Learn to Surrender

We all have a different idea of what the word surrender means.  I get that because for me it depends on what I am trying to surrender.  When I looked up the definition online here is what it said: “cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority”.  I feel like this definition works the best for my discussion with you today. 

When is the last time you fully Surrendered something to God?  Did you cease resistance? Submit to God’s authority? Did you fully give the situation to God?  

The concept of completely surrendering to God or completely surrendering a circumstance to God was hard for me to grasp. I was able to grasp it, I just did not like what it meant.  The truth is that in order to Surrender All you have to Trust All.  It also means that if you are going to Lay it Down you must Relinquish Control of it. That concept was frightening to me! I was independent, fierce, liked controlling the situation, and I had major trust issues. 

When I tell you that I had trust issues, I am not kidding.  I trusted no one, including God.  You may be shocked to hear that but many of you are having the same issue whether you want to admit it or not.  We will get into that here in a few minutes, but for now I want to give you the four steps that helped me to surrender it all.

    4 Requirements for Surrendering

1.      Be willing & open.

2.      Be Expectant & wait on the Lord.

3.      Give Thanksgiving

4.      Lay It Down & Let it go

Proverbs 3: 5-6 NIV  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

2 Corinthians 3:16-17  NIV “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

The first thing you need to know is that God can only intervene into a situation if you are willing to receive the help.  Your heart must be open, and you must be willing to receive what God is offering.  I know some of you are asking why God would require you to be willing to receive. My answer is because he gave you freedom of choice.  God has never forced himself on you and he never will.  Following God is not a dictatorship, it is a choice. You get to decide if you are going to follow HIM or not.

Just think about this for a moment: The courier for Fed Ex Shows up at your door with a package for delivery.  You have to be willing to receive it, they can’t deliver your package if you’re not willing to receive it. Sure, they can leave the package on the porch, but if you don’t open it then you will never be able to access what’s on the inside. The same goes with God, you must open the package (your heart) to access what is inside.

Once your heart is open and you are willing to receive you will need to be expectant and wait on the Lord. Our idea of time and God’s idea of time is often very different.  By the time we ask God to help us, we have likely already lost our patience.  

Psalm 27:14 KJV  “Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

Psalm 5:3 NIV “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”

The Lord did not forget you!  Let HIM work in HIS time.  Do not get frustrated and give up thinking that God doesn’t care or that he forgot you.  It is impossible for someone who knows every hair on your head to forget his promises to you!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

God wants us to be thankful for what we have, but we should be thanking HIM for all the things we want to.  When life feels like life is falling apart, try something new. Thank God for the things you know HE is doing.  The bible does tell us that God wants to prosper us.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Psalm 55:22 ""Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."

The last step seems to be the one that people have the most trouble with.  You must lay it down at the foot of the cross & you must leave it there. I tend to get impatient and try to pick things back up when I feel like it is taking too long.  God can not fix it if you lay it don then take it back.  Try giving it to God.  I mean really give it to God and leave it there with HIM.

Proverbs 3:5 NIV  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”

I truly hope this helps you in deciding to surrender it all to the Lord.

With Love,

Abby Clark