It's Time To Surrender

Learning to surrender, to give up our will when our flesh is screaming no! That is very hard to do but is another part of our spiritual growth process that will draw you closer to God.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:13-18)

Jesus Christ learned obedience and we, through His Holy Spirit, can have this same will, mind, and attitude of obedience. It is our love and devotion to God, when that grows it becomes more important to please Him than to satisfy our own needs.

With His Holy Spirit within us, we do have the strength to surrender our will and obey Him, putting Him first, rather than our own wants. As we do and pass through the difficult trials of life we grow and our life becomes a blessing and a testimony to those around us. We are then able to help and encourage others because we have been through difficulties, surrendered to His will, and obeyed.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” (II Corinthians 1:3-7)

I Died Today

Lifeless in Your hands, You carry me.

I am dead to the world and to my flesh

that You may live free in me.

I have fought and wrestled against the struggles

in my heart, wanting all the pain to be free from me.

The answers to my pain You already knew.

There was only one thing that I needed to do.

Yet I struggled on, trying in my own way and

praying in desperation. The fight continued on;

my heart truly broken. I cry out, “Please God,

show me Your way!”

You knew the way and were patient with my stubborn

heart; fighting for its own way and failing to see it Yours.

Weary from the pain and the trials that wore me out;

I fall lifeless into Your hands. The path has broken my heart.

I finally died today. My will inside me gone.

It’s buried with my pain and in Your hands I lay.

My heart cries out, “I’m tired Lord, there’s no

more fight, my heart struggles no more.”

To my amazement, the peace I sought finally came.

When to my will I died, and I called to You and gave myself.

My heart will never be the same.

That was the way all along. For God is great and His way

is best. We must die to self and seek His grace;

in us let His glory be revealed that we may see His face.

He’ll wait patiently to hear us say, “Lord, not my will,

but Thy will be done.” His peace will come and you

will never be the same. When in your heart His

presence known, you will shine; His glory known

in Jesus name.

Surrendering to God’s will is humility and with it and obedience, comes God’s favor. Step by step

as you learn to surrender each part of your life, it does become easier to do and eventually, it

becomes a way of life. Your spirit truly will feel free and you will wonder why you didn't do it sooner. "Whom the Son sets free is free indeed."

(John 8:36)

“Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4)