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Living The Christian Life – Difficult? No, Impossible! – Part 2
Living The Christian Life – Difficult? No, Impossible! – Part 2
We ended Part 1 of this article with a conclusion and a question –
Man was created to be the visible expression of the invisible God. For this to happen, Christ, who is the image of God (Col.1:15; Heb. 1:3), must be the origin of all that we do; thus, we must surrender our will to allow Christ to live in and through us. So, how do we surrender?
Surrender – What Does it Mean?
Surrender, in the context of this article, means giving up control of our lives. It begins with trusting Christ without reservation. As I was writing Part 1 of this article, the Lord spoke to my heart and asked me, “Do you trust Me?” My initial thought was, “of course I do”, but then He brought to mind things I was doing that showed me that I didn’t totally trust Him. It’s easy to think we fully trust Christ until He exposes areas of our lives that we have neatly tucked away and forgotten. Ask the Lord, and He will reveal the issues of your heart where you are not trusting Him (Ps 139:23).
Surrender requires absolute trust in the one to whom we relinquish control. Trusting Jesus requires that I stop trying to solve my problems in my own way, in my own strength, and in my own time. Sadly, we often trust ourselves more than we trust God (Prov. 3:5-6).
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He can be trusted! By Jesus, all things were created in the heavens and on the earth. He can be trusted! Jesus conquered death. He can be trusted! The unlimited power of Jesus works mightily within you. He can be trusted! You are spiritually united with Jesus. He can be trusted! Jesus loves you so much that He laid down His life for you. He can be trusted!
Surrender can have no conditions. It acknowledges that my life is not my own; I have been bought with a price (I Cor. 6:19-20). It requires the mindset of whatever you want, Lord, be it my time, my rights, my possessions, my reputation, or my life, it’s yours. This is the attitude Christ had when he went to the cross. Consider -
And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Luke 22:41-42
This attitude develops over time as we get to know Christ better by spending time in His written word and in prayer (listening more than talking). But perhaps the best way to get to know Christ is walking with Him through a difficult situation, e.g., loss of a loved one, physical sickness, a financial challenge, divorce, etc. It’s one thing to read about Jesus and talk with Him in prayer. But to experience His peace and comfort in a painful situation can create a lasting trust. Consider -
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8
Note - A bondservant was one who existed for the sole purpose of serving his master and thus had no rights of his own.
Having an attitude of surrender does not come naturally. Does anyone really want to be “out of control”? My flesh wants things my way! The flesh will always be at war with the Holy Spirit and the major obstacle to our surrender. Consider –
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. (Gal. 5:17)
It is very difficult to let go of what you believe to be your source of life! That’s why most Christians never experience Christ as life – they won’t give up their own effort to get life.
Not a One-Time Event
While we may make a sincere declaration of surrender to ourselves and to God, surrender is not a one-time event; it is a moment-by-moment choice. We can only choose to surrender in the present moment. It is critical to understand this. I cannot surrender my will tomorrow or next week. I can only do so right now. As we learn to trust Jesus throughout our lives, we develop an attitude of surrender.
So, How Do We Surrender?
Know this: there is no formula for surrendering. When Jesus stirs in us the desire to surrender, we can accept it or reject it. And more, we cannot surrender on our own. Our flesh will not allow it. We must simply follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and fully rely on Him to provide the grace and faith required to surrender. Notice who is doing the work in these verses below. Consider –
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13
For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. Col. 1:29
Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. 1 Thess. 5:24
As mentioned, the battle we face is with our flesh. We have developed flesh patterns throughout our lives to try to meet our inner needs (needs of our soul). These needs include love, security, acceptance, significance, and adequacy. When met, these are what give us a sense of value and purpose, and thus, we feel full and complete. Said another way, we experience life! However, these needs can only be met by Jesus. The moment we receive Him by faith, all these needs are met! We must simply cease striving in our own efforts and trust that we are complete in Christ (Col. 2:10). For more on the flesh, read Understanding the Flesh on this website.
Let me say again, to fully experience Christ’s life, we must surrender control of our own lives! And when you do, you will wonder what took you so long!
“Do not allow the poverty of self-sufficiency to rob you of the miraculous.” - Major Ian Thomas
Sadly, most, if not all, of us must go through a painful process called brokenness before we are ready to surrender. Brokenness refers to the process of breaking man from putting confidence in anything other than God. – Consider
for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, Philippians 3:3
Part 3 - “Brokenness” coming soon