Called To Surrender

 Luke 9:23-24

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

The idea of surrender in today’s world is a sign of weakness.  People have a tendency to confuse giving up and surrendering.  While they are similar, they can be very different based on the attitude.  Giving up is a mind frame of pity.  Surrender is a mind frame that you can no longer accomplish something in your own power.  When a general surrenders his army, he gives away freedom, rights, and everything he has not because he or she is giving up on life altogether, but they realize they can no longer accomplish the goal in their own power.

This is the reality that every Christian must come to.  We cannot accomplish anything in our own power.  We’ve tried to do it on our own and we have utterly failed.  Is that weakness?  Some look at it that way but to the eyes of the Christian, it is strength for it’s in our weaknesses that we see the power of God.

2 Corinthians 12:9

9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God calls us to surrender to Him, not as an act of weakness in ourselves, but as an act of obedience, and an act of openness so that He will bless us.

If we are honest with ourselves, we are tired.  Even if we think that we are making it on our own, when we look at our life sometimes it feels like we are running around in circles.  The burdens of this life can be overbearing.  The world tells us to “suck it up” and to push ahead.  The world tells us that is the only one for success.  While God always wants us to persevere and to always try our best, God wants us to rely on Him.  The problem with the world today is the mentality that you have to do everything on your own power to be successful.  Christian, that is the way to failure.  I know, because that is how I lived the majority of my life.  Even in my ministry for a long period of time I relied on my own power and what I thought was right.  I thought if I was going to be successful that I needed to put all my strength in it on my own.  I became so single minded that I wore myself out and became an open target for the enemy.  

One good way for you to know that there is a time that you just need to surrender to God and make sure you turn everything over to him is when you HALT!  When you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.  It’s at those times that you become an open target for the enemy.  Remember the words of Matthew 11:28-30.

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am ]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

It’s a scary thing to surrender everything to God.  We don’t know what He may have us surrender.  We have to remember that He is a loving God though.  I think most Christians are afraid to surrender because for some reason they think God is going to take away something that means the world to them.  God is not going to take your family away.  God is not going to take your health away.  God may put you in a hard situation but again, He has promised that He will not give you more than He knows you can bear.  Remember what Jesus told us in Luke 11:

11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

God always wants the best for us.  He cares for us and loves us.  Surrender is not a scary thing for a Christian, but a comforting thing.  We can finally have rest in God.  So, what are you holding onto today?  Have you came to God and just said, God, I surrender all.  Remember the words of the hymn,

“All to Jesus, I surrender.  All to Him, I freely give…”

You freely give.  When we fully surrender to God, we do not hesitate.  We freely give to Him not only our burdens, but everything in our life.  We say, “God, I am fully yours.  Do in my life as only you would do.  I surrender all.”

When we fully surrender to God, He will do amazing and awesome things in our life.

In closing, I want you to think on two things.  First, sometime this week, read Matthew 26.  It gives the account of Jesus’ life right before His crucifixion.  Look at the heart of surrender that our Savior had when it came to His death on the cross.  He echoed the words to His Father, “not my will, but yours be done.”  Those are the same words we should echo when we fully surrender to God.  We should ask Him to take our will out of the picture and replace it with only His own.  We are strong when we are weak and fully surrender to God.  Remember this verse this week and let it strengthen you in the days ahead.

1 Peter 5:6-10

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.