Modern Americans do not like words like “give up,” “meld together,” surrender, submit, concede, etc. These have the connotation of defeat, losing control, setbacks, etc. Once we come to faith in Christ, however, our mindset changes. We see the value in fully surrendering to Christ and following His precepts for our life.
Jesus tells us in His Word to die to our self-life daily, to trust in Him with our whole heart, and to totally surrender to God’s plans for our life. This is a struggle for many in the beginning, but as we see the benefits which we reap from following this advice, we eagerly lay down our dreams and goals and adopt His will for us in their place.
We learn that Jesus already won the battle that rages within our soul. I read where one lady proudly mentioned, “I am too good to be bad, and too bad to be good.” This is our human problem in a nutshell. We want everything to play out by our own plans, and we abhor the idea of someone else dictating our life to us – even God.
If we can ever cross that false line from self-confidence to embracing God’s perfect plans for us, a whole new world opens up for us. We regret the years we wasted in our own pursuits, and we fully embrace this new way of living. We have less anxiety and stress as well as fewer conflicts within our own soul. We live in peace and joy that cannot be expressed in human terms (1 Peter 1:7-9).
The concept of surrender is encouraged throughout the Bible. We submit to God by faith in His faithfulness to us. This gives us hope that we could never receive by living for our self. We relinquish control of our life to Him, because we realize that He has our best interest in His heart (Jeremiah 29:11).
God’s Word is full of examples and advice that provide us with the keys to a contented life. It triumphantly proclaims that we were crucified with Jesus; yet now we also live in Him. We no longer struggle to live and make plans, because Christ abides within us by His Spirit (Galatians 2:20).
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for teaching us that when we yield our old carnal nature to You, the power of sin and Satan over us is obliterated. We are no longer under their bondage, influence, or limitations (Romans 6;6). We do not lose the good parts of our identity or personality, but God’s Spirit exchanges our negative traits with His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). We are so grateful to You for setting us free from the domination of sin over us, as well as our negative thoughts and emotions.
Remind us that we mistakenly thought that it was best if we were in control of our life. Yet, when we surrendered to You, we finally realize that You have a much better plan for us than we could ever imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9). Thank You for reminding us that we are not the savior of the world. Jesus already accomplished that feat on Calvary’s cross (John 3:16-17). You sent Him to die, and to rise again to help us to walk in newness of life (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Thoughts for the Day:
Jesus loves us, and He surrendered to death on the cross for our sake. The least we can do is to surrender to Him. The closer we walk in God’s will, the more holiness and spirituality we exhibit and enjoy.
God’s Spirit exchanges His fruit for our negative traits, and we come to like and love our self with abandoned freedom that comes from submitting to God’s plans for us. He replaces:
· hatred with love,
· depression with true joy,
· discontentment with peace,
· irritation with patience,
· criticism with gentleness,
· backbiting with goodness,
· pride with meekness,
· excess with self-control,
· worry with the faith of God.
