So how do we make that choice? The answer is in one word. That's right, just one word. One word that will set the entire tone of our lives. One word that has the potential to re-define who we are. It probably is not the word you are expecting. It's a word that goes against the natural grain of our thinking, a word that at first glance does not seem to fit at all with the idea of being a victorious Christian.
The word is surrender. Yes, surrender, as in relinquishing control and giving up. Sounds strangely like a word of defeat. After all, in a physical battle, surrendering is not seen as a good thing. It means the enemy has won. We see surrender as someone standing, arms up, admitting defeat and giving up the fight. So this must not be what I mean by surrender? Actually it is! The difference however lies in what, or more accurately who, we are choosing to surrender to. Do we surrender to the enemy and call it quits? No way! Never! Instead, we surrender to the God who can fight for us far better than we could ever fight for ourselves. We need to relinquish control, which really wasn't ours to begin with, and surrender to God's perfect control. We need to give up our way of doing things that lands us flat on our face time and time again. In the words of Paul - "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." (Galatians 2:20) Our lives should reflect the fact that the Spirit indwells us.
What does it look like to live in full surrender? To be honest, I'm still figuring that out! But I think it begins by loving God more than anything else, by recognizing what He did for us and by living out of that. When we truly love God, surrender becomes more and more natural in our lives. Our desire to please Him starts to supersede our desire to please ourselves. When we understand just what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we live in the truth that sin has been defeated. The obligation to surrender to sin no longer exists in our lives. Instead we have the power to live a life of obedience and freedom.
Surrender in the life of a Christian is a beautiful thing. It shows off the power of Christ and brings the essence of His Kingdom to earth. While the world may view surrender as weakness, for the child of God surrender is power! So may we live in full surrender to the One who offers us an abundant life that we could never attain on our own!
