives you to search through the pantry, the refrigerator, and the cabinets to satisfy that hunger. The same principle as the above formula does. When you’re hungry and thirsty for the Word, truth, and life, you begin searching for Him intentionally. This takes time, my friend. It’s a delightful pleasure, I promise you. You will be satisfied by the Word of God and the presence of God.
The way of Christ requires our full investment because Jesus gave His full investment to us, and He is so deserving and worthy of ours. You may be wondering, Why? Why should I follow Christ? Why should I even be here? My friend, you are here because God wants you to be here. He thought of you before the foundation of the world and knew you before you were in your mother’s womb. You are valuable and significant to God first. He cares deeply about you.
So you have to make a decision and choose to believe that your life matters and that you should do something with it, because you will be held accountable for what you do here on earth. You have a purpose for being here: to go and share the good news with someone, to be salt and light.
God wanted you here. He loves you, and you are significant. You are not here simply because your parents decided to have a baby. While that is one aspect, God already had a plan for your life before you arrived here. Today, right now, in this moment, reading this blog, in 2026, and in this generation, your life is not accidental. God has predetermined, predestined, and mapped out your life, and all things are meant to bring glory to Him because everything on this earth is temporary. You cannot take any of this world with you.
Life in God Resources
New Digital Study Guide For You – Living from God’s Presence
What if God’s presence isn’t just a place you visit, but the very source you live from?
What if intimacy with Him could move beyond quiet time into every conversation, every decision, every moment of your life?
Maybe you’ve asked yourself:
- Why do I feel close to God in prayer, but distant during the rest of my day?
- How do I carry His presence into my work, family, and everyday life?
- Is it really possible to live in constant awareness of Him?
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- The freedom of shifting from striving to Spirit-led living
- This isn’t about adding more to your to-do list.
It’s about learning to abide—so that His presence becomes your lifestyle.
Whether you feel stuck in routine, weary from striving, or hungry for more of God, this guide was written to help you encounter Him in a way that overflows into every area of your life.
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Let this be the moment you stop just believing in God and start living from Him.
Another Study Guide – Surrender In God’s Presence
Do you need to release control, reconnect with God, and begin living from God’s presence daily? Start with Surrendering in His Presence. Purchase your copy today of Surrender In God’s Presence E-Guide today for $9.99.
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Thank You
We hope you loved exploring this topic with us. We pray it blessed you to surrender, dwell, and abide in God’s Presence. Now, it’s your turn; which question stood out most to you? Which one will you ask someone today? Drop a comment below, and let’s keep the conversation going! We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
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This blog is all about the formula for life in God, to surrender, dwell, and abide.
