We Christians know this truth: "Surrender to God and win!"
But, speaking personally, I tend to avoid it. I'm afraid God will ask everything of me. In effect, I doubt in my heart he will fully satisfy me with himself if I give everything to him.
However, I'm learning there is no getting around this truth. God does know what's best for me. And when I don't obey, I live a half-hearted - even discouraged - life.
There are ample examples of people who live fulfilled, active and effective lives by surrendering everything to God. The apostle Paul is an excellent example.
Heart-felt surrender in prayer is a prime way to obey and find the spiritual rest that comes from God.
Joyce Meyer discusses this well in a chapter on consecration and commitment in her fine book The Power of Simple Prayer.
"Prayers of consecration involve giving ourselves to God and prayers of commitment involve giving our situations to him," she says.
"When we pray the prayer of consecration, we choose to give ourselves, our entire beings, and everything about us to God," writes Meyer. "This means an intentional decision to give him our bodies, our minds, our abilities, our weaknesses, and our attitudes and motives."
Meyer begins her morning with these words from Psalm 25:1: "Unto you, O Lord, do I bring my life."
In effect, she says, that prayer means that she brings everything to God in her life - herself, her family, her possessions, her money, her abilities, and her weaknesses.
"When we consecrate something, we set it apart for God's use. Therefore, when we consecrate our lives, we turn our backs on fleshly desires, worldly values, carnal thinking, undisciplined living, bad habits, and on everything else that does not agree with God's word."
If we mean it, we can be sure God will start to work on us and deal with our weaknesses.
She tells of her own struggles with false accusations by friends which led her to leave a treasured position at a church. She came to see that she had come to depend on her friends and position for security and value. She also lived with anxiety and worries for a long time before surrendering them to God.
The prayer of commitment is closely related to the prayer of consecration. It involves giving over a situation you are wrestling with to God.
"It means committing things to him, releasing the pressures and the problems of life and letting him work everything out . . . God can do more in one moment than we can do through a lifetime of struggles."
When I say "surrender and win", does this mean everything will turn out exactly the way I want? Clearly not. Even Jesus pleaded with the Father to spare him from being nailed to the cross.
But Jesus knew that the plan of God was ultimately the right one - a plan that would change history.
In the end, I am called to trust that God knows best. And when I trust him, he will win - and I will please him which is my eternal reward.
But, speaking personally, I tend to avoid it. I'm afraid God will ask everything of me. In effect, I doubt in my heart he will fully satisfy me with himself if I give everything to him.
However, I'm learning there is no getting around this truth. God does know what's best for me. And when I don't obey, I live a half-hearted - even discouraged - life.
There are ample examples of people who live fulfilled, active and effective lives by surrendering everything to God. The apostle Paul is an excellent example.
Heart-felt surrender in prayer is a prime way to obey and find the spiritual rest that comes from God.
Joyce Meyer discusses this well in a chapter on consecration and commitment in her fine book The Power of Simple Prayer.
"Prayers of consecration involve giving ourselves to God and prayers of commitment involve giving our situations to him," she says.
"When we pray the prayer of consecration, we choose to give ourselves, our entire beings, and everything about us to God," writes Meyer. "This means an intentional decision to give him our bodies, our minds, our abilities, our weaknesses, and our attitudes and motives."
Meyer begins her morning with these words from Psalm 25:1: "Unto you, O Lord, do I bring my life."
In effect, she says, that prayer means that she brings everything to God in her life - herself, her family, her possessions, her money, her abilities, and her weaknesses.
"When we consecrate something, we set it apart for God's use. Therefore, when we consecrate our lives, we turn our backs on fleshly desires, worldly values, carnal thinking, undisciplined living, bad habits, and on everything else that does not agree with God's word."
If we mean it, we can be sure God will start to work on us and deal with our weaknesses.
She tells of her own struggles with false accusations by friends which led her to leave a treasured position at a church. She came to see that she had come to depend on her friends and position for security and value. She also lived with anxiety and worries for a long time before surrendering them to God.
The prayer of commitment is closely related to the prayer of consecration. It involves giving over a situation you are wrestling with to God.
"It means committing things to him, releasing the pressures and the problems of life and letting him work everything out . . . God can do more in one moment than we can do through a lifetime of struggles."
When I say "surrender and win", does this mean everything will turn out exactly the way I want? Clearly not. Even Jesus pleaded with the Father to spare him from being nailed to the cross.
But Jesus knew that the plan of God was ultimately the right one - a plan that would change history.
In the end, I am called to trust that God knows best. And when I trust him, he will win - and I will please him which is my eternal reward.
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