There are practical ways to surrender to God, and when we do, we open our hearts to His guidance and peace. Surrender is not just a concept but a powerful act of yielding our will to His, inviting Him to lead our lives.
As Paul wrestled with the thorn in his flesh, he discovered a profound lesson about surrendering to the authority of Jesus Christ. Despite his extraordinary gifts in preaching the Gospel and sharing the message of Christ, Paul found himself at a loss when it came to his own healing and deliverance. The Bible tells us that as he prayed earnestly for healing, God denied his request. It’s striking to consider that the all-powerful God, capable of performing miracles, chose to allow Paul to endure suffering instead.
In response to Paul’s pleas, God declared, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” In this moment, Paul had no choice but to lean entirely on Jesus, his true source of strength. As we navigate our own struggles, we, too, must learn to yield to Christ’s authority. This process can often be painful, forcing us to reach the end of ourselves, but it’s essential. God’s power shines brightest when we are weakest, reminding us that we must surrender our control for Him to take over.
5 Practical Ways To Surrender to God
There are practical steps we can take to invite God’s action in our lives. As we explore these ways, it’s important to embrace and live by them. They will serve as a guiding light on our journey with God. In this post, I want to share five practical ways we can surrender to the authority of Jesus Christ. By doing so, we allow Christ to have His perfect way within us. Let’s dive into these transformative practices.
1. Recognizing We Can't Do it on our own
As Paul struggled with the thorn in his flesh, it was evident that he couldn’t do it on his own. The mere fact that he was calling out to God shows that he couldn’t help himself. This brings us to the first step in yielding to the authority of Jesus Christ. This first step is to recognize that we can’t do this on our own. In my own life, I have learnt that it is quite humbling when we become helpless. Yet it is the best position to be in. This is because when we reach this point, we’ll have no other alternative but to trust in God who raises the dead.
There are some things that we struggle with, that can humble us in this manner. Paul had a thorn in his flesh, and he learnt that he couldn’t remove it. This is a great opportunity in our pain. The opportunity to trust in God.
Maybe you are struggling with a bad habit, or a sickness beyond your control. You probably have gone to the doctor and found they hardly can help. Take heart and be encouraged. This is your perfect opportunity to surrender to God’s Love, knowing that He cares for the wounded heart. For sure you must surrender to God, and this is your perfect opportunity to do this.
2. Identify that Our Suffering Is The Wisdom Of God
God knows what He is about. He knows how to bring out the best in us as we allow Him. When we surrender to God, His wisdom will be at work. He will delegate our circumstances to maneuver us to where He wants us.
When we suffer with God, we find yet another treasure. The truth is that there is wisdom in our suffering when we walk with God. I have personally suffered a lot. There have been times when the pain seemed to be killing me. At one point in my life, I lost everything, and it appeared that God was nowhere to be found. Yet, this was one of the most spiritually rewarding time. I learnt how to trust in God the most. I also learnt that there is nothing, or no circumstance that is outside God’s reach.
We can recall Job in his own anguish. Job suffered so much that he despised even life. He earnestly wanted to die, yet in his nothingness, God taught him something quite wonderful. Job learnt that His redeemer lives. He also learnt that his suffering was refining him like gold. This knowledge helped Job to endure his suffering by faith.
Perhaps you have been submerged in the fire of a broken place. This fire might be burning you so mercilessly that you have concluded God doesn’t know about it. Yet, like Job, you should be convinced that God, your Redeemer, knows the way you take. You should also be fully convinced that as you are broken – you will come out refined like gold. Your one duty is to trust in God with all your heart, and to keep keeping on.
3. Follow the Word of God
As we consider there practical ways to surrender to god, following His Word is at the forefront. It all boils down to how much we can do what He says. It is often very easy to follow God when it is convenient for us, yet when it goes against what we hold to, it becomes a struggle. Jesus taught us that regardless of our suffering, we must surrender to the will of God. As Jesus marched to the cross, the Bible says that He could have called ten thousand angels to rescue him, yet He said “Not my will but Yours be done.” Jesus surrendered to the leading of God the Father.
You too must surrender to God and follow His Word. We live in a world where the Word of God is ignored due to convenience. We find it easier to do what we think is right than to actually follow what the Bible says. Many will try to change the meaning of the Word for their convenience. Yet we must wholly follow God to prove that we have fully surrendered to him. Jesus could have found it convenient to rescue Himself from the cross, yet He sacrificed His convenience for God’s Divine Will. We too must sacrifice our idea of life for God’s idea.
4. Seek and Follow The Will Of God For Our Lives
Whether it is in our careers, families, or our churches, we must learn to seek the will of God and follow it. We must ensure that our careers, families and churches are built on the Word, and the Will of God. We can only do this in total surrender.
5. We Can Surrender Through Our Praise and Worship
Among the practical ways to surrender to God is praise and worship. True praise and worship can only come through total surrender. We must surrender to God as we extend our praise. There are many people who go to church and sing, clap and dance, yet their hearts are far from God. This is not true praise and worship, neither is it true surrender. True surrender comes from the heart. Imagine a person who does things to be seen. They might follow the rules only because they want to appear to be doing so. Yet their hearts are far from what they follow. We should never be like this.
When we genuinely praise and worship we prove to God how much we surrender to Him. We show Him that we can surrender our will for His. As we do this it becomes a testament of our surrender.
Prayer must be an integral part of our worship. In fact, true praise and worship involves prayer. As we seek to surrender we must stay on our knees in total praise.
Concluding Thoughts
We have learnt some practical ways to surrender to God. Yielding to God means we sacrifice our will for His. It also means that we will do what God says, and not what is convenient or seems right to us. When we do this, we prove to God that we trust His guidance and His leading.
As we walk with God we must adapt these practical ways of surrendering to Him. We can surrender through our praise and worship, and by our commitment to His word. When we do this, God will extend His goodness towards us, and we will experience His abounding love. May you surrender. God bless.
