A Deeper Surrender

When I was a little girl I used to think that I could be a better person if only I was in a different setting. I wanted to be good I really did but I was constantly failing. Focusing on my failures often lead to depression. I was reminded of this recently as I talked to a young man who told me that he would be a different person if only he had a different set of circumstances. I shared with him what I learned from the Lord through my constant prayer about my own struggle with sin.

Both this young man and myself had received justification by faith in Jesus. He and I both understood that Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. We both understood that it wasn't our own good works that brought salvation. We understood that by Jesus' wounds we were healed. The question we had both struggled with was, how. How do we die to sin and live to righteousness?

I shared with my young friend what I am still in the process of learning, a deeper surrender to the love of God. The first step in this surrender is to agree with God when he points out sin. What I usually do when my sin is exposed to focus on the sin. I either try to justify it or I feel guilty about it. When I choose to surrender to God's love I life my eyes away from my sin and look into my Savior's face. Then my heart is full of gratitude instead of self loathing.

"We are at war", I told my friend. "We are at war with the world, the flesh and the devil. No matter where you are or what your circumstances of life are this is simply true." In this war the goal is to die to sin and live to righteousness but how? Again I believe the answer is a deeper surrender to the love of God.

A deeper surrender to the love of God is to be filled with His spirit. Surrendering to his love we rejoice in hope anchoring our expectations in his promise that he has set us free from the bondage of sin. Surrendering to his love we choose to be patient in affliction we don't give up. Surrendering to his love we choose to not surrender to our flesh, the world or the devil but stand our ground and fight. Often standing our ground is done on our knees being faithful in prayer. Refusing to give up or give in but being sure of what we hope for and confident about what we do not see we continue to come to the throne of the Almighty and pour out our hearts.

Something happens in this struggle. I want my Christian life to be easy. I want to be good I don't want to sin but I don't want it to be a struggle. However, I see a different pattern in Romans 12. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Somewhere in this struggle transformation takes place. Surrendering to God's love and offering my body as a living sacrifice is worship.

Lord Jesus, you did for me what I could not do for myself you took my sin and gave me your righteousness. You also gave me your Holy Spirit. Your word tells me to fight the good fight and to finish the race. Lord Jesus, you are my High Priest always making intersession for me before the throne of God please let the only thing I surrender to in this life be your love! Please let me be an encouragement to those around me not to give up because you won the war let us claim the victory.