Definition of Surrender-  give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another

     -to give oneself up into the power of another: yield

     Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:35-36 Jesus shows us how we are to completely surrender ourselves to God-He’s crying out for God to let Him not have to go through this-if it is God’s will. THINK ABOUT IT-Jesus was obedient to God’s will-what would have happened had Jesus refused-Can you picture what He must have been feeling (when God most likely unveiled what was to come?) The pain…anguish. JESUS chose to fully submit to God knowing the horrible torture He was about to suffer.

     So how DO we completely surrender ourselves to God? There are seven impactful things. We have to get our mind and our heart RIGHT. First we have to recognize that we NEED God. We cannot do anything without HIM. Second We have to truly repent of our sins and whole heartedly ask for forgiveness. Third Submit to what God’s will is for us. Fourth We must completely trust in God’s wisdom and His timing-God’s timing is different than our own. Keep up HOPE. Fifth Rely on God’s strength to walk us through the storms of life and carry us through our pain and sorrow. Sixth Always give thanks under ALL circumstances-Through happy times, through challenges and through grief. Seventh PRAY-Always pray…for everything…Commune with God…Tell HIM about your thoughts, your hopes, your struggles, your desires, your ambitions, your anger, your fear, your grief, your joy…He wants to hear it all. You’ll feel Him speak to you and you’ll know His desire for your life…one day at a time.

     Proverbs 3:5-6: tells us to

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” You can’t just think it or speak it-you have to believe it, just as you believe you are a human being who lives and breathes.

     Paul tells the Philippians

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death-even death on the cross.”

     When Justo fell ill with severe pancreatitis caused from a genetic disorder, he was intubated after suffering from lung failure and hooked up to a couple large machines to cleanse his blood after his kidneys failed. His pancreas was eating itself and his liver function was not well. I completely surrendered myself to God, knowing that His outcome may not be the same as mine, I accepted and trusted He would take care of us and get us through this no matter what the outcome was…

I laid everything out…everything that ever upset me in my marriage whether they were big or small. “I am willing to wipe the slate clean if you let him live” I promised God to never let any of these things bother me again and never turn molehills into mountains if he just let him stay and help me raise our children and grow old together.

     I poured my heart out completely to God and made myself completely vulnerable. I prayed that what I wanted was the same as what He wanted. He comforted me-I had a sense of peace-I was elevated to a higher spiritual plain and my marriage was also elevated to a higher plain. This song came to my mind- Lord I need You– I change the words from “every hour” I need You, to “every moment”- because I know I need Him that much.

     I invite all of you if you have never completely surrendered to God, to find a place and pour everything out to Him. He will take away all your fears, apprehensions, anger, grief, sorrow, worry…He’ll bring peace and calm.