Surrender! The first impression of the word surrender tends to be negative. Surrender is usually associated with weakness. However, surrender actually takes a great deal of strength. Only when you surrender your life daily to Jesus do you find life. Jesus said, “Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35 LB).

Not Your Will –

You can be heading in a direction that seems right, yet be on a path that is leading to a place you don’t want to be. Your motives and heart can be right, but if you’re not following the will of God for your life you’re not going to experience the fullness of life that God has for you. It is important to be surrendered to what God wants you to do and where He wants you to go. Not your will, but God’s will!

Personal Testimony of Surrender

In the mid 1980’s I was praying for clear direction from the Lord concerning going into the ministry full time. At that time I owned my own business, we lived in our home town, both my parents and my wife’s parents lived in the same town, our children loved the school they were in, both sets of grandparents lived just a block away. Everything was perfect. Life was good. We were happy. But… I had this gnawing on the inside that just wouldn’t go away.

Finally one day I said, “God why do you keep bugging me?” It was then I realized I wasn’t fully surrendered to God. I kept arguing with God and trying to make a deal with Him.  The focus was wanting “my will” to be done.  Finally I surrendered and said yes to His will for my life.

Over the next few weeks as I shared what I believed God was calling us to I received mixed responses. Not everyone was excited or understood why or what I was about to do. We were going to move hundreds of miles away. No apparent means of income. We were taking the grandchildren far away from their grandparents. We had to sell our house. Sell the business. Nothing made sense in the natural. It came down to making the choice – “not my will, but His will be done”. It meant surrendering.

Jesus – Supreme Example of Surrender

The supreme example of surrender to the will of God is Jesus. The night before his crucifixion Jesus surrendered himself to God’s plan. He prayed, “Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine” (Mark 14:36 NLT).
Jesus surrendered himself to God’s will.

Surrender is Not Easy

Surrender is not easy. Jesus agonized over God’s plan so much that he sweated drops of blood. He did not want to go through the rejection and pain He was about to endure. However, Jesus ended His prayer with, “… not as I will, but as You will.”

Surrender Brings Life and Blessing to Others

Refusing to surrender leads us astray and away from God’s perfect will and plan. When we surrender it not only brings victory into our life, but it has a significant impact on the kingdom of God. Jesus’ obedience and surrender brought salvation to you and me and all the world.

My decision to surrender to the will of God wasn’t easy. It required hard work and faith. However, it brought great satisfaction and victory for our family and allowed us to be part of things we never imagined – helping build the kingdom of God. All the glory goes to Him. It is only accomplished by His grace and Holy Spirit.

Surrender is a Choice

You may be in a situation of weighing God’s will for your life and you know in your heart what to do, but your mind and others are fighting you. Make the choice to – Surrender to God. NOT YOUR WILL, BUT HIS WILL BE DONE! When you surrender your will to God’s will not only will you find life, but others will be blessed because of your surrender and obedience to God.

5 Benefits of Surrender

Surrender is not just a one time experience. Every day we must choose to surrender to His will for our life. When you do –

1) you grow closer to Him. Psalm 37:28 – “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works.

2) you hear His voice more clearly. John 10:3-4 – “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

3) you are led by His Spirit. Romans 8:14

– “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are Sons of God.”

4) you walk in His authority over evil. Luke 10:17-­19 – “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord,even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’ And He said to them,‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.’

5) He enlarges your vision. Ephesians 3:14-19 – “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Choose to surrender your life and find life!