Surrender

During today’s #RealTalkSeries on Zoom with Transparent For Christ: Men’s Group, we discussed the topic of “Surrender.”

Surrender: to cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority. A surrender may be accomplished peacefully or it may be the result of defeat in battle.

An analogy was shared of an officer telling a suspect to “freeze”, “drop your weapon”, and “put your hands up”. When the suspect puts their hands up in the air, it’s a sign of surrender, as the officer searches their possession for anything that needs to be removed and then places the subject under arrest.

The Bible teaches that when we were sinners, we were enemies of God. The lifestyle of sin we lived was in rebellion and opposition to God. However, once we became born again believers, we were called to repent, and surrender our lives to the Lordship and authority of Jesus so that we may have peace with God.

As it is written in Luke 9:23, “Whoever wants to be my [Jesus] disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Denying ourselves is a form of sacrifice/worship. Denying ourselves means to willingly surrender our ungodly desires and sinful passions in order to be conformed to the will of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2 AMP says, “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].”

As in the analogy with the officer and suspect, many of us shared some “weapons” or things in our possession that we needed to surrender to Jesus, including: our time, our anxious thoughts, our sexuality, our fears, our heart, our need for control, our eye gates, and more.

Hebrews 12:1 says, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…”

Surrender isn’t something that just happens once. It’s something that must happen daily–and it starts with a simple decision.

As we deny our flesh, take up our crosses daily, and allow ourselves to be “under arrest” of the Holy Spirit, we will mature from being a slave to sin to being a slave to God, bearing fruit unto righteousness.

Interact:

Post a worship song in the comments below that minister to you on the theme of “surrender.”