Surrender: Part 1—Why Should We Surrender?

man kneeling at the cross at sunset

Surrender and submission—these are not popular words. We all struggle with it. Why? Because we want to do things our way and in our timing. Yet as Christians we are called to do life God’s way.

Most of us know that God’s way is best. Many of us truly want to live for God, but it’s hard.

We need a new way of looking at submission and some motivation as to why we should surrender.

Surrender means to give up, or relinquish; to yield in favor of another; to give oneself up, as into the power of another.

In our case, we are yielding ourselves into the powerful hands of a good and loving Master—not a mean dictator or a bunch of rules and regulations. And we have a choice.

When we were physically born, we entered through the door that led into a sinful fallen world, one that is ruled by Satan. And like it or not, a sinful nature came with it; passed down to us through Adam and Eve (Rom 5:12); a nature that separates us from a holy God.

We didn’t choose to be born and enter into this fallen world, but we are here. And now we have a different door presented to us—one that leads us into a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6).

We enter this first door of surrender by accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior. We can choose whether or not to enter this door and be born again into a new eternal life with God.

Once we’ve entered into this new life, God will present other doors of surrender to us. These gateways lead to true joy, peace, fulfillment, and fruitfulness. And we choose whether or not to humble ourselves and enter in.

God’s way leads to abundance; our way leads to emptiness and misery. So think of surrendering to God as a gateway to God and all His blessings.

Surrender—it’s the key to everything worthwhile.

Bear in mind, this surrender is not a one-time event—it’s a way of life, one of continual submission and obedience. But sometimes it is so hard to obey. We need some incentives!

There are Great Rewards in Yielding to God

  • Fruit of the Spirit, including love, joy, and peace
  • Intimacy with God
  • Answered prayers
  • Effectiveness in ministry
  • Eternal fruit
  • More glory for God
  • Eternal rewards—I want to hear “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” How about you?

There are Great Consequences in Not Yielding to God

  • Loss of blessings in the here and now, and eternity
  • Unanswered prayers (Ps 66:18)
  • Anxiety, restlessness, joylessness, emptiness
  • A sense of heaviness because we are carrying all of our problems alone
  • Less awareness of God’s presence in our lives
  • Less confidence about our eternal home in heaven
  • A poor witness to the lost world

Our way simply doesn’t work! There is no door of self-accomplishment, self-actualization, or independence that leads to the life we want.

Jesus submitted all to the Father so that you and I could have a door that leads to eternal life in heaven with God and the abundant life here on earth (Jn 10:10).

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Phil 2:8)

So my friends, the next time you are deciding whether to raise that white flag or not, consider Jesus, the rewards and the consequences. Ask the Lord—He will help you take that step of obedience.

Next week: 7 Reasons Why We Don’t Surrender and 7 Ways to Change

Meanwhile listen to this awesome song by Hillsong- I Surrender 

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.