As Paul struggled with the thorn in his flesh he learnt the most important lesson of life. Paul learnt to yield to the authority of Jesus Christ. He was very gifted in preaching the Gospel and telling people about Christ, yet when it came to his own healing and deliverance, he fell short. The Bible says that as Paul prayed for healing, God denied his request. Consider that the all powerful God, who is able to do all things, was more than able to heal Paul. Yet God saw it necessary to leave Paul to suffer.
As Paul prayed, God replied, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Here Paul had no other alternative but to lean on Jesus Christ, his true strength. As we delve in time, we also have to learn to yield to the authority of Jesus Christ. It is often a painful process that brings us to the end of ourselves, but God begins where we end. This means that regardless of how painful it might be, we must come to the end of ourselves in order for God to take control.
There are practical ways in which we can permit God to act in our lives. As we learn about these ways, we must be keen to also live by them. They will be as a lamp to our feet, as we walk with God. In this post I want to share 5 practical ways in which we can surrender to the authority of Jesus Christ. As we surrender, we’ll permit Christ to have His perfect way in us. Let’s look at them.
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 to ourselves. 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. This means that 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.
I recall Job in his own anguish. Job suffered so much as to despise of even life. He wanted to die so badly, 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 that 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
This is the best way to prove that we have fully surrendered to God. It all boils down to how much we follow His Word. 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. We’ll also try to change the meaning of the Word for our 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 will. We too must sacrifice our idea of life for God’s idea.
4. Seek and Follow The Will Of God For Our Lives
In total surrender, we must seek and follow the will of God for our lives. When we do this, we prove to God that we trust Him. As I stated earlier, we must surrender our idea for God’s idea. When we do this, God is able to work out His goodness in us. We should realize that our idea of good might actually not be good. The truth is that only God is good.
Whether it is in our careers, our 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
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 and 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 that we must surrender to God as we walk with Him. Surrendering to God will mean that we sacrifice our will for God’s will. It 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 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.
