How Do We Surrender All to Jesus Christ?
Ever since I gave my heart and life to Christ at sixteen, I’ve heard about surrender in the Christian life. And I remember singing a familiar hymn to surrender all to Jesus even before my salvation.
The lyrics and melody play in my mind often.
Surrendering everything about our lives is an important aspect of our faith journey. And it’s key to our spiritual maturity.
But how do we surrender “all” to Jesus?
Jesus modeled surrender in a life completely surrendered to the heavenly Father.
So let’s look at Scriptures that point us to the surrendered life. Even though these are familiar Bible verses, read and meditate on them in the light of surrendering all.
Surrender All
(1.) “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” Matthew 16:24 (ESV)
We surrender control. We deny going our own way—the right to live for ourselves. Because following Jesus with full surrender and faithfully living as a believer, is not even about me.
Instead, it’s “all” about the One who said, “Follow Me.”
(2.) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
Surrender is trusting in Christ and acknowledging His wisdom and lordship. Jesus wants our surrender, not our sufficiency.
We fully surrender to who Jesus is and as Lord over our lives.
Surrender is trusting in Christ and acknowledging His wisdom and lordship. We fully surrender to who Jesus is and as Lord over our lives. Click To TweetLiving Sacrifice
(3.) “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.” Psalm 24:3-4 (ESV)
Clean hands and a pure heart is surrendering to God’s Word and asking Him to cleanse us from sin. Worshiping Christ above anything this world offers. Worshiping Him with our life.
Clean hands and a pure heart is surrendering to God’s Word and asking Him to cleanse us from sin. Worshiping Christ above anything this world offers. Worshiping Him with our life. Click To Tweet
(4.) “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.” Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)
Romans 12:1-2 calls me to not be conformed to this world, I’m called to offer myself as a living sacrifice.
But it’s hard to be a living sacrifice when I keep crawling off the altar.
Surrender is a transformed mind—the mind of Christ—and a sacrificed life to Jesus.
Surrender and Seek
(5.) “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
We surrender “all” when we seek God’s kingdom and righteousness.
And we don’t build our own kingdoms on earth or seek worldly pleasures that feed our flesh but starve our spirit. Instead, we satisfy the deepest longings of our soul with living waters.
Only Jesus quenches what our soul thirsts for the most: hope, peace, love, mercy, grace, and life itself.
Prayer of Surrender
Lord, I surrender all to You. Please help me to deny myself as I fully follow You with complete abandon. It’s not easy, but with the power of the Holy Spirit, surrender is possible. Let my heart trust Your ways, plans, and path for me. Give me clean hands and a pure heart as I seek Your kingdom above all. I need Your strength to be a living sacrifice instead of conforming to the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Lord, I surrender all to You. Give me clean hands and a pure heart as I seek Your kingdom above all. I need Your strength to be a living sacrifice, not conforming to the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Click To Tweet
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Last week’s post, Does My Life Point Others to Jesus?
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How I loved your post here today, Karen. “Surrender” is my word of the year, and it was so wonderful to have its meaning described in such depth. You made me truly reflect and realize that this most certainly is/was the right word for me.
Blessings!
Hey Martha, I love that your word for the year is surrender. The Lord continues to teach me about surrender in my life as I give everything and all that I am to Him alone. God bless.
Loved this message, you are such a blessing!!
Thank you, Tracey! Glory to the Lord! God bless! “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
I trust in the Lord, He saved me,
In the difficult hour only He supported me,
He is my Rock and my Help,
I trust in Him, in the good God.
He is my hope… How wonderful!
With Him I am most blessed,
He strengthens me when I am weak, broken,
He comes to my aid, constantly.
No matter how hard, with Him I have victory,
I go with the Lord by faith,
On His path even the ascent is difficult,
I move forward, always confident.
I look to the sky I am blessed,
I worship and give thanks unceasingly,
To God for He saved me,
Forgiveness, peace He gave me.
I depend on Him every day and every hour,
I am happy, I do not give up on the Lord,
From His heaven he protects me with love,
I am happy because God loves me.
Amen!
Powerful, David, thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you for sharing. I’m forever edified. I pray to surrender everything I am to the Lord Jesus Christ. May we follow Him without looking back.
Yes, no turing back.We surrender control. We deny going our own way—the right to live for ourselves.
I’ve been embracing the concept of “surrender” this year, and I believe it is extremely important. To me, it’s an act of love to offer everything I am over to the Lord. I often pray that he use me as his instrument in the world. Great reflection. Thank you!
I have as well, Jessica. Surrender is a foreign concept to the world. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
Thank you for this beautiful and inspiring message. I pray I will surrender all to the Father. Have a blessed day!
God bless, Melissa. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
Thank you for blessing me with these wonderful words of wisdom. Great message Karen.
God bless! “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” Matthew 16:24 (ESV)
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So appreciate your posts Ms. Karen. While it sometimes takes a while for us to completely surrender, when we do, we often wonder why it took so long to let go of ourselves and let God.