“No! You can’t make me!” the child cried.
It’s true. God won’t make us surrender. He made us with a free will. However, our way simply doesn’t work. God knows that His way is best, and He doesn’t want us to miss out on all the great rewards or suffer the consequences of a disobedient life (see last blog and Deut 28).
Be assured God will work in your life to help you see that His way is the best. (Perhaps God will use this blog to help you do just that! :))
So why don’t we surrender and walk through the door that leads to the abundant life Jesus promised?
1. We simply don’t want to submit!
We’re stubborn and prideful. We don’t like giving up control. We want to be the ones in charge. “It’s my life, isn’t it?” Not if you’re saved and bought with the precious blood of Christ!
2. We’re afraid of what God might ask us to do
That it’ll be something we don’t want to do or think we can do.
3. We’re in bondage to some sinful habit, and Satan is working hard to keep us there
4. We don’t trust God
We don’t believe His way is the best; we think we can do a better job than God.
5. It’s just too hard or don’t know how
Perhaps you tried before and failed.
6. We are unaware of the rewards awaiting us
7. We are unaware of what’s at stake
So how can we change and become more willing?
1. Know the One to whom you are surrendering
This is the biggest key in submitting to God. You are yielding to a good, powerful, loving, and all-wise God—not to a bunch of rules and regulations or to a mean selfish God.
2. Accept your position in relation to God
God is sovereign (i.e. in control) already! He is the Creator and Author of all things. Not you. God is worthy of your submission.
3. Choose to by an act of your will
Just do it! Do it to demonstrate sacrificial love to your Savior. In light of all that He has done for you it is a “rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship” (Rom 12:1 AMP).
4. Step out in faith
“Once I came to that point of surrender, God began to ignite faith in my heart–faith that He would enable me to do whatever He called me to do, in spite of my personal limitations and inadequacies.”1
5. Pray and ask God to help you
Ask God to change your heart.
Years ago when I became my mom’s caregiver I saw a time coming where she would need full-time care and I was afraid that would be me. But oh, I was not willing! And I hoped God would never ask me to do such a sacrificial thing!
Then I heard on Christian radio that in times like these we should pray, “Lord, make me willing to be willing.” So I prayed and it worked!
When the time came to take my mom in to live with us, I was willing. I was able to surrender to God’s will because He had changed my heart to align with His.
6. Plug into a support system
We need other believers to keep our commitment to the Lord when discouraged.
7. Abide in Christ, the Vine
If you stay connected to your life Source, you will have everything you need to live a godly life, which certainly includes living a yielded one. (2 Pet 1:3)
Until next time, my friends, as you work toward surrendering your will to your faithful Lord, you will see
It really is the better best choice!
…Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 12:2)
P.S. Learn how to actually abide in Christ, the Vine from a plant’s point of view in my 2-time award-winning book, The Master’s Garden: An Allegory of Abiding in the Vine!
Read the first 3 chapters for FREE!
Helpful Resources
Surrender Part 1: Why Should We Surrender?
Submission: A BEAUTIFUL Word
My Favorite Word Picture for Submission
1 DeMoss, Brokenness, Surrender, Holiness p 234
Except where indicated, Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture marked AMP is taken from Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.