Surrender.
What comes to mind when you read the word “surrender”?
In a secular world, it could be a loss of control, a loss of freedom, perhaps even defeat.
But what about surrendering to God? It could mean a loss of control, a loss of freedom, or perhaps even defeat.
“Adonay” means “lord” or “master.” So if God is our Adonay, then he is our lord and our master. So if we are to surrender to him, then we allow him the control, we place our freedom in Christ, and we admit defeat to our own frailties.
I was reading a thought by Tony Evans this morning that said something along the lines of “too many have settled for Jehovah without experiencing the full power of Adonai.” You see, we want God. We want his blessings. We even want to be grouped into the title of churchgoer and faithful follower, but we don’t want the ‘surrender.’
But why? Because surrender is hard. To give someone else control to have their way with our lives is against all that is in us as humans. We want control, we want the decision-making ability, and we want the power. But is surrendering to God a bad thing?
Scripture tells us several times to surrender.
Surrender Your Body
Romans 12:1 “Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God’s compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to Him.”
Surrender Your Heart
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust Yahweh with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths smooth.”
Surrender Your Life
Galatians 2:20 “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live I live by believing in God’s Son, who loved me and took the punishment for my sins.”
So if we are called, as Christians, to this surrender, what does that look like? I don’t just mean the big stuff like criminal activities. I mean, what does a daily surrendering to God look like?
I think it should be a daily, even moment-by-moment, act of asking God if what we are doing is pleasing to Him. Is the show we are watching something that we would watch if God were sitting beside us, or the podcast we listen to, the book we are reading, or the music blaring on the radio as we drive around town? As the old saying goes, ‘junk in, junk out.’
I know when I have watched a show that has language in it, I find those words circling in my mind, and they have a tendency to be on my lips. So I try not to watch those shows. I watch a lot of Hallmark. The same plot gets a little old, but I don’t have to worry about muting the tv when the girls come in or turning the channel so that their eyes don’t see something they don’t need to.
Our society wants us to be immune to sin, so it is plastered on billboards, in sitcoms, movies, and even games our kids play. So much sin has become ‘normal’ that we don’t even consider it sin anymore. It just is what it is.
Maybe, if I choose to approach my daily life as an offering to God, if I ask God if what I am doing is bringing Him glory, will my life change?
How can I seek his blessing if I am not walking in obedience and in daily sacrifice with him? Is my life offering a pleasant aroma to him, or is it one that he would reject? I am searching my heart on this one. I want to be one that God knows, and I want to be one that surrenders to HIM so that He can have His way with my life.
Are my lips filled with gossip? I have seen way too many use their prayer list as a gossip board to gossip in the name of Jesus. Honey, gossip is gossip. If someone asks you to pray for them, the only one you need to mention their problem to is God. That’s it. (Sorry, I’m a recovering victim of this tactic.)
Is my act of service for the attention of others or to honor God because of his goodness?
Have I made room for God in my daily life? Is my calendar so packed that I can’t even give him 10 minutes of my day? (This is the toe-stepping-on process for me.)
Is my identity in Christ or the world? Am I the same person at church, work, home, and out with friends? Do people on the ball field know me as the loudmouth “Karen” and then the holy roller in Sunday school?
Maybe my social media posts are for clicks for self and not pointing to Christ. Is my focus on me and not God?
Allowing God to be my Adonay, my master, my lord, is allowing him to have control. Maybe that is why Moses protested at the burning bush. Maybe he was having a hard time releasing the control of what he thought his life should be like and allowing God to lead him down a path that would leave his name on the lips of generations to come.
It’s in surrendering that God brings forth his greatest blessings. It’s in obedience that faith is built and a relationship is formed.
Maybe we should start wearing WWJD bracelets again. Not because it’s a fad, but a reminder that Adonay calls for surrender of self and alignment with him.
Surrendering to Adonay is not a grand gesture, a one-time act. It’s in the daily conversations, quiet acts of obedience, and hidden motives of our day-to-day life.
How are you surrendering to Adonay today?
Have a great day with Jesus!
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