Surrendering to God is not easy…in fact, it is very difficult. It is not something we can do on our own strength. It requires that we give our hearts and everything we have to God in praise and worship. We do this because we recognize God’s everlasting love for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. It begins when we accept Him as Lord and Savior. His love for us is far greater and beyond comparison to how our parents loved and nurtured us as we were growing up. Surrender begins with seeing and realizing that we are in a state of need. Our need is based upon our desire to repent from our sin and to trust in Jesus Christ; therefore, we surrender to Him because we understand that He made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins and He makes us righteous. Once you accept Christ as your personal Savior, are you now completely surrendering to how He would have you to live?
Spiritual surrender is a powerful force. It requires us to let go of our own individual agendas and the things that we want to accomplish. It does not mean we ignore these things, but it does mean that, when we surrender to Jesus Christ, we allow Him to guide you into the places where He would have us to go. God changes each of us moment by moment and day by day as we yield to Him and move within His righteousness. Surrender means submission to God…it is a mindset that is always open to how He is speaking in your life. In today’s world, there are many noises and distractions that make it difficult to hear Him. In many ways, we have to filter the distractions and battle for a quietness of time and within your soul to hear Him speak to is through His Word.
To surrender to God is to act in the very way that Jesus Christ did…with humility. “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death–even to death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8).” Jesus sacrificed Himself and showed us that, in His obedience to God, we are to surrender like He did and be obedient to Jesus Christ.
When we surrender to Jesus Christ, we must bring the flesh under our own submission and control (Galatians 5:22-26). In bringing the flesh under control, God calls us to be living examples of Jesus Christ. “Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).”
In your surrendered life, God will use you and the knowledge you have acquired to reach those who desire to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He will use you as His instrument to reach others in our living testimony for Him (Acts 1:8).
In surrendering to Jesus Christ, He guides you through the difficulties of life, whether it be a job loss or illness of you or a loved one, and gives us exactly what we need to overcome and come through those circumstances. Our learning experiences are at their highest potential in the midst of our surrender (James 1:2-4).
We are to remain in surrender in order to best reflect our love for Jesus Christ and our love for others. “I give you a commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).”
To surrender to God through Jesus Christ, we are less occupied with the busyness of this world and we are best prepared to hear what God has to say to us and to be obedient to His Word. “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways (Proverbs 23:26).”. God will keep you, no matter what is happening in your life, in His perfect peace, because your life is in His hands. There is no better place to be.
Akron Alliance Fellowship 