Surrender to God

The Christian walk has never been easy nor without trials and tribulations.  When we seek God, we have to turn our backs on the world. We must surrender to God which includes our will and our purpose. We have to learn to live out God’s will and purpose for us.  Not an easy thing to do. Especially when faced with a world that constantly tells us to focus on ourselves. However, this battle belongs to the Lord and it is not without joy, peace, and being uncomfortable. However, know that it is a spiritual battle.

Spiritual Battle

The spiritual battle rages daily in this sin-filled world.  This world was broken long ago in the Garden of Eden.  It is when man-made a choice to separate from God.  It is when Satan decided to challenge God’s authority and began to rule the world.  Man’s struggle with good and evil has always been a battle between God and Satan.  Satan is fully aware that the war has been won but he chooses to spend his time trying to destroy as much as he can. Satan, as well as Man, is responsible for the sin in the world.  He is one of the reasons we need to surrender to God.

Satan and the Need to Surrender to God

Satan wishes for us to spend all our time worshipping things that perish with time. All the while, Satan laughs at our efforts to rely on ourselves knowing for a time he is winning the battle. Satan has taken our focus off God with all his evil doings.

Satan knows and we also know possessions cannot be taken with us when we die.  Money, possessions, family, and friends are all left behind.  The world will continue to move on without us. Our time here on earth is very brief lasting on average a mere 70 years. Why do we waste time accumulating things that imprison us in debt? It wastes our limited time and resources on earth and causes us to lose our focus on family, friends, and most importantly God.  If we continue to live for the world, we ultimately risk our relationship with God.

Relationship with God Requires Surrender

God wants all of us.  Not just the good parts but the bad as well.  His love covers a multitude of sins.  We can never fix any of the bad parts without God.  The word is here to educate us as it is a living document. Proven to help us surrender to God to grow our relationship with us.  The Bible cuts to the heart of things.  “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 NIV. Surrendering to God is an act of faith, trust, and Hope. To learn more about how this works read Faith, Hope, and Trust.

God’s Plan For Our Best Interests

Apart from God, we can do nothing. Whether we want to believe it or not our destiny is death.  God’s plan for us is life in abundance.  ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10. God’s plan was always for us to live in eternity with Him.

Surrender to God Starts with the Help of the Holy Spirit

When we start to believe our trust begins to grow, we then begin to use our faith and confidently hope in our future. We believe that Jesus is God in the flesh. That He came down from heaven to be with us for a while.  Believe that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be a helper and to reside in us. In other words, to help our faith, hope, and trust You accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Now what? Our Hearts, mind, and souls now belong to God.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can now begin to live for God.  The Holy Spirit guides our path, helping us to navigate the day-to-day.  Convicting us to reject sin, comforting us when we fall, and lifting us time after time to walk joyously in the ways of the Lord. 

Surrendering to God all aspects of our life

The spirit was sent to be our helper in all aspects of our lives.  This type of help includes our relationships.  With the Helper, we can become a better spouse, parent, sibling, child to our parents, and our host of relatives. The spirit helps us to be there for our friends to support and encourage them.

What about in our jobs. Let the Spirit help you become a team player rather than an opportunist seeking glory above others.  Let’s turn the focus on working for the Lord. All that we do, say achieve should be to glorify God.  We should work towards putting our selfish ambitions aside, knowing God will always provide so we should concentrate on seeking his will for us. Let’s stake our focus off of money to obtain possessions.

Finally, about our money, are we storing it up selfishly thinking of our own needs instead of others. The Bible teaches us, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

The more we surrender the more we grow in our relationship with God

As we grow closer to God we are surrendering more and more of our life.  We are trusting, believing, and hoping.  This allows our faith to become stronger. This leads to immeasurable peace as we see Christ living in us and through us. Our reward for living a Christlike life will be found in heaven.

Galatians 2:20 sums up the goal of the Christian life: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Such a life of surrender is pleasing to God, results in the greatest human fulfillment, and will reap ultimate rewards in heaven (Luke 6:22-23).         

Surrender to God is to be Conquered by God

As illustrated in the Old Testament. Jacob lived by his strength.  He was arrogant in this strength as he used it to deceive his brother and to help him live through his time with Haran.  However, as he wrestles with God throughout the night his strength ultimately failed him. God in His infinite love conquered and defeated Jacob.  God conquered Jacob to save him. His true hope was in this defeat because to be conquered by God is to be loved by God. Therefore, affording him all the blessings from God.

“The degree of blessings enjoyed by any man will correspond exactly with the completeness of God’s victory over him.” 

A. W. Tozer

Jacob was worth God’s effort to conquer him and so are we.  Like Jacob, we can and only then cry out for our blessings from God. It is truly in our weakness that we are strong. Like Jacob God conquers us to save us for eternity.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Due to this encounter with God Jacob was changed forever.  Instead of relying on his strength, he humbled himself to rely solely on God. God moved him from self-trust to a God Trust. Therefore, through him was the birth of twelve tribes of Israel.  By being conquered by God he was able to realize God’s great power. Surrendering our weakness for God’s power is the ultimate goal for all Christians. It expresses God’s true glory and our bent towards self-destruction.  Allow God to save you.  Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in the God; believe also in me.” John 14:1 NIV

My Surrender To God

I too wrestle with God in my journey to know Jesus.  By allowing God to conquer my life I was able to forgive myself and others.  I was able to reconcile Jesus in my life and to surrender to the Holy Spirit. This enables me to accept the fullness of God’s great love for me.

Finally, it allowed me to surrender the final control over my life which was my six figured job.  I thought my identity and security were in my job but God proved me wrong. He has provided for me and my family through my husband.  I just had to surrender completely to His will and follow the journey that the Holy Spirit shared with me.  Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

How do we live our lives as a Surrender to God?

1. Seek God daily

2. Pray to God sharing thoughts, aspirations, and troubles

3. Turn over all your anxiety and fears to God

4. Ask for his help in living out his will for your life

5. Trust God

6. Love God by being thankful and through worship

7. Love your neighbor (Anyone other than yourself). Be kind, giving, and helpful.

Surrendering to God is an action we must work on daily because it is in our sinful nature to do things on our own.  We prefer to go our way, do things ourselves, and trust in our strength.  Here lies the crux of the problem.  We are weak and not in control of many aspects of our lives.  I liken it to going along blindly because we cannot see what tomorrow may bring.  However, our all-knowing God does.  By trusting and leaning on God is how we can live a life of surrender.

I pray that your focus will always be directed towards God first.  With every thought, decision, worry, fear, anxiety, and trouble we have we will seek God first.

Additional Reading:

Christians and The Bible

Finding Jesus and Reconciliation

Old Testament v.s. New Testament

Signs of Growth

Love, peace, and joy,

Sabrina