Raising the Flag
As Christians, we are expected to surrender our lives to Jesus at the moment of conversion and imitate Him in all that we do. Oh, how this is easier said than done! So often, I pray that I am not perceived as a hypocrite for the many flaws I have yet to surrender (some realized and some not). Is surrender supposed to be one-and-done? As I pondered this question, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit whispered, “No! It is part of the sanctification process” (a big word that means the process of being made holy). Surrendering to God is a reoccurring act. It is unlike war when one gives into the enemy, raises the white flag and the war is won. Although surrendering to God is part of warfare in the Kingdom of God, it is not a one time occurrence.
In the AA/NA recovery programs, it is said “Trust the process” and remember “Relapse is part of the process”. These programs are based on 12 steps found in God’s Word. Every time one relapses, they must go back and repeat the prior steps. For example: Step 1 is based on honesty; that one is powerless without God. Step 2 recognizes that a power greater than oneself can restore them back to sanity. And step 3 is the decision to turn one’s will and life over to God. In other words, surrendering again to God each time one messes up. Some may say this is flawed because God could be anything, therefore it is lacking the true power of freedom won for us by the cross of Christ. That is a debate for another day. I merely want to draw a correlation between the surrender process of an addict or alcoholic and a Christian going through the process of sanctification. They both require surrender, and many times it occurs more than once.
The Conversion Experience
One cannot accept Jesus as Lord without the “conviction” of the Holy Spirit. Conviction is a term that could be synonymous with judgment, but in this case it refers to being made aware of something that needs correcting regarding our sinful nature. A dear sister in Christ, the source of inspiration for this blog said, “as genuine Christians we all should have experienced this”. When we surrender our mind, will and emotions to God, the Holy Spirit does the convicting and begins to produce fruit in us. (Galatians 5:22-25) This fruit of the Spirit does not appear overnight, like what happened with the beans in the fairy tale “Jack in the beanstalk”. However, some of our attitudes or characteristics can “instantly” change due being convicted.
“Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
(John 12:24 ESV)
When aspects of our life (problems, strongholds, character flaws, fears, doubts, etc…) become burdensome or repulsive, we lay them down in surrender to Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to complete His good work in us, helping us bear fruit in those areas.
Other people fight the feeling of conviction, become angry and come up with all kinds of excuses to hate or doubt God. Usually, they blame others and take no responsibility for their sinful actions. I see this in the world all the time with those who are not living according to God’s will in keeping with His Word. These are people who do not want to change. Surrender requires a willingness to change!
The Process
We are a flawed creation since sin entered the human spirit. If we were not, we would be more like God. We were created in His image to glorify Him (check out my last blog The glory of God). However, He gives us a choice. Should you choose to follow Jesus, the process of glorifying God with your life is life long. He is glorified little by little, each day until the end of your days here on earth. As you do this, you become a light shining in this dark world. Every time you bear fruit, your light shines brighter. You are like salt, producing a good flavor in the world around you. Remember, you’re the salt of the earth and the light of the world (See Matthew 5:13-20). You make this world a better place when you endlessly surrender your soul (your mind, will and emotions) to God and let the Holy Spirit help you.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
(Romans 10:13 NLT)
You are not only saved from a life eternally separated from God, you are saved from the lies of the devil telling you that you are not who God created you to be. You are saved from yourself, that “desperately wicked” soul that man has without God (See Jeremiah 17:9 NLT). When you call on Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you are transformed into a new creation in Christ. As such, you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit more and more. Sometimes, it comes in the form of guilt. That, can lead to condemnation, which is a lie of the deceiver. Romans 8:1 tells us: “So there is now no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Test it!
When guilt is felt over something, we must test it to see if it is the truth or a lie. As Christians, it must be tested against God’s Word! What does the Bible say regarding what we are feeling or what someone has said to us? If your guilt is caused by sin, repent, lay it down and bury it. When you surrender it to God, you will bear fruit. It may be peace, love, joy, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness or self control. These fruits all take time to develop and are part of the process.
If what you are feeling or hearing is a lie of the devil telling you something that contradicts what God’s Word says about you, then dismiss it! Remember from a previous blog–A Big Stink About Something, you can command the devil to get away from you in Jesus’ name.
In conclusion, surrender in the Kingdom of God is not one-and-done. You must read God’s Word to discern the truth from lies and let the Holy Spirit produce fruit in you. As each fruit ripens, you will become not only salt and light in this dark world, but a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Seek and find the truth in the Bible, and the fruit of faith will be produced in you.
Remember: “Without faith it is impossible to please God”, and “faith comes by hearing the Word of God” and then acting on it. Doubt may cause you to think about God, which is not a bad thing, but don’t leave it there. The problem with doubt is that it causes you to become like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (See James 1:6). You can’t expect God to answer any of those prayers. So, if you are doubting… well, all bets are off. Surrender even your doubt.
God won’t force you to believe in Him, He will simply allow you to take the wheel. And when that no longer works for you, you can still call on the name of Jesus for help. He will hear you and answer. The Holy Spirit will come and take up residence in your spirit and convict you little by little of what needs to be surrendered. If you are having trouble hearing that still small voice of the Lord inside you, then read God’s Word. He speaks loud and clear through His Word.
God bless you and thank you for reading my blog. Please remember to share it.
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