Surrender. In literal terms, surrender means to give up something to another person. It also means to relinquish something granted to you — your possessions, power, goals, even your life.
Christians hear much about the surrendered life, but what does it really mean? The surrendered life is the act of giving back to Jesus the life he granted you. It’s totally resigning your life over to his hands to do with you as he pleases.
Jesus lived his life on earth wholly dependent on the heavenly Father. Our Savior did nothing and said nothing until he first consulted with his Father in glory. And he performed no miracles except those the Father instructed him to. He declared, “As My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And … the Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:28-29).
Jesus asked a question in Luke 18:8: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” I have always wondered at this question. What could the Lord mean? As I look around at the Church today, I think no other generation has been more focused on faith than ours.
When the Lord touches someone and he is driven to his knees, he becomes intimate with Christ. He enters into a place of rest and begins to minister to Christ with new passion and a greater love.
This servant also becomes more aware of the coming Day of Judgment when he knows that God will ask him one great question: “How did you portray Christ to a lost world?”
“We do not lose heart … but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:1-2). The apostle Paul states that we are called to be a manifestation of the truth. Of course, we know Jesus is this truth. So, what does Paul mean by saying, in essence, that we are to manifest Jesus?
Moses was possessed by God. When he lived in Pharaoh’s house, he refused to be called Pharaoh’s son: “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:25-26).
The apostle Paul instructs us, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (1 Corinthians 12:27). In another place he says more specifically, “The body is one and has many members, but all the members … are one body, so also is Christ” (12:12).
Have you been challenged to step out in a new direction that demands supernatural faith? Do you need God to work a miracle in your life so that you can realize your dream?
In God’s eyes, true faith has nothing to do with the size of a work you aim to accomplish. Rather, it has to do with the focus and direction of your life. You see, God isn’t as concerned with your grand vision as he is with who you are becoming. Indeed, no work, regardless of how great, is of any value to the Lord unless the lesser, hidden matters of faith are being done.
Psalm 56 is meant for those who have been wounded — whether by family, friends, or the words and actions of the ungodly. It is a word for those who love the Lord yet who shed tears and carry burdens that seem to grow heavier by the day.
Some believers wake up every day under a cloud of fear and despair. They may feel crushed and frightened because of financial problems. Others face serious health battles and insufferable pain while still others grieve over family members who are in deep trouble, perhaps in rebellion against the Lord.
You are probably familiar with the story of Job in the Old Testament. If so, you remember that Satan could not touch this godly servant of God without first obtaining permission from heaven. The Lord told the devil he could afflict Job’s body, he could take him through baffling trials, but he could not kill him.