Originally published Thursday, 18 August 2016.
Can we talk surrender? I know that deep inside this culture it seems like a bad thing when the white flag is raised high, or the sweaty towel is thrown in the ring. Surrender is usually declared when it’s time to end a hard fought battle. It comes after we’ve trained hard, taken painful punches, and even thrown a few of our own. That is why surrendering hurts so much. It means a painful loss. However, in Christianity, it is impossible to be victorious without, first, surrendering everything to the living God. Every dream, every hope, every desire must be given freely into the hands of the Almighty. Surrender means humility, and humility translates to grace.
We all need grace.
There isn’t a person breathing that doesn’t need the beautiful gift of grace.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
-Ephesians 2:8
When our faith skyrockets, His grace falls, and when the two collide there is nothing impossible. All things are possible with God. (See Mark 10:27) And, friend, it takes faith to surrender. It takes faith to tell God that you want what He wants. It takes faith to be able to handle answers from Him such as, no, or not now. It takes faith to be willing to lay aside your own heart and feelings for the sake of the way someone else feels. It’s only through His pouring grace that our souls can welcome surrender.
Humility and surrender are key in our walk with God. We can’t move forward until we’re ready to surrender everything it is we’re carrying. We tend to hold tightly to what we think we want or need, and sometimes we even hold tight to justification of our feelings. All of these things only end up making our arms heavy and succeed in nothing other than holding us back.
Today, I want to encourage you to surrender to God now. When you feel a dream well up or a desire form, surrender it. Surrender your marriages, children, and friendships to whatever it is God wants to do inside them. Say yes to the call of surrender in moments when your flesh rises up and you want to prove you’re right. Ouch, I know.
When we surrender every part of us to God, then grace falls from God.
Before the battle begins, there is something we can do. We can surrender to the will of God, let our faith rise, and watch His grace flow down.
Love,
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