Surrender

The Power of Surrendering:
There's an overwhelming amount of tension at the heart of Christian faith that many of us struggle acknowledge and embrace: understanding true authority comes only through complete surrender. We want the power, the blessings, the favor—but we resist the very thing that unlocks them all.
Craving Authority
We love talking about our authority in Christ. We claim the promises, declare the blessings, and stand firm on what Scripture says belongs to us as children of God. And rightly so—these truths are foundational to our faith. But there's a critical piece we often overlook in our pursuit of spiritual authority. In Matthew 8, a Roman centurion approaches Jesus with a request. His servant is paralyzed and suffering, and he asks Jesus to heal him. But what happens next is remarkable. When Jesus offers to come to his home, the centurion responds with words that amaze even Christ: "Lord, I'm not worthy to have you into my home. Just say the word from where you are and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of superior officers and I have authority over my soldiers."
This military man understood something profound: his authority over others was directly connected to his submission to those above him. He could command because he knew how to obey. Jesus marveled at this, saying He hadn't seen such faith in all of Israel.
The lesson? Our relationship with authority is in direct relationship with our submission to God.
Struggling with Submission
In our modern culture—both inside and outside the church—submission has become a dirty word. We've been taught to assert ourselves, to stand our ground, to refuse to let anyone tell us what to do. "You're not the boss of me" isn't just a child's defiant cry; it's become the anthem of our age.
But this resistance to authority creates a fundamental problem in our spiritual lives. We want unlimited access to God's blessings—unlimited "swipes" on the divine credit card—but we bristle when He requires something of us. We want Jesus the healer, Jesus the provider, Jesus the deliverer. But Jesus the master? That's where we draw the line and start negotiating. The truth is, everyone is serving someone or something. The only question is whether we're serving God or simply serving our own will.
What God Really Wants
Psalm 51 gives us a window into the heart of repentance and surrender. After David's sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, the prophet Nathan confronts him. David's response becomes one of the most powerful prayers in Scripture:
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence. Don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you." Then comes the crucial revelation in verse 17: "The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." God doesn't want our burnt offerings or religious performances. He wants something far more valuable: a spirit that is submitted to Him, a will that has been broken and remade in alignment with His own will.
The Broken Spirit
When we hear the word "broken," we often think of defeat, of being crushed into uselessness. But that's not what Scripture means. Think of a wild horse that's been "broken"—it hasn't been destroyed; it's been trained to respond to its master's direction. It's still powerful, still capable, but now that power is channeled and controlled.
A broken spirit in the biblical sense means a will that has been surrendered to God's authority. It's the difference between an unruly dog that destroys everything in the house and a trained companion that waits obediently at the door. Both have the same energy and capability, but one has learned submission.
This is what God desires from us—not that we become powerless, but that we become yielded. Not that we lose our strength, but that we direct it according to His will rather than our own.
The Pattern of Christ
Jesus Himself modeled this surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane. Three times the Gospels record His prayer: "Father, if you're willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."
Let that sink in. This is God in the flesh, the Son of the Most High, still submitting to the Father's will. If Jesus—who had every right to assert His own desires—chose surrender, how much more should we? The problem is we've convinced ourselves that we can live our lives, make our plans, and pursue our ambitions without really consulting the Father. We treat God like a cosmic vending machine: insert prayer, receive blessing. But that's not relationship. That's not surrender.
Will We Answer The Question
Here's the uncomfortable truth and the tension we all need to face: What areas of our lives are we refusing to surrender to God? Where are we standing "ten toes down," declaring that we're not giving up control? Is it our finances? Our relationships? Our careers? Our habits? Our time? Our plans for the future? We all have areas in our life have we yet to truly tap out, where we'd rather risk getting something broken in our lives than simply surrender to God's will. We hold on with white knuckles to our personal desires, our personal ambitions, our personal wills—because they're more valuable to us than obedience to God and His will for us. But here's what we miss: the sacrifice God desires is a broken spirit. He won't reject a heart that comes to Him in complete surrender.
What Now?
The journey toward surrender begins with honesty. We can't repent of what we won't acknowledge. We can't surrender what we won't admit we're holding.
So, let’s identify one area where you've been unwilling to give God complete control. Maybe it's something you've been negotiating with Him about, making excuses, or simply ignoring His clear direction. Whatever it is, bring it before Him with an honest heart.
Remember: God doesn't want your religious performance or your promises to do better. He wants your broken spirit—your willingness to say, "Not my will, but Yours be done."
True freedom doesn't come from asserting our independence. It comes from surrendering to the One who created us, redeemed us, and knows what's best for us. When we finally stop fighting for our own way and submit to His, we discover that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. The question isn't whether we'll surrender. Eventually, every knee will bow. The question is whether we'll surrender now, willingly, and walk in the authority and blessing that comes from complete submission to God—or whether we'll continue to fight for our own will until something breaks.
What will you choose?