There is a song by Deitrick Haddon titled “Have Your Way” and just as the title suggests, the song invites the Lord to have his way concerning our entire being. The lyrics seem as though they are lifted right out of my soul; they explain that after all of the trying, rebellion, and sin that has widened the gap between us and our savior, we no longer desire that way of life. We simply want the Lord to have His way in us. We have arrived at the point where we have had enough and we surrender. These words are used to form a prayer I share with my Abba, but sadly have sparked no real change in any of my actions.
This last time the song came on, God made me think, “Do I really mean the words I sing, do I know what it means to surrender?” The words that flowed out of my mouth were real and I can honestly say each time I cried out to God, it was from the heart. However, once the worship was over and life began, my actions did not align with those surrendering words. We must ask ourselves do our actions align with our worship, or do we merely want God to transform us because we tell Him to, without giving our all to Him?
Merriam-Webster defines surrender as: To give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another.
The Free Dictionary defines it as: To give up or give back (something that has been granted).
Both definitions suggest that in order to surrender we must give all of ourselves. The Free Dictionary also provides an excellent point that we are not giving up something that is ours, but essentially when we surrender to God, we are giving Him what is rightfully His. How would we feel if someone only gave us back only half of what was ours? We shouldn’t only give God the areas we want fixed or won’t affect us, if we make the decision to surrender we must know God deserves all of us.
Surrendering means trusting God, humbling ourselves, and being ready and willing to do whatever He asks us to do. We will make mistakes, and will not always get everything right, but our mindset should be that no matter what we will keep dying to our flesh and letting God use us.
We all want to let God use us and to be more like Him, and I know I gloss over what it really means and imagine the blessings that will come forth. However without sacrifice, obedience, and suffering we will fall short of becoming more like Him. The absence of those will actually prevent us from allowing God to have His way within us. Surrendering means choosing God over my emotions, and denying my flesh when I want to sleep instead of spending time with Him. It means being bold and audacious, and inviting Him into every area of my life. Let us not be afraid of giving ourselves completely to God, and losing our life for Him. Know that once we let go we will find ourselves in a better place.
Matthew 16: 24-26, “24Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any one would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be of a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?’”
Chanale Propst is a woman of God who is truly enjoying every step in her walk with God. Her aim in life is to put God first, and to remove any distractions that will prevent her from doing this. She is in love with Christ, and desperately wants women to experience this love as well. By unfolding her wings and soaring to Christ, Chanale hopes to encourage and inspire women on their journey. You can find her blogging at soaringtogodsrealm.blogspot.com.[photo: Angelo Gonzalez, Creative Commons]
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