What does it mean to surrender? The simple meaning is to cease resistance and submit. I know those are fighting words or even fearful. But we’re not speaking about surrendering to enemy forces but to your Creator. No one understands or knows you better than the One who made you you. He loves you so much that He wouldn’t force His will or Himself on you, but asks for your willing surrender to His best for you.
He’s not asking you to simply be a participant in His plan for you, but that you trust His heart enough to yield everything to Him. Participating isn’t the same as surrendering. We can be present without surrendering. Just look around you the next time you’re in church. You’ll find many participants but few surrendered hearts. The “we can take it or leave it”participants, the “I don’t really want to be here” participants, the “it doesn’t take all that” participants, the bored out of their minds participants and then there’s the lost in the moment fully engaged, it’s just You and me Jesus, I don’t care who’s looking at me totally surrendered Jesus freak.
The church is filled with participants but God is on the lookout for surrendered vessels. Are you one of those? Let’s use scriptures to help identify our surrender and what it should look like, starting with the Word Himself. Jesus learned obedience by the things He suffered, the things He was willing to surrender to, in order that He would accomplish God’s mission on earth. This in no way implies that Jesus was disobedient, but that He laid aside His deity, responded like a human and became subject to the same requirements of obedience as those He came to save. He led by example. (Hebrews 5:8)
“I don’t speak on My own authority. The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. And I know His commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells Me to say.”
John 12:49-50 NLT
“Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent Me, and from finishing His work.”
John 4:34 NLT
“So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”
John 5:19 NLT
“He went on a little farther and bowed with His face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.”
Matthew 26:39 NLT
Jesus surrendered and submitted Himself to His Father’s will. That’s why God exalted Him. He didn’t just participate in the Father’s plan, He was the plan. He surrendered His life to fulfill it. And now He’s not asking us to participate but to join Him in our surrender to what He has purchased with His life’s blood. Full reconciliation, pardon and restoration of what Adam lost through disobedience. You see, if you’re just participating you may quit at anytime. But when you’re surrendered, there’s no quit in you.
Let’s take a look at what surrender looks like for us:
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.”
Romans 12:1 NLT
“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 NLT
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20
“As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.”
Galatians 6:14 NLT
“Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it.”
Luke 9:23-24 NLT
“A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple.”
Luke 14:25-27 NLT
Surrender is a beautiful word and an act of our will. But we must know the One to whom we are surrendering our will. It’s amazing how willingly we give of ourselves to complete strangers, yet balk at the thought of surrendering to Jesus. He’s the only One with a proven track record of faithfulness, completely trustworthy. I’ll never recommend that you try Him. He’s not the flavor of the day. He’s Holy God, He’s all knowingly awesome and truly amazing. You experience Him. But only by surrendering do you get to know Him. Jesus offered this warning, about true surrender. Continuing with the last scripture I just referenced.
“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.”
Luke 14:28-33 NLT
Count the cost. They say of marriage that it must not be entered into lightly or unadvisedly. This is a greater marriage. God takes no pleasure in us merely participating. He said this:
“He said to another person, “Come, follow Me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:59-62 NLT
This is a serious question that only you can answer before God. Have you surrendered or are you a participant? Today is the day to make up your minds to go all in for Jesus. He went all in for you.
Father in the Name of Jesus
I no longer want to participate but surrender to Your will and plans for me. Help me by Your Spirit to know the difference. I have counted the cost and there’s no One but You for me. Without You I am nothing! You are all I need and I receive all You have in store for me in Jesus Name. Amen
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
Comments