“I Surrender!”: devotional for Men's Ministry 1-14-2020
There are many terms we men don't like to hear or want to think applies to us. Men are supposed to be strong, victorious, providers, great leaders. We don't like to hear words like surrender. But that's because of our understanding of that word. When we hear surrender we think of it in terms of military defeat; how one army company surrenders to the opposing force. A few of our greatest leaders have been quoted on how they felt about surrender. General George S. Patton once said, “My men don't surrender.” At the height of the Cold War John F. Kennedy said, “One path we shall never choose is the path of surrender.” Robert E. Lee said he would rather “die a thousand deaths than surrender to Ulysses S. Grant.” Is there anything less manly than surrender?
Let's take a closer look at that word. Surrender is defined: to yield to the power, control, or possession of another. To yield control. That is one thing we men do not want to do.
When you think about it we are surrendering to someone from the time we are born. When we're born & in the years of our childhood we are giving ourselves up, or yielding control, to our parents. We surrender our will to theirs because they love us & only want what is best for us. This principle is even more true of our Father in Heaven.
In our Christian life we are to surrender to the will of Christ. When we do that it is not a loss at all. Without surrendering to Jesus it is impossible to be the man God created you to be. It's that simple. Surrendering to our Lord is not a sign of weakness. There is no loss when we do that. When we surrender to Jesus we only gain strength & experience victory through Him! Let's take a look at a few examples.
To begin with I'd like to share my story of surrender. I had a good childhood. My family loved me & taught me to do what was right. I did well in school & went on to do what I wanted to do with my life. The problem there is that it was what I wanted. After graduating from college I got married & started a family of my own. I got a good job with the textile manufacturer Milliken & Co. Things were going well but I was not walking down the path God had for me. I hadn't surrendered to Jesus yet; God hadn't broken me. On June 4th, 2006 that version of Michael Brown died in a car wreck. I survived a Traumatic Brain Injury. I was hurt & confused. In the months after the injury my brain healed to the point I was able to understand that it was only by the grace & mercy of God I could still draw breath. I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me. I surrendered & gave my life to Him.
After surrendering to Jesus I have had more blessings than I can count. One day our Heavenly Father told me to send prayers out to all of my email contacts. That was the birth of what is now Knee-Mail Ministry. In addition to the United States, Knee-Mail Ministry has members who live in Australia, Bolivia, South Africa, & the Arab nation of Saudi Arabia! Jesus told His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations...” (Matthew 28:19) Those are only the countries to which I know the prayers are being sent. Because they are online only God knows how many souls they are reaching!
The next example I have is our pastor D.W. Feaster. He recently told us that there was a time he ran from God. He felt the Spirit calling him but that wasn't the direction he wanted his life to go. One day he surrendered to God's will & since that day he has gone on to international missionaries & pastoring churches.
The next 2 examples are men who are much better known than D.W. & myself. God instructed the prophet Jonah to go to the nation of Nineveh to warn the wicked people there of the impending judgment & get them to repent. He chose to disobey that instruction & go by ship to the land of Tarshish. He tried to run from the Lord's presence. What happened on that fateful trip is very well known. A great storm overtakes the seas & tosses the ship about frightening those onboard. Jonah told the crew that it was his fault that the storm was hitting the ship & he told them to throw him overboard. When Jonah was in the water the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow him. He spent 3 days in the belly of the fish. I'm sure this time he spent thinking about what he had done & about what he had to do to make things right with his life. God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land. After going through this ordeal Jonah was broken & surrendered his life to Yahweh. The Lord then came to him a second time & again told him to go to Nineveh & preach the message He had commanded him to preach. Jonah got up & went to Nineveh without any argument. After being warned to turn from their ways by Jonah the king of Nineveh sent out a proclamation that “each must turn from their evil ways and wrongdoings.” (Jonah 3:8). Seeing this change the Lord was pleased & He spared them from disaster He had threatened them with.
The final example of surrender will prove that surrender is not a sign of weakness. It is about how the Son of God surrendered to the Father. We look at the final days of the life of our Savior & all the anguish He endured. He had been betrayed, mocked, beaten, & sweat drops of blood all for our salvation. Jesus made His way to the Mount of Olives & the disciples followed him. When He got there he prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42).
In the second chapter of Philippians Christ stated that He emptied Himself & took on the form of a servant. Servants are submissive to, or surrendered to, the will of their master. He humbled Himself by being obedient to the Lord to the point of death. (Philippians 2:7-8) The greatest man who ever walked the face of the earth said he didn't want His will to be done, but the Father's will. The ultimate act of obedience & surrender.
The ironic thing about surrender is that we have nothing at all to surrender. Technically we don't own a thing. Everything we have, including our very life, belongs to the Lord. Surrender is more of a state of mind. It's a position we take when we can look to God & say, “Everything I have is Yours. Do with it what You will.” Can you say that today?
One final question, what are you holding back from God? What area or areas of your life have you NOT surrendered to Him? Now is the time to let Him have it!
