“If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” —Luke 9:23
As every believer soon discovers, the initial point of surrender to Jesus is not the final chapter. That crucial point must be followed by an ongoing process of working out the reality of our surrender in practical, day-to-day ways. However, that daily lifestyle of surrender is birthed out of a foundational, unconditional, lifetime surrender to Jesus as Lord.
In the natural realm, the dieter who has made a firm commitment not to eat desserts has an easier time saying, “No, thank you!” when the tantalizing dessert tray is passed than the person who is frustrated with being overweight but has not determined his course of action.
In much the same way, once that 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 acknowledgment 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.
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Surrender: The Heart God Controls ©2003, 2005 Revived Hearts Foundation
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
How can remembering your initial, unconditional surrender to the lordship of Christ simplify areas of daily surrender?