Wholehearted Surrender
All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him, daily in His presence live ... All to Thee most blessed Savior, I surrender all.
Sound familiar? Maybe you too were raised singing these words before living them out. That was me. I was raised in church, a pastor’s daughter, homeschooled, and learned all the Bible stories growing up. And although I said a sinner’s prayer when I was five, I only came to see my desperate need for God’s personal and full involvement in my life in my early teens. Leading up to that big “showdown” with Jesus, I’d been besieged with depression, bitterness, and debilitating fear. But what I feared most was surrendering to God — giving Him full control by losing my own “right” to myself.
Surrender was the scary leap I didn’t want to take, because in my mind, it only entailed loss, suffering, and “super strength” I didn’t possess in myself. I felt miserable and paralyzed ... until one unforgettable day when I finally came to the end of myself. I took that leap, repented of holding back from God what was rightfully His, and said, Yes, Lord. I don’t want to live this life alone anymore. Take my life and have Your way in me. Do whatever You want!
What met me on the other side of that leap of surrender was His supernatural peace, comfort, and joy. Life took on a whole new color. Hope abounded. And that’s when my life truly began.
Surrender. We hear that word all the time, but what is it exactly? What does it require of us, why do we we all tend to avoid it, and why is it necessary for a real, growing relationship with God? Read these scriptures and see for yourself.
“Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” — Mark 8:34-37
“Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” — Romans 12:1-2
Surrender is our acknowledgment that we are not our own and that we belong to the God who created us. We were never meant to be on the throne of our own lives, in control, and calling the shots.
Surrender is being a living sacrifice unto God, at His disposal, willing to obey. It’s welcoming in the very presence and ownership of the Holy Spirit. It’s finally giving God our ear. Surrender is losing our life to save it.
It’s understandable how words like “surrender” and “submission” rub people the wrong way. It did to me once. These actions completely go against our human nature, the opposite way and message of this world that screams: “Live your own life! Be your own person! Take control! Don’t answer to anyone!” But to deny yourself, to live for God, to give another your control? “Ridiculous! Horrible! Impossible!” they say. The desire for self-rule and to be our own little gods was there since the fall of Lucifer, and it’s the same today.
The enemy and the spirit of this world will tell you that a submitted, close walk with God is bondage. But I can confirm that when Jesus said His yoke is easy, and His burden is light, He spoke the truth.
A yoke is indeed a burden, but when you live in wholehearted surrender and in-step with the Holy Spirit, it isn’t bondage, but true freedom, true peace, true rest, and true glory.
When you take your hands off your life and place it in God's, His supernatural rest will come to you and He will then get to work in amazing, incredible ways because you've chosen to trust and obey Him. God never promised a life of surrender would be easy. Denying yourself, carrying your cross, and following Him above every other voice and temptation every day never is. Following God does come at a cost, but it’s worth it, just for the joy of loving and knowing Him and experiencing His love and care for you.
I encourage you to be someone who seeks the Lord with all your heart, to run hard after Him, to give 100% in your relationship with Him. Make Jesus your delight. Nothing else will give you that true lasting joy outside of a living, active, growing relationship with Jesus Christ.