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Surrender Yourself: When we think of surrender, the first thing that comes to mind is often a person with their hands up in the air, or the waiving of a white flag. These are universally accepted images that says the battle is over and we give up. At this point we are subject to the will of whomever or whatever we are surrendering to.
Surrendering to God can present a different image because the reasons for the surrender are much different. It's an image of us bowing down before the King of all Kings, an image of us on 
our knees, with our hands out, palms facing heaven, saying, here I am Lord, I freely give this to you, please take this from me. It's a choice we choose to make. Not because we have to but because we want to. Surrendering to God can bring abundant blessing in your life and the life of others. Consider the following.
What is the biggest struggle (battle) you are having in your life right now? How would you like to get rid of all the worry that comes with that battle? As a believer in Jesus, we can take that issue and lay it at the foot of the cross. By giving this problem over to Jesus, we are asking God to take care of this for us.
Even more important, we are trusting God that since He is in control of all things, He will also control this as well. Trusting God to handle our worries and struggles in life, to lay those things down at the foot of the cross, has deep meaning. At this point we are surrendering. We are not just giving Him our problems but we are giving Him our lives as well. We are taking our hands off and asking Him to put His hands on. We are saying, Lord you know best, here is the issue, please handle this however you feel is best. Lord, REGARDLESS of its conclusion, even if it doesn't work out the way I think it should, help me to know and accept that you are in control of all things, that your ways are not my ways and that you know the plans you have for me. Then take that issue, ask Him to take control of it and freely hand it over to Him. Once you have laid that issue at the foot of the cross, enjoy His blessings!
Surrender Is The Pathway To Salvation:
That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). Before we can surrender our problems at the foot of the cross, we must believe in what the cross represents. We must surrender our idea that somehow we can work our way into heaven through a combination of good works and a lack of sin. We are wanting God to solve our problems but we first must have faith in who Jesus is and what He accomplished on the cross before we can leave our worries at the foot of the cross. so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).
Surrender Grows Our Faith:
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) As we surrender we are taking a blind step in faith. For we walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Surrender Provides Rest:
Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28). By surrendering to God, we can rest from the battle. No, the battle isn't over, it is just being fought a different way. On our knees through prayer. We can re-surrender every day and rest knowing God's in control. He knows what's best. Rest in that and be Blessed!...Rest in the Lord and wait patiently,,, (Psalm 37:7)
Surrender Provides Peace:
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27). We can now begin to rest knowing that we are no longer fighting our problems but the Lord is fighting them for us. Out of this rest grows peace. Not a peace because our problems are immediately solved. It's a peace that comes from knowing that if we have truly given it over to the Lord, it will be OK. Even if things don't work out from our perspective, a peace can still be found knowing we have tried to give it over to God...and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
Surrender Provides Strength:
The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusted and I was helped. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him (Psalm 28:7). Trying to fight our battles ourselves, without God, is a mistake. It's a sign of pride which works in the opposite direction of being humble. In the world, things are measured by our strength. From a strong handshake to a strong military and most things in-between, it seems like strength is often being sought after. Thankfully, God's ways are not our ways.
When we humble ourselves before the Lord, strength is gained through weakness. We get strength from the rest and peace that we are being blessed with. We are strong because the Lord is strong. God's strength is on display for us to see and for the world to see. Relying on God because of our weakness, strengthens our faith. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)
Surrender Provides Freedom:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1). We can all be overcome at one time or another with the problems that life can bring. They don't even have to be our issues. Surrendering our problems, worries, relationships, and ourselves should be a freeing experience. It should free our minds up. We should be replacing all of those worries with a growing faith that provides rest, peace, strength, and opportunity to serve the Lord with focus on Him and Him only.
It's really all about Jesus anyway so embrace the freedom that He offers and then do something with that freedom. Do something that brings Him honor and glory and try to remember to be thankful for that freedom in the process and watch how it grows. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36).
Surrender Provides Opportunity:
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:10). As we take our eyes off of ourselves, we are able to focus on others. How does God want to use us to be a blessing in the life of someone else today? I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name (Revelation 3:8).
Surrender Our Relationship With God And Others:
and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God. and it was reckoned to him as righteousness" and he was called the friend of God (James 2:23). We all have relationships with others. Coworkers, family members, friends, even strangers we meet throughout the day. It can be hard to see things from another's perspective. Above all those relationships, should be our relationship with God. It was because of faith (not works) that Abraham was viewed as righteous (Genesis 15:6).
Have faith that as we surrender our relationships/friendships we have with others, God will work in our lives. Have faith that when we share God's saving grace message with others that God will take that moment as use it for His glory. We might not see it right away or at all. Sometimes when sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, seeds are planted, or seeds are watered that someone else planted, or there is a harvest at that moment and someone surrenders their life over to Jesus. Surrender to God through faith that He is in control, and then let go and let God do the work. in everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12).
Surrender Of Self :
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me (Galatians 2:20). The surrender of our Old Selfs is why many believers find it helpful to re-surrender every day. Sometimes old habits have a way of creeping back into our lives or at least the temptations from them. We can be our own worst enemies in our spiritual walk by not embracing who we are once we put our faith in Jesus. God wants us to claim those promises and blessings. He is giving them to us and it can be very helpful to remind ourselves every day what the Promises of God are in Christ.
Surrender Of Our Bodies:
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1). Trying to surrender our bodies can be the biggest surrender of all. It includes the surrender of our mind to have faith and pray. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind... (Romans 12:2). It also includes the surrender of our eyes. I will not look with approval on anything that is vile (Psalm 101 V. 3). The surrender of our tongue to not gossip but instead encourage others and to use it to praise the Lord. The surrender of our heart and soul. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (Deu. 6:5) The surrender of our sexual urges. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body (1Cor. 6:18). The surrender of our hands and feet, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:19). We can even surrender our ears, what we listen to and don't listen to. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life...(John 5:24). The surrender of the body is an everyday ongoing issue.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Surrender Our Temptations:
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13). We are all tempted at one time or another. Tempted to embrace something that does not bring God honor and glory. Let us remember that Satan knows our weaknesses and the Lord never temps us (James 1:13). Knowing Gods word, is the weapon that Jesus himself used to push temptation away. That same weapon is available to all of us. We can surrender our temptations to the Lord and ask Him to give us Bible verses that we can use as weapons when the time comes.
“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Matthew 4:10
Surrender Our Fears:
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). As we go through our spiritual journey of surrender, we should ask ourselves what we are fearful of. For some, the list is bigger than others. We also need to ask ourselves if we are fearful of serving the Lord. Not because of fearing God Himself, but fearful of what others may think or say. Fearful of making a mistake. Everyday, each of us has an opportunity to serve the Lord. Whatever we do, we should do it as if we are working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23).
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4).
Surrender Our Pride:
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches... Jeremiah 9:23).
Pride and humility are opposites. When one grows, the other one shrinks. Depending on where we are at in our spiritual walk, pride could be an issue. Sometimes we don't even know it. Job titles, material items, accomplishments, can all lead to pride. We need to remember that whatever we think we have to be prideful for, we have because God allowed it to happen. We have done nothing on our own. The education we have came from the blessing of a good mind. The material items we have came from being blessed financially. Any talents we may have came from Him as well. So we cannot be prideful for what is easy to view as our abilities and accomplishments. They all originated from God. Each breath we take, let alone each day we live is a gift from God. We need to surrender our pride at the cross and replace it with being humble.
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you (Romans 12:3)
Messiahs Surrender To The Father
"And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." (John 8:29) Everything that Jesus did He did to please the Father not Himself. This is our ultimate example. This is what true worship and surrender is all about.
Even when Jesus knew His life was on the line, still He surrendered the outcome to the Fathers will.
"My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." (Matthew 26:42)
Our Fathers Surrender:
We can look back at some of the things that surrendering to God does. It grows our faith, provides rest, peace, strength and opportunity to serve Him. We can surrender our old selves, our bodies, our temptations, our fears. and our pride. We can look to Jesus to see His surrender to the Father. But at the top of list, the very top, we can look to our Father who is in heaven for the most perfect example of surrender.
You might think that God would never surrender to anyone at anytime. After all, why would He, He doesn't have to. His will is perfect and His Son Jesus, surrendered to the Fathers will. God is also love and out of that love, God was motivated to surrender. He surrendered His only Son, to die on the cross, for each of us. God did what He didn't have to so in Him, we can find the strength to surrender back. He led the way, now we need to follow.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:16-17).
Surrender image from: https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/i-surrender-all/
