Desperate for Surrender

Surrender

An overused and greatly misunderstood word in today’s church. Do not get me wrong, surrendering to God is what we are purposed to do. The problem is that in today’s church, we speak a lot about surrendering to God, but bear no fruit of it. When we surrender ourselves over to Him, we should look more like Him. There are 9 specific fruits called out by Paul in the New Testament, but there is so much more to God than that. Yes, we should have His love, peace, joy, gentleness, kindness, self-control, humility, faithfulness, and patience, but Oh, how much more there is to God! Do we bear fruit of His mercy, compassion, holiness, righteousness, wisdom, strength, stability, forgiveness……..?

I come not to beat you down, but to build you up my friend. I come broken just as you, struggling just as you. I come imperfect and lacking just as you. It is in His revelation that I speak. This word is for me just as much as it is for you.

So given the revelation, here’s the quandary.

How?

How do I completely surrender ALL of myself to God?

I struggle in that. Many of us struggle in that.

I believe the struggle comes mostly from two areas: (1) not understanding who we are, who God is, and who we are in Him and (2) not walking in that knowledge once we receive it.  

All of the answers to these questions can be found in the Holy Bible, but do we take the time to read the word and ask God for understanding so that we can apply it to our lives?

Knowledge is just the beginning. Once knowledge comes, then action follows.

But many people do not seek the true knowledge of God (that is direct revelation from God – choosing instead to live off of secondhand knowing) and for those that do seek the knowledge, many do not walk it out (act in faith to follow the LORD no matter what).

This is what is called faith without works. You have knowledge of God and have faith in that you believe He is who He says He is, only you sit on that knowledge, never displaying it to the world that others may have the revelation of the LORD.

The scriptures tell us in James 2:18-26

 “¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. ²⁵ Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? ²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

Here is where God’s amazing grace comes in. He knows that we cannot act in faith without His help. He has given us access to all of Him through His son Jesus and He has given us help by His Holy Spirit. But it is His grace (blessing where blessing was not merited – unearned favor in light of our lacking) that covers us in these moments of “I can’t do this by myself.”

You see, I can’t fully surrender to God without His help. No one can. Because to fully surrender to Him requires that I know who I am, who He is, and who I am in Him. This knowledge only comes through relationship with God and with help by His Spirit.

One driving force that sets us in the path of intimate relationship with God and the need for His help is our desperation. The greatest showings of God are in man’s moments of desperation. The most beautiful displays of man’s surrender to the LORD were in their moments of complete and total despair. Read the Old and New Testaments. Just a few favorites: Abraham was desperate for a child with his wife Sarah. Hagar was in despair at being Sarah’s handmaid. The people of Israel were desperate for freedom from the Egyptians. David was desperate for God’s help in the midst of his many enemies and in his own foolish ways. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was in despair at being surrounded by enemies seeking to destroy his people. Jeremiah and the other prophets of God were desperate for the nation of Israel to listen to God’s word and turn back to Him. The bleeding woman was in despair at having been sick for 12 long years. Peter was desperate for his life when he denied knowing Jesus. Paul was desperate to serve God with His all.

What is desperation?

It is the acknowledgment of “I can’t do this by myself.” “God I need Your help, I need Your presence!”

The root word of desperation is despair. Despair is defined as the loss or absence of hope. We are in despair when we are far from or not in tune with the one who created us. Despair is found in us by losing sight of the truth that God sees us and loves us unconditionally. Despair comes out of not believing that God is in control and that He knows (and has planned) our destiny. We are desperate for God in situations that are beyond our control, where our strength and might are not able.

Desperation reveals itself as we act out in our fears, frustrations, deceptions, ignorance, wrath, and all manner of fleshly ways of thinking and our emotions.

Moses out of his despair from leading a rebellious people, who, yet again, doubted God’s sovereignty and provision, struck a rock in anger and frustration, when God only commanded that he speak to the rock. (Numbers 20).

Desperation comes when we falter in our faith. Hebrews 11:1 states that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is greatly dependent on our hope.

Our hope comes from being in tune with God. Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen (usually something beneficial). When we are in relationship with God, we cannot help but have hope because we know that He has great plans and purpose for us.

Our desperation comes when we step outside of relationship with Him and try to do our own thing. We step out of God’s plan only to realize that we are not able to do what only God can do.

Oh LORD, how desperate must we become?

How desperate is Your church? We need You more than ever God! This world grows darker by the minute and we need Your light to guide us. Teach us Your ways LORD! Show us the path of righteousness by Your Holy Spirit!

We cannot “do life” without God. Life is difficult for every human being that has ever existed and will be for those who have yet to be born. If anyone tells you differently, they are either lying or are in complete denial and deception. Life is hard. God’s word tells us that this life is hard, for believers and non-believers (Matthew 5:45). We live in a life-long battle of struggle. Our flesh and our soul demands satisfaction continuously, leaving our spirit deprived of fulfillment. The only fulfillment for our spirit comes from God, who is Spirit!

He alone can satisfy our deep longings and aching for what’s beyond this life.

Can I tell you, as a person who did not know the LORD until her mid 20’s, that there is nothing else in this world that can satisfy like God. I tried many religions, searched in many people, faced many distractions, and only the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob met my longing. I only found peace through Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace. I only found salvation, (freedom from my sins and from the price of those sins) in Jesus of Nazareth, my Redeemer and Saviour. I only found purpose and hope in Emmanuel, who is my Counselor.

All that I have ever needed I found through my Lord Jesus, the one and only Son of God.

So here is what I have come to know. I know that God created me and that He knew of my creation before he created the world. I know that God knew I would live a sin-filled life for many years before I would meet Him and accept Him. I know that He is all I could ever need, want, and desire. I know that He is the one true God, mighty and awesome! I know that He is love and that He loves me (always has and always will). I know that since I have accepted His son, believed in Jesus, and asked His forgiveness, that I am a child of the most High God. I know that in Christ, I am a priest belonging to a royal priesthood. I know that in Christ I am the righteousness of God. I know that in God, I am whole.

And there is much, much more I have come to know about who I am, about who He is, and about who I am in Him.

Now I must walk in this knowledge.

It is time to step out in faith. It is time to bear the fruits of God in this lost world, to bloom as a rose in the desert.

It is time to wholly surrender to the LORD. Jesus said this about surrender:

 ^“24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16-24-26)

Indeed, what would I give in exchange for my soul? There is nothing in this dark world worth losing my soul over. If I should be lost, let me be lost in God. I want to lose myself in His being. I want to “live, and move, and have my being” in Him (Acts 17:28).

Let my words mirror Paul’s “…it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).

I want to live a life beautifully surrendered to God. And today is the day! Watch me bloom!

With love,

Kelly

If anyone was touched by this word, or if your heart has mirrored mine, let me lift you in this prayer:

Father God, thank You for revelation of Your will for our lives! Thank You for answering our cries of desperation as we live in this broken world. God, we need you more now than ever. Help us to surrender all to You by letting go of the things, people, and desires of his world. LORD, I pray for Your presence to be with us as never before. That as we walk, people cannot help but see You in us. And I pray that we get about Your business quickly, as Your returning is soon. Even so, come Lord Jesus! All this I pray in the beautiful name of Jesus. Amen.