Keys to Freedom: Surrender
Surrender
Surrender is a word that stirs up strong feelings depending on your experience and worldview. For a long time, I wasn’t comfortable with it. But my Heavenly Father wanted to redefine that word for me, and through it, transform my entire life.
From Religious Routine to Spiritual Awakening
I’ve loved Jesus all my life. Raised in the church, I witnessed faith lived out in everyday ways—bake sales, potlucks, service, sickness, and sorrow. Through all this, I learned a lot—especially about doing the Christian life. And while doing is essential, I eventually learned that it's not the starting point.
Despite all my efforts, something deep inside me remained untouched. No amount of serving or striving could reach it. What I needed was not more action, but a divine intervention. I needed a Holy Spirit transformation—radical, healing, and personal.
A Prayer for Transformation and a Call to Go Deeper
In my college and early adult years, I heard people talk about having a “quiet time” with God. I had been reading the Bible and praying since I was 11, but I longed for more—more intimacy, more connection, more of Him.
One day, a Scripture on the church bulletin caught my attention and became my daily prayer:
“Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart to fear Your name.” – Psalm 86:11
Be careful what you pray for—God listens, and He responds. 🙂
Hearing God's Voice and the Journey of Obedience
God began guiding me in unexpected ways. I found a book in my late grandmother’s library that sat untouched on my shelf for over a year. One day, I opened it—and devoured it. That little book, Listening Prayer, put into words everything I had been missing. I didn’t just want to read about God—I wanted to hear Him, to know Him, to walk with Him.
And He met me.
He taught me how to listen. He trained me to prioritize time with Him. He poured out His wisdom. But it required something from me—obedience and time. I had just started a business, but God asked me for four hours each morning before anything else. That wasn’t easy. But I said yes.
God’s Multiplication and Healing Power
What happened next was nothing short of miraculous. When I surrendered my agenda for His, He showed up. Projects that would have taken days were finished in hours. My time was multiplied. My health—both emotional and physical—began to be restored. He made me whole.
I discovered that surrender isn’t loss—it’s gain. When we give God our time and trust, He returns it in abundance, revealing His power in every area of our lives.
Surrender Unlocks Identity and Purpose
God revealed something profound: In His Kingdom, surrender is beautiful. It brings:
Discovery of who He is
Identity as His beloved child
Intimacy with the Creator
Power to walk in purpose
Freedom to live the life for which we were created
When we surrender, we discover who we truly are—beloved sons and daughters of a good Father. And from that place of belonging, we are free to be who we are and do what He has placed in our hearts.
Living Abundantly Starts with Letting Go
It’s an incredible thing to feel comfortable in your own skin, to know who you are and whose you are. When you begin from a place of identity and love, the striving ends—and true purpose begins.
Surrender is the key to freedom, the door to life abundant (John 10:10). It's how we move from doing for God to being with God—and ultimately, becoming who He created us to be.
