SURRENDER, TRUST AND FOLLOW HIM

SURRENDER, TRUST AND FOLLOW HIM

SURRENDER IS NOT DEFEAT

Key Scripture

📖 Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ 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."

Introduction

The word surrender sounds like defeat. In war, to surrender is to admit you have lost. In sports, to surrender is to give up. In life, to surrender is to admit you cannot handle it on your own. So when we hear that God wants us to surrender our lives to Him, something in us resists. We imagine that surrender means becoming a puppet, losing our identity, and giving up everything that makes us who we are. But the surrender that God calls us to is not the surrender of the defeated. It is the surrender of the beloved. It is not the surrender of a prisoner to a captor. It is the surrender of a child to a loving Father. And it is the doorway to the most abundant life you could ever know.

Biblical Truth

Galatians 2:20 is one of the boldest declarations of surrender in all of Scripture. Paul does not say, "I try to be like Christ." He does not say, "I am working on becoming more like Christ." He says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." This is a total exchange. Paul's old self, his old life, his old identity, was crucified with Christ. And in its place, a new life was born, a life that is not his own but Christ's living through him.

This is what surrender means. It is not that you become nothing. It is that Christ becomes everything. It is not that you lose your identity. It is that your identity is redefined in Him. You are no longer defined by your past, your failures, your successes, or your labels. You are defined by the One who lives in you. The life you now live in the flesh, Paul says, you live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you. It is a life of trust, not of striving. A life of dependence, not of self-sufficiency. A life of following, not of leading.

Jesus made the same point when He said, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it." The paradox of the Kingdom is that losing is gaining, dying is living, and surrendering is winning. The seed must fall into the ground and die before it can produce a harvest. So it is with the surrendered life. When you let go of control, you receive the life that only God can give.

What We Often Get Wrong

We often treat surrender as a loss rather than a gain. We see it as giving up our dreams, our plans, our freedom, and our future. We imagine that God is a harsh master who wants to strip us of everything we enjoy. But nothing could be further from the truth. God does not ask us to surrender so that He can take from us; He asks us to surrender so that He can give to us. He does not want to make us smaller; He wants to make us more like Christ. He does not want to destroy our identity; He wants to give us a new one.

We also try to follow Jesus without surrendering. We want Him as Saviour, but we are not sure about Him as Lord. We want forgiveness, but we are not ready to give up control. We negotiate with God, offering Him the parts of our lives that are easy to give, while holding tightly to the parts we think we can manage ourselves. But surrender is not partial. It is not a negotiation. It is a transaction. You give Him your whole life, and He gives you His. And in that exchange, you find that what you thought you were losing was nothing compared to what you were gaining.

God's Perspective

God sees surrender as an act of trust. When you surrender your life to Him, you are saying that you believe He is good, that His plan is better than yours, and that His wisdom exceeds your own. You are saying that you trust Him with everything, holding nothing back. He sees surrender as worship, as obedience, as love. He is not a tyrant demanding your submission. He is a Father inviting you into a relationship of trust. He knows that the only way to truly experience the abundant life is to let go of the false life we have been trying to build for ourselves.

God also sees the freedom that comes with surrender. When you stop trying to control everything, you release a burden that was never yours to carry. When you stop striving to be enough, you rest in the One who is more than enough. When you stop trying to write your own story, you let the Author of life write His story through you. And His story is always better. It is bigger, deeper, and more beautiful than anything you could have written yourself.

Practical Application

Surrender is not a one-time event; it is a daily decision. Every morning, choose to surrender your day to the Lord. Say to Him, "Lord, my life is Yours. My plans are Yours. My will is Yours. Lead me today. I will follow." This is not a passive prayer. It is an active declaration of trust. It is choosing to put your old self on the cross and to let Christ live through you.

In the decisions of your life, big and small, learn to ask, "Lord, what do You want?" Not as a formality, but as a genuine question. Whether it is your career, your relationships, your finances, your time, or your future, bring it to Him and lay it at His feet. Wait for His direction. Trust His timing. Obey His leading. And when you feel the old self rising up, fighting for control, remind yourself of Galatians 2:20. You have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer you who live. The old self has no authority. You belong to Him. And in His hands, you are safe.

Ask Yourself

Have I truly surrendered my life to Christ, or am I still holding on to certain areas? Do I trust that God's plan for me is better than my own? What am I afraid of losing if I surrender everything to Him? Is there anything I have been keeping from Him? Do I live like someone who has been crucified with Christ, or like someone still trying to run their own life?

Reflection

Surrender is not the end of your life; it is the beginning of true life. It is not losing yourself; it is finding yourself in Christ. The life you have been trying so desperately to control will only multiply your anxiety, your fear, and your emptiness. But the life you surrender to God will be filled with His peace, His joy, and His purpose. Let go. Stop striving. Stop controlling. Stop pretending you have it all together. Lay your life at His feet. And in the exchange, you will find that He gives you something far better than what you released.

Prayer

Father, I confess that I have held on to control. I have tried to run my own life, make my own plans, and secure my own future. I have treated surrender as loss rather than gain. Forgive me. Today, I choose to surrender. I lay my life at Your feet. My plans, my dreams, my desires, my will — I give them all to You. I believe that You are good, that Your ways are higher than my ways, and that Your plan for my life is better than anything I could create. Crucify the old self in me. Let Christ live through me. I do not want to live for myself any longer. I want to live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Take control, Lord. I surrender. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Declaration

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. I surrender my will, my plans, my desires, and my future to Him. I am not my own. I have been bought with a price. I do not live to please myself. I live to please the One who called me out of darkness into His marvellous light. The old self has been crucified. The new life has begun. I surrender, and in surrendering, I am free. I am free indeed.

Concluding Scripture

📖 John 12:24 (NKJV)

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."