Surrender – to yield to the power of another; to resign in favor of (Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary)
We hear a lot about surrender but do we really know how to live a surrendered life? Surrender does not mean to give up, but to give to freely. Even Jesus chose surrender and because He did, we have the wonderful gift of salvation.
“I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord—but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision], and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me.” (John 5:30 AMPC)
When we surrender to Jesus, we give every aspect of our lives to Him. We seek Him for direction and guidance. We consult Him before making decisions, even small ones. We make choices that honor God
At the core of surrender is trust. In surrendering to God, we are saying we trust Him.
“And the presence of the Lord was with them with power, so that a great number [learned] to believe (to adhere to and trust in and rely on the Lord) and turned and surrendered themselves to Him.” (Acts 11:21 AMPC)
Surrender is a process and a challenge. We are taught to figure things out for ourselves, create a plan, and more. God wants us to allow Him to be our plan, our process, and our way, in every area of our lives. Knowing when to step back is key and that, too, is part of the process. The very things that make us successful in our career are sometimes the very things that cause us to stumble in our walk with the Lord. God doesn't need our help but He requires our obedience and cooperation. We must be submitted, surrendered, to the process to do it God’s way and not our way.
“There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12 AMPC)
This Scripture is a good reminder of why surrender, submission, to God is a vital necessity to our spiritual lives and growth. Sometimes what seems right to us is not right. God sees more than we do so when we trust Him with our lives, we are in the best place possible and we can make better choices.
Surrender is hard and challenging but we have the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us and strengthen us to stand! Every choice we make can bring us closer to or further away from God’s plan for our lives. It's up to us! Just know that our Abba Father is cheering us on toward Him!
“Your salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me (Isaiah 30:15a MSG)
Let this be our prayer:
Lord, I surrender! Yes Lord, even when it hurts. Yes Lord, even when I don't understand. Now help me when I try to do it on my own because I know I need You!
Be Encouraged! ❤
(Updated from the Vault of LWM)