By Andrew Williams
Good morning fellow disciples, in this series we will be answering questions that will help us to become faithful disciples of Christ.
As followers of Christ, we are called to a life of total surrender to God. The biblical command to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30) makes it clear that God demands our complete devotion. But if we’re honest, there are often areas of our lives where we still cling tightly to control, refusing to fully relinquish them to the Lord.
SO, WHAT ARE THOSE AREAS THAT NEED OUR SURRENDER?
Here are a few we would do well to consider:
Our Desires
One of the most common battlegrounds is our own desires and passions. We may say we love God, but in reality our hearts are often consumed by lesser loves – whether it’s the pursuit of wealth, the craving for status, or the indulgence of sinful pleasures. True surrender means placing God’s will above our own wants and submitting our deepest longings to His sovereign plan.
Our Relationships
Our relationships with others can also become idols that displace God’s rightful place in our lives. We may elevate the approval of family and friends above the approval of our heavenly Father. Or we may allow our love for a spouse or child to usurp the supreme love we owe to Christ. Surrendering our relationships means holding them with an open hand, allowing God to be the true source of our identity and joy.
Our Fears
If we’re honest, fear is another area where we often fail to fully surrender. We may cling tightly to control out of a dread of the unknown or a terror of loss and suffering. But God calls us to trust Him completely, to rest in the promise that “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). Surrendering our fears means acknowledging God’s sovereign power and resting in His perfect love.
Our Future
When it comes to the unknown path that lies ahead, we can be tempted to grasp for security and certainty. But God’s call is for us to surrender the future to Him, to live each day in humble dependence on His guidance and provision. True surrender means embracing the mystery of His will and trusting that His plans are always good.
Fellow disciples, the journey of surrender is rarely easy. It requires us to die to self, to let go of our own agendas, and to submit every area of our lives to God’s perfect rule. But in doing so, we will find the true freedom, purpose, and joy that can only come from a life fully yielded to our loving heavenly Father.
Prayer: Father God, we confess that there are many areas of our lives where we have failed to surrender fully to You. We have held tightly to our own desires, our relationships, our fears, and our futures, refusing to relinquish control. Forgive us for the idolatry of self that so easily entangles us.
By the power of Your Spirit, help us to die to ourselves and live entirely for You. Give us the courage to surrender our deepest longings, our most cherished loves, our greatest anxieties, and our uncertain tomorrows into Your sovereign hands. May our lives be marked by a radical trust in Your goodness and an unshakable confidence in Your perfect plan.
Lord, we want to love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We offer ourselves to You as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to You. Have Your way in us, Lord. May every area of our lives be fully yielded to Your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
