I Surrender All

To finish off this week of looking at surrender, I thought I’d end with the well-known hymn, which I’m sure has come to mind to many already. Written in 1896, the words of I Surrender All, by Judson W. Van DeVenter are some of the most beautiful words we can read today…


I Surrender All

All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!

Surrender, pt. 4

The following are words written by Christians who have lived a completely surrendered life. Through their words they show by example what it means to live this out…

“I have been before God, and have given myself, all that I am and have, to God;

so that I am not, in any respect, my own.”

– Jonathan Edwards

~~*~~

“Lord, engage my heart today
with a passion that will not pass away.
Now torch it with Thy holy fire
that nevermore shall earth’s desire
invade or quench the heaven born power.
I would be trapped within Thy holy will,
Thine every holy purpose to fulfill,
that every effort of my life
shall bring rapturous praise to my eternal King.
I pledge from this day to the grave
to be Thine own, unquestioning slave.”

– Leonard Ravenhill

~~*~~

“I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
Exalted for thee or brought low by thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”

- John Wesley

~~*~~

“Father, I abandon myself into Your hands; do with me what You will. Whatever You may do, I thank You: I am ready for all, I accept all. Only let Your will be done in me, and in all Your creatures – I wish no more than this, O Lord.”

- Charles de Foucauld

~~*~~

“Lord, I give up my own plans and purposes, all my own desires, hopes and ambitions, and I accept Thy will for my life. I give up myself, my life, my all, utterly to Thee, to be Thine forever. I hand over to Thy keeping all of my friendships, all the people whom I love are to take second place in my heart. Fill me now and seal me with Thy Spirit. Work out Thy whole will I my life at any cost, for me to live is Christ. Amen.”

- Betty Scott

~~*~~

“If there is anything holding you back, or any sacrifice you are afraid of making, come to God and prove how gracious your God is. Never be afraid that He will command from you what He will not bestow! God comes and offers to work this absolute surrender in you.”

- Andrew Murray

(Tomorrow – pt. 5: I Surrender All)

Surrender, pt. 3

Today we are going to look at what surrender means practically – applicably in every day life. Luke 14:25-27 is one of the clearest passages of Christ’s call to surrender. “He was calling [all] to come and die to everything that competed with His reign and rule in their lives.” Verse 33 of this chapter includes the same call.
DeMoss explains that “it’s one thing to have an emotional experience at a Christian gathering where you are inspired and challenged to surrender control of everything to God. It’s another matter to live out that surrender once the emotion of the moment has passed.” Surrender isn’t an emotion, and it’s not spurred on by an emotion every day of our lives. It’s a decision and a daily, ongoing thing. So, what does a surrendered life look like?
Frances Ridely Havergal’s hymn “Take My Life and Let It Be” is a perfect example which DeMoss used in her book. She explains that in this hymn, “each line focuses on one dimension of what it means to be fully surrendered to Christ.”
The following is a list of questions stemming from specific areas of surrender for personal examination and application. Think about them and pray about them as you think of your life surrendered to God.

My Life: “Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.”

• Have I ever consciously acknowledged Christ’s ownership of my life?
• Have I made a volitional, unconditional, lifetime surrender of my life to Christ?
• Am I seeking to live out that surrender on a daily basis?
• Are there any “compartments” of my life over which I am reserving the right to exercise control?

My Time: “Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.”

• Do I live with the conscious realization that all my time belongs to God, or have I merely reserved a portion of my time for the “spiritual” category of my life?
• Am I living each day in the light of eternity?
• Am I purposeful and intentional in my use of time, seeking to invest moments of my days in ways that will bring glory to God?
• Do I seek His direction as to how I should use my “free time”?
• Am I squandering time with meaningless, useless conversation or entertainment?
• Do I set apart time each day for worship, prayer, and personal devotion?
• Do I readily respond to opportunities to serve others, even if it requires sacrificing “my” time?
• Do I become resentful or impatient when others interrupt my schedule or when I am faced with unplanned demands on my time?

My Body: “Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love. Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.”

• Am I yielding the members (parts) of my body to God as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13)?
• Do I use the members of my body to express the kindness and love of Christ to others (e.g., using my hands for serving, etc)?
• Are any of the members of my body – eyes, ears, hands, feet, mouth, etc. – being used to sin against God (e.g., stealing, lying, listening to or repeating gossip, inflicting physical harm on mate or children, listening to profanity, viewing pornography, sexual sin)?
• Do I treat my body as if it is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)?
• Am I abusing my body in any way (e.g., with food, alcohol, illegal or prescription drugs)?
• Am I morally pure – what I see, what I think, what I do, where I go, what I listen to, what I say?

My Tongue: “Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee.”

• Do the words that come out of my mouth reveal that my lips and tongue are fully surrendered to God?
• Do I habitually verbalize the goodness and greatness of God?
• Do I regularly ask the Lord to guard my tongue?
• Am I filling my mind and heart with the Word of God, so that what comes out of my mouth will be “messages from Him”?
• Do I speak words that are critical, unkind, untrue, self-centered, rude, profane, or unnecessary?
• Do I look for and take advantage of opportunities to give a verbal witness for Christ?
• Do I intentionally use my tongue to edify and encourage others in their walk with God?

My Possessions: “Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.”

• Do I treat any of my possessions as if they were mine rather than God’s?
• Do I give generously, sacrificially, and gladly to the Lord’s work and to others in need?
• Do I own anything that I would not be willing to part with if God were to take it from me or ask me to give it to another?
• Am I a wise steward of the material resources God has entrusted to me?
• Do I view God as my provider and the source of all my material possessions?
• Do I give my tithes and offerings to the Lord before I pay my bills or spend my income?

My Mind: “Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.”

• Am I “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)?
• Am I disciplining my mind to get to know God and His Word better?
• Am I wasting my mind on worldly knowledge or pursuits that do not have eternal, spiritual value?
• Am I guarding the entrance of my mind from impure influences (e.g., books, magazines, movies, music, conversations)?

My Will: “Take my will and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.”

• Do I consistently seek to know and to do the will of God in the practical, daily matters of life?
• When I read the Word of God (or hear it proclaimed), am I quick to say “Yes, Lord” and to do what it says?
• Is there anything God has shown me to be His will that I have been neglecting or refusing to obey?
• Do I become resentful when things don’t go my way? Do I have to have the last word in disagreements?
• Am I stubborn? Demanding? Controlling?
• Am I quick to respond in confession and repentance when the Holy Spirit convicts me of sin?

My Affection: “Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.”

• Do I love Christ and His Kingdom more than this earth and its pleasures? Is there anything or anyone that I am more devoted to than Christ?
• Am I allowing Christ to reign and rule over my affections, my emotions, and my responses?
• Am I allowing anyone or anything other than Christ to control my emotions and responses?
• Do I trust God’s right to rule over the circumstances of my life?

My Relationships: “Take my love; my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.”

• Is it my desire and intent to love God with all my heart, above all earthly relationships? Do I enjoy and seek out the friendship of God as much as I do human friendships?
• Do I love God more than I love myself? Do I seek His interests, His reputation, and His pleasure above my own?
• Have I surrendered to God all my desires, rights, and expectations regarding my family?
• Am I willing to let God decide whether I am to be married and to whom?
• Am I willing to love my mate in a Christlike way, regardless of whether or not that love is reciprocated?
• Have I released my children to the Lord? Am I trying to control their lives? Am I willing for Him to call them and use them in His service – anywhere, in any way, regardless of the cost?
• Is there anyone that I “love” in a way that is not pure? Am I holding on to any friendships or relationships that God wants me to relinquish?
• Am I willing to sacrifice friendships, if necessary, in order to obey God and His call in my life?
• Am I willing to speak the truth in love to others about their spiritual condition, even if it means risking the loss of the relationship or my reputation?

Myself: “Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.”

• Have I surrendered all that I am and all that I have to God?
• Is there any part of myself – my plans, relationships, possessions, emotions, career, future – that I am knowingly holding back from God?
• Have I settled the issue that the ultimate purpose of my life is to please God and bring Him glory?
• Is it the intent of my heart, by His grace, to live the rest of my life wholly for Him and for His pleasure, rather than for myself and my pleasure?

(Tomorrow – pt. 4: Examples and testimonies of a surrendered life)

Surrender, pt. 2

Today I want to look at why some people hesitate to surrender or choose to never surrender all to Christ… why people hang on to things in their own way and try to control their own lives. One reason can be seen as we look at the depth of surrender. Here is a detailed look at what this decision of surrender entails:

“To be a living sacrifice will involve all my time. God wants me to live every minute for Him in accordance with His will and purpose… No time can be considered as my own, or as ‘off-duty’ or ‘free.’…
To be a living sacrifice will involve all my possessions… All should be available to God for the furtherance of His Kingdom. My money is His… He has the right to direct the spending of each penny. … I must consider that I own nothing. All is God’s, and what I have, I have on trust from Him, to be used as He wishes.
To be a living sacrifice will involve all of myself. My will and my emotions, my health and vitality, my thinking and activities all are to be available to God, to be employed as He chooses, to reveal Himself to others. …All rights are His – to direct my living so that He can most clearly reveal Himself through me. God has the right, then, to choose my job, to choose my companions and my friends…
To be a living sacrifice will involve all my love. …I relinquish the right to choose whom I love and how, giving the Lord the right to choose for me… Whether I have a life partner or not is wholly His to decide, and I accept gladly His best will for my life. I must bring all these areas of my affections to the Lord for His control, for here, above all else, I need to sacrifice my right to choose for myself…” – Dr. Helen Roseveare

Does that seem too much to ask? Does it seem ridiculous to have to give up everything? Does it seem weak-minded? Does it seem extreme?
To many, yes, it does; to many, this whole notion of complete surrender seems utterly extreme. Some would look at the above explanation of surrender and call anyone who actually lives like that a “radical.” But in actuality, it’s not at all extreme or radical. When you look to the cross – look to Christ and His sacrifice – surrendering our lives to Him is not extreme or too much to ask. “In light of the incredible mercy of God poured out on us (past, present, and future mercies), a full and complete sacrifice of our lives is the only logical response we can make… in light of who God is and who we are, such surrender is completely reasonable.” As Isaac Watts penned in his well-known hymn “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross” (written in 1707) –
“Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”
We can ask, “shall we devote to [our] Saviour only our spare evening? Is He not worthy of the whole of our lives?” Can we give our all? Unfortunately, many people answer ‘no’ to that… allowing themselves to be tied too tightly to earthly things – hence why many never fully surrender.

Another reason for lack of surrender is plain old fear. “What might it mean for you today to offer yourself as a ‘living sacrifice’ to God?” Some fear surrender because of the uncertainty that comes with it; many “wrestle with real fears of what that might mean for us… Full surrender to Christ forces us to face the possibility – or the reality – of giving up some of the things we consider most important in life.” The fact is that “we don’t know what God knows – which is why we so often find it difficult to embrace His will and why we must learn to ‘trust and obey.’” It’s also a truth that “the pathway of surrender is not always an easy one.”
“Our natural tendency is to hold on tightly, to try to protect and preserve whatever we think we can’t live without. We are afraid that if we surrender everything to God – our health, our material possessions, our family, our reputation, our career plans, all our rights, our future – He might take us up on it!”
DeMoss points out that “many of our fears about relinquishing total control of our lives to God fall into four categories…"

1. Provision – Will I have what I need?
2. Pleasure – Will I be happy?
3. Protection – Will I (and those I love) be safe?
4. Personal relationships – Will my relational needs be met?

So how do we overcome this fear and resistance to surrender? For one, we can look to the promises of God because “the promises of God provide a powerful antidote to all our fears and free us to step out in faith and surrender.”
“[God says,] ‘I am your protection and your provision; if you have Me, you have all you need. So trust Me!’” We also have to remember to think properly about the temporal and the eternal. “Everything this world offers is temporary at best.” Remembering this helps tremendously!
As we continue in our walk with God, and as we continue to live in surrender, we are comforted, as “each ‘small’ step of surrender that we take confirms that God is worthy of our trust and prepares us to trust Him with bigger surrenders that may be required down the road.”
We can choose to either be bogged down by our fear and distrust, or we can let go, in faith that He knows best. We can either “trust the promises of God – which will free you to live joyfully under His loving Lordship – or live under the tyranny of that which you will not surrender.”
As an example for this – trusting His promises – here are a few quick Scripture verses related to the “four fears” mentioned:

1. Provision – Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:19; Matthew 7:7; Philippians 4:6
2. Pleasure – (first off, remember that “our hearts can never be truly satisfied with less than Him”) Psalm 16:11; 36:7-8
3. Protection – Psalm 21:2, 4-6
4. Personal Relationships – 1 John 1:3,7; Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 73:25

Another way to ‘trust and obey’ is to look at the example of our loving Christ, which is the perfect example of surrender. “From eternity past, through all of time, and through all of eternity future, Jesus’ life was, is, and always will be, one of absolute surrender.” When we look at Christ’s life we see that “Jesus came to earth expressly to do the will of God.” “In eternity past, He had surrendered Himself to the will of God – to become the sinbearer for all mankind… He surrendered – willingly, freely gave up His life – so you and I could inherit eternal life.” It is because of Christ’s surrender that we are saved. What a Saviour! What a comfort! And what an example! “What makes the attitude of the Lord Jesus so astounding is that He is God. For Him to surrender His will to that of the Father can only be explained in terms of utter selflessness, trust, humility, and deep devotion to His Father.”
Philippians 2:5 tells us that our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” One of the best ways to act on this is in surrender, because “every time you and I bow our heads in acceptance of and surrender to the will of God, we embrace the cross and we manifest to the world the heart of Christ who bowed His head to the will of His Father.”

A simple fact of this all is that “to call Him Lord means to say Yes – to His will, His Word, and His ways. We cannot call Him Lord and then proceed to run our own lives.”
No matter the issue, however daunting it may seem, whatever the price or fears, no matter where that surrender might lead you –
“To be totally surrendered to God means to bow the knee before a Sovereign Lord. It means to say Yes to God…

• Yes to His choices for your life – even when they don’t seem comfortable or convenient
• Yes to difficult or painful circumstances that you cannot understand or change
• Yes to everything that is revealed in His Word
• Yes to His plans, His purposes, and His priorities
• Yes to the human authorities He has placed in your life
• Yes to His disciplines
• Yes to His control over your appetites, your body, your time, your relationships, your future – everything

To some, that type of surrender might seem to be bondage; but those who have bowed the knee – those who have laid down their arms and waved the white flag of surrender – know that it is the only pathway to true freedom.”


(Tomorrow – pt. 3: A practical/applicable look at surrender)

Surrender, pt. 1

I recently re-read a book called Surrender, written by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. It’s part of a series of 3 books – the other two being Brokenness and Holiness.
This book made quite a deep impact on my life years ago when I first read it, and the truths in it are still always a huge blessing. The topic of surrender is one that I think is important to talk about. So, I’d like to give a basic summary of this book… talking about what surrender is and what it means for a Christian to surrender all to God. Although I’ll be using lots of quotes from the book, I still urge you to get this book and read it through yourself as it’s absolutely full of important truths and thoughts for application. :)


I want to start by simply looking at what surrender means. In our society today “surrender” is seen as a negative thing… it usually has implications of weakness or ‘giving up’ in a pessimistic way. Our society is always trying to tell us that we have to make our own way, prosper ourselves, be independent and free, etc. Basically, surrender is the opposite of what the world says we ought to live. And yet Christ calls us to surrender to Him:
“The terms of our surrender to the Lord Jesus are non-negotiable and unconditional. What does He ask us to surrender? In a word, everything. Christian surrender means that we come to Him on His terms and say simply, ‘I surrender all.’ We lay down our arms, we hand over everything we have, everything we are, everything we hope to be.”
Yet we fight this with all our might sometimes. There are lots of reasons why we don’t want to surrender, because it’s not easy to surrender! “One of the challenges of complete surrender to Christ is that we don’t know what lies ahead.” But “God says, ‘Here’s a blank piece of paper. I want you to sign your name on the bottom line, hand it back to Me, and let Me fill in the details. Why? Because I am God; because I have bought you; because I am trustworthy; because you know how much I love you; because you live for My glory and not your own independent, self-promoting pleasure.’”
“Surrender to Christ is life-changing… that surrender involves a transfer of allegiance and a transformation of perspective that ought to affect every aspect of our lives.”
As frightening as that may seem to some, the truth is that “surrender is the source and means of true freedom and fullness… to surrender to the Creator’s control is not onerous or burdensome; it is, in fact, the place of blessing, fullness, and peace. …If we will let Him, God will fill in the details of our lives with His incomparable wisdom and sovereign plan, written in the indelible ink of His covenant faithfulness and love.”

But why do we have to surrender? The Scripture says that “from the moment we were conceived, we were at war with God (Psalm 51:5).” We want to be in control… “beneath the surface, every human being has an inborn determination to run his own life and an unwillingness to be mastered by Christ, the King of kings.” We think we know best and we think we can handle everything just fine. And usually we do think we’re doing a great job! “We so easily become desensitized to God’s standards or feel that compared to the world’s standards we are doing fine.” And yet, as DeMoss reminds us, “If you claim to be a follower of Christ while living in denial about certain areas of your life that are not pleasing to Him, you are not living a fully surrendered life, no matter how many people may think of you as a ‘good Christian.’”
The fact is that we’re not in control, we can’t rule our own lives, and we’re not as invincible as we think we are. This is why surrender to God is vital. He’s the One in control: “God exercises His sovereign control over the universe because He is the only one capable of running the universe. Inherent in His being is absolute sovereignty – the right to rule. He is the Creator – we are His creatures. He is eternal – we are finite. He is all-powerful – we have no power of our own. He is autonomous, independent, and self-existent, needing no one and nothing – we are dependent on Him for our next breath (Acts 17:24-25).”

So, what if we don’t surrender? What if we just want to keep living as we were and doing what we’re doing? Actually, many people do just that. But in the end, everyone will surrender, whether they want to or not, when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Without complete surrender to Him in our lives here on earth we won’t be prepared or willing to bow the knee in the end. And meanwhile, in our lives now, “there can be no peace with God, nor can there be peace in our hearts, apart from unconditional surrender. Refusing to surrender merely compounds our losses; delayed surrender only prolongs the conflict.” “As long as we refuse to surrender our will to the will of God, we are never truly free. Rather, we find ourselves dominated by ungodly appetites and forces.”

You see, surrender isn’t a negative thing and it certainly doesn’t mean we’re weak minded. In fact, living without this surrender is the negative. When we do surrender, a huge transformation takes place, and instead of having the negative implications the world may assume, it accomplishes the opposite:
“Once a lifetime surrender has been made, many of our battles will be much less difficult to fight, because the outcome – Jesus is Lord – has already been established. That fundamental acknowledgement of His sovereign right to reign and rule over us will serve us well as our allegiance to the King is tested on a daily basis.” And, “in surrendering to Him, we finally see the ‘surpassing value’ of Christ over all that the world ever could have given us (Philippians 3:8).”

But surrender to Christ doesn’t just end at that one commitment… it’s an ongoing thing. “Having surrendered our lives to Christ as Saviour and Lord, we must now learn what it means to live out a surrendered life – to continually say no to self, and yes to God.” As both initial and ongoing, it is “a surrender that is made once and for all, as well as daily, recurring sacrifice of our lives to God. Our initial surrender to Christ is the launching pad for a lifetime of continual surrender and sacrifice. Now, on a daily, perpetual basis, we are called to live out that consecration, by responding to the various circumstances and choices of life in obedience and surrender to His will.”
Along with thinking of ‘surrender’ is the thought and picture of a slave. Now, if ‘surrender’ is a negative word, ‘slave’ is one unthinkable to apply to ourselves in today’s society. In fact, even in many Bible translations they have changed the word ‘slave’ to ‘servant’ because it doesn’t give quite as much negative connotations. “A servant is defined as ‘a person employed to perform services for another.’ A slave, on the other hand, is a ‘human being who is owned as property by, and is absolutely subject to the will of another.” And yet we see again that when applying this word to our lives in Christ, it’s not negative in any way… “It is absolutely appropriate that human beings should choose to be the slaves of the Lord Jesus, whom they love and long to serve for all their lives.”
DeMoss shares personally, that she has “come to believe that there is no greater calling to be marked as His slave – to choose to give my life in the service of the Master I have grown to know and love and trust.”
This isn’t just a “here and there” surrender… we can’t pick and choose what to surrender, when to surrender specific things, etc. By surrendering all to God we’re not just making a “commitment” or acting as “servants.” No, we are “to offer ourselves as living sacrifices – that is, we are to go on living in these bodies, recognizing that they are not our own, that they belong to God, whose temple we are.” What does it mean to “offer our bodies”? “Offering our bodies speaks of a complete presentation of ourselves to God. It means devoting to the Lord Jesus, not just our ‘spare evenings,’ but ‘the whole of [our] lives.’” … “God’s call to lay down our lives on the altar of sacrifice means that we give Him all that we are – our rights, our reputation, our desires, our future plans; everything that concerns us – first, for a lifetime, and then, day by day, moment by moment, decision by decision.”



(Tomorrow – pt. 2: Why we hesitate to surrender)