The Victorious Life of Surrender

Surrender: to give up oneself to the power of another; to yield to the power, control, or possession of another; the action of yielding (Webster’s Dictionary). Does this seem horrible to you? Yet, this is what the Lord asks us to do, surrender to Him.

Romans 12:1 describes surrender this way: “Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him” (The Message). In other words, give everything you have to the Lord; trust Him with your life. This type of surrendered relationship highlights an understanding that God must be the most important part of your life, your vital necessity. Paul concluded in Philippians 3 that nothing was more important than his surrendered life to Christ. He states that he once thought worldly things were most important. Paul confirms, “Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant – dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him” (verse 3:8; The Message). Paul considered everything else inferior.

Confirming that he was well on his way to reaching out to Christ who had wondrously reached out to him (Philippians 3:12 The Message), Paul inspires us with additional wisdom regarding a surrendered relationship with the Lord.

• Keep your eye on the goal, which is Jesus, Paul encourages (Philippians 3:13,14). “Don’t you want everything God has for you?” Paul questions (Philippians 3:15).

• “Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean revel in Him!” (Philippians 4:4 The Message)

• “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying pray… Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:6,7 The Message).

• Keep your mind focused on the Word of God, so you know His truth instead of limiting yourself to worldly thinking. Believe in the integrity of the Word (Philippians 4:8).

• You can do everything by the strength of Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:14).

Even Jesus surrendered His life. He stripped Himself of all privileges He had as the Son of God, humbling Himself to come to earth as a human being, as a servant (Philippians 2:6,7). He gave control of His life to the Father. The result of giving control was that the Father performed miracles and deeds of power through Jesus as He gave Him full access to His life, unguarded and holding nothing back. The same is true for us as children of God; we share Jesus’ inheritance (Romans 8:16).

Therefore, we learn that a surrendered life requires the following:

• We are humble.

• We trust by faith and not by sight.

We can also learn from Mary what it means to surrender. After she heard the Word of God spoken to her by the angel Gabriel, she confirmed, “Let it be done to me according to Your Word” (Luke 1:38). She trusted the integrity of God’s Word to her; she believed; she was humble; she surrendered!

The benefit of surrender is that we are blessed and will see the fulfillment of what the Lord has promised us (Luke 1:45). That is what happened to Mary. Surrender means you are doing life together with Jesus (Ephesians 2:5). It means that He is doing a work in you, helping you to live a surrendered life (Philippians 2:13). Surrender causes you to be open before God, holding nothing back, casting your cares upon Him, confident that He will do what needs to be done (Psalm 37:4 The Message).

Being surrendered also means resting, and waiting upon the Lord. You are not resting and waiting for Him to do something. 2 Peter 1:3 says that He has already provided everything we need for life and godliness. The work of the cross is finished (John 19:30)! As we come to know Him, we know His provision by His promises. As we gain knowledge of Him, surrendered, trusting, and confident, we rest and wait in expectation as we grow in understanding and intimacy with Him. As we rest and wait upon Him, He gives power to us who are weak, and He increases our strength (Isaiah 40:29).

A surrendered life lived together with Jesus causes us to be fruitful. His life through us glorifies Him, as you experience His life and others witness it.

In summary:

• A surrendered life is a life of peace and rest.

• A surrendered life lives by God’s strength.

• A surrendered life is dependent upon the Lord.

• A surrendered life is in expectation of His promises coming to pass as we believe.

• A surrendered life comes boldly into the throne room of grace, pouring out our hearts.

• A surrendered life is steadfast upon the Lord no matter the circumstances or trials.

• A surrendered life knows that God is their Source!

• A surrendered life boasts in the Lord.

• A surrendered life clings to the power, and the authority of the Word of God as a strong foundation.

• A surrendered life displays the life of God within, a life lived by the power of the Holy Spirit.

• A surrendered life knows the position of battle is worship.

• A surrendered life is lived in awe, giving honor and praise to Almighty God.