Matthew 16:24-27 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”
Surrender: to yield something to the possession or power of another; deliver up possession of on demand or under duress. to give oneself up to some influence, course, emotion, etc.
“God doesn’t look at what you give, but what you keep because what you keep is what you put your trust in”. -Deon Vanstaden
Yes, I have surrendered many physical things: power, hot water, non-instant coffee, choice of food, constant and free wifi, free transportation, my own bedroom, my comfortable mattress, my abundance of clothes, my family, my boyfriend, my friends. The first week without these physical amenities was difficult, but it was easy for me to adjust (thanks to God).
The most difficult things to surrender were/are emotional. I quickly realized the need to surrender my expectations, something I had never though of as under my possession that I needed to deny. I must surrender my sense of identity and fully identify myself in who He says I am. I need to surrender the entitlement that I’m quickly realizing I have an abundance of and allow the Lord to show me what I actually need and deserve, which has/is/will always be Him and His will. There is so much more in me that He is showing me to surrender. There are so many areas in my life that I want to hold on to and put my trust in, instead of allowing the Lord to beautifully take control and do what’s best.
I am NOTHING without Christ. My life is worth NOTHING without Christ. My ministering means NOTHING without Christ. I desire to find my life in Christ, to be completely fulfilled by Him. The Lord FREELY gave salvation, the least I can do is take full advantage of His gift and act like I’m saved in the way that I give Him authority over my life. There is no fear in surrendering to the Lord, I can never lose by giving Him control.
Romans 8:6
“If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace”.
Hebrews 12:11
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it”.
I thought that I had surrendered so much to the Lord. I thought that He had grown and stretched me mightily this past year, which He has. I thought that I had learned to identify myself in Him. As much as these things have been true, I haven’t fully stepped out in them. Daily, I need to allow the Spirit to rule my mind. Daily, I need to surrender all these things to the Lord. Daily, I must take up my cross and follow Him.
