In military terms, surrender means defeat, but for a follower of Jesus, it means victory over whatever is hindering our Christian life. In this message, Dr. Stanley explores what it truly means to ask the Lord for His will to be done in our lives and encourages us to let go of anything that God says is not for our best. We lose nothing when we yield everything to Him.

[Music]

if I should ask you do you believe the

battle or here’s how much ever you

believe Genesis to Revelation

if you if you really believe that

surrender your life to give your whole

self to give you the privilege of

blessing you to the maximum of your

potential civility guard

[Music]

four decades ago we started in touch

ministries to lead people worldwide into

a growing relationship with Jesus Christ

throughout the years we’ve seen God’s

greatness his love and his blessings in

such awesome ways that we just want

everyone to know him so let’s open God’s

Word and seek Him together next on

InTouch living a surrendered life as

best you know your heart are you fully

surrendered to Jesus Christ there is not

only to save you but your Lord can you

say yes I’m surrendered to the Lord or

would you like most people have to say

well now back yonder I can tell you when

I got saved well we’re not talking about

salvation we’re talking about living a

surrendered life a life that’s willing

to be honest and open willing to believe

the Word of God willing to honestly and

truly acknowledge that when Jesus went

to the cross he took all of us in debt

in full willing to acknowledge that God

has will for all of our lives and

willing to acknowledge that God has the

right to expect us to say I surrender

you see that phrase our surrender is

demanding it requires something it’s one

thing to say it to somebody but to say

it to God I surrender I surrender what I

surrender myself all that I am all that

I have Lord I surrender everything

listen carefully that’s what he’s

listening for that’s what he is

expecting that’s what he died for that’s

his perfect will for all of us to be

able to say lord I surrender what do I

surrender I don’t just surrender this or

that that I have I’ve surrendered my

will to you I want you to have you will

in my

I yield everything I don’t I don’t I

don’t have my grip on anything I want

you’re perfect you were in my life now

what we surrend there wouldn’t be the

same for all of us

some people have discerned to this some

people have to surrender that only you

know what is in your life that maybe God

has been talking to you about for a long

time maybe a short period of time but

you know when you get down to pray this

thing keeps cropping up there’s

something you keep thinking about so

what do you do you tell God about it you

ask him to forgive you of your sin and

you move on your way you say well I know

I’m forgiven right and yet two weeks

later two months later next day you’re

still dealing with the whole issue am i

surrendered surrender is not easy it’s

the giving up of my right it’s the

giving up of something it’s the giving

up of an attitude something it’s giving

up some opportunity but surrender is not

easy

and when Jesus in those last hours of

his life we’re seen him with his

disciples around the table and we

celebrate the Lord’s Supper and we

talked about what a beautiful scene that

was and so forth but that wasn’t such a

beautiful scene because listen over the

scripture says and he came out and

proceeded as was his custom to the Mount

of Olives and the disciples also

followed him and when he arrived at the

place he said to them pray that you may

not enter into temptation and he

withdrew from them about a stone’s throw

and he knelt down and began to pray

saying father if you’re willing remove

this cup from me yet not my will but

yours be done

Jesus was dealing with this whole issue

of the surrender of his will to the

Father you say well he grew up he grew

up surrendered to the Father he’s always

known at the most critical moments of

his life he’s asking the Father if it’s

your will and we know that was the

Father’s will for him to be crucified

and that’s exactly what happened but he

was willing to ask the father if it’s

possible for this cup to pass from me

yet not my will but your will be done

when is the last time you ever said to

God

lord I want your will not my will but

your will whatever you want in my life’s

what I want whatever you want out of my

life I want it out of my life

but if above everything else I want your

will to be done in my life see for a

general that means defeat for a follower

of Jesus it means absolute victory so

think about your own life for a moment

when’s the last time in your prayer time

you said Lord full surrender it’s one

thing to say I believe in Jesus it’s one

thing to say my name is written in the

Lamb’s Book of Life it’s one thing to

say I believe the word of God

it’s one thing to say I’m trying to live

a Christian life it’s something else to

say father I surrender what is it that

needs to be surrendered many people

trust the Lord Jesus Christ as their

Savior but he never has all of them they

never come to the place of surrendering

themselves to the Lord because you see

when you get saved

it’s amount of forgiveness of sin my

name’s written in the Lamb’s Book of

Life and now I belong to the Lord God

what an awesome wonderful feeling that

is but what about the other side of that

and here’s Jesus speaking with the

father he’s committed to the farm

but in these last moments before his

crucifixion what is he saying he’s

saying not my will but your will be done

when is the last time you prayed that

prayer father not my will but you will

be done

maybe he’s brought something up into

your life that you have been clinging to

not necessarily hiding but you just over

there you’ve never surrendered it to God

when is the last time you said Lord

opened the door to the closets of my

life

and let’s see everything that’s there

and let’s be sure when I close this door

they closed it is empty

I’m fully surrendered so I ask you this

question what is there in your life as a

follower of Jesus you still cling into

it may not listen it may not even be a

sin but it’s not the will of a father

for you it may not be something you’ve

done it’s something that you’re holding

on to so you say well I’m not guilty of

this and I’m not guilty of that is there

something in your will that you’ve never

surrendered can you say as best I know

my heart

I’m totally yielded to the Lord Jesus

Christ as my savior my lord

whatever he wants is what I want

whatever he wills is what I will I yield

my will to him I want him to have all of

me most people would have to say Lord

you can have all of me but I know this

obey this this is really not that wrong

God and nobody’s perfect so I just want

to thank you I yield myself to you

except everybody has some weakness and

like Lord that’s mine thank you for the

fret thank you you understand no no no

no

that’s not the way God operates and the

reason so many people are living

hindered in their Christian walk is

simply because they’ve never yielded

themselves totally to him you said what

do you mean yield himself I mean you

come before the Lord you open your heart

to him and you say to him whatever is in

my life that does not please you I

please me please you I want you take it

out I’m willing to confess repent walk

away give it up lay it down I want to be

totally yielded to you because listen

you can never become the person God want

you to be holding on to something that

doesn’t fit you you can never enjoy the

blessings of God as long as you’re

holding on to something that blocks a

blessing and I think about people who

live may be saved early in life but

never fully surrender and they will

boast about their name is written in the

Lamb’s Book of Life and I think about

all these wonderful songs we sing and

and how beautiful they are what is there

in your life that God’s put his finger

on so to speak he’s brought into your

mind it’s the one thing that when you

pray and you do you bless God and praise

Him and sing and wonderful hallelujah

you go home at the church and you talk

about what a fantastic music program we

have and how you love standing up and

singing the songs over and over and over

again what about the thing that you’ve

not talked about what is there in your

life that’s keeping you from being able

to say yes Lord everything not most

things not some things everything put

your finger on anything and everything

you see in my life that doesn’t fit your

perfect will I surrender

think about people who live their whole

lives never foolish unto themselves to

the Lord

maybe you got saved early in life I was

on the twelve I never heard the word

surrender when I was regular age and so

I think about people who are saved early

in life they get baptized they go to

church they joined the church they do

all the things that church members

supposedly do they go to a church where

the gospel is sort of preached you know

not really fully but just sorta just so

nobody gets upset and so they never hit

they never hear are you surrendered to

Jesus Christ we say well he’s the Lord

of my life now think about that you can

say Jesus is a lot of my life that can

mean different things to different

people he is the Lord and He is in my

life but is he the Lord of my life am I

fully surrendered am i yielded to him

when a general says I surrender what

does he do he gives up freedom liberty

and all rights everything that’s what

Jesus was doing he was making the final

surrender of himself to the Father and

to the cross crucifixion and death it’s

easy for us to paint a pretty good

picture of what the Christian life is

all about we talked about answered

prayer we talked about her name is

written in the Lamb’s Book of Life we

talked about all these beautiful songs

we talked about all the promises of God

in the Bible we can go on and on and on

but what about surrender can I honestly

say Lord Jesus in my total life I want

full the surrender no grip of anything

full surrender send me where you want to

send me take what you want to take send

what you want to send bold surrender

that’s what Jesus was doing in

shadow of the cross he was saying to the

father whatever you want not my will but

yours be done when it’s the last time

you honestly said personally to the Lord

father in every area of my life I want

your will to be done not my will but

your will whatever pleases use what I

want that’s what I want Lord he wants

you to trust him absolutely fully with

your life believing that he will guide

you to lead you enable you to become the

person God wants you to be anything but

some of the people who have talents and

abilities and skills that never give

them to God and I think about people who

have reached and I’m probably the oldest

person here this morning but I think

about people who have come a long ways

in their life they’ve been blessed in

many ways but they’ve never said lord I

fully surrender myself to you no strings

attached

I’m not holding on to anything I want

what you want take what you want to take

here’s my life

that’s what discipleship is about that’s

what lordship is about if I should ask

you is Jesus Lord of your life

the natural tendency would be to say yes

well if he’s the Lord of your life that

means he’s in charge of everything our

conversation I character our conduct all

submissive to him what would happen in

your life if you absolutely fully

surrendered yourself totally to him no

strings attached

Lord here’s my life what would happen in

your life what would happen to your

prayer life what would happen to your

giving what would happen to your

conversations are other people what

would happen to your heart

the people who are in your family or you

work with who or it might be that you

know are not saved what would happen in

your life if you fully surrendered

yourself to Jesus Christ fully

surrendered holding nothing back

I surrender everything I’ll yield

everything Lord in your mind if you were

to say today Lord Jesus yes I surrender

everything in my life to you how do you

think God would respond he doesn’t want

what you own he wants you he was the

surrender of yourself God can handle it

he can take anything we have anytime he

gets ready that’s not the issue the

issue is does it have me does it have

you what is it that you hold back on

what is it that’s keeping you from being

able to sing with all your heart all to

Jesus I surrender watch that not some

something Jesus has earned enough all to

Jesus I surrender all to him I freely

give have you ever said that to him in

prayer I want you to have everything

Lord yield myself to you completely and

Jesus had been seated around the table

with his disciples and you remember when

you read these passages that the

disciples were thinking about other

things they were arguing with each other

about who’s the greatest among them and

here’s Jesus facing the cross can you

imagine what the other would do in your

life if you said Lord I’ve been playing

Christian long enough I’ve been I’ve

been touting that I’m a child of God

along them I want you to have everything

starting today I want you to have

everything I surrender all that I am to

you do you know why most people won’t do

it it’s the devil street but you know

what they won’t do it they were afraid

that God is going to take something they

want that they’re holding on to and

they’ll say well suppose and I’ve had

people tell me it’s suppose God takes my

son what kind of God do you think he is

suppose he suppose he does this this

idea of God that he’s just waiting to do

something that’s horrible and painful

that’s not who God is he just wants you

to surrender yourself to him so he can’t

bless you bless others through you and

give you the opportunity of enjoying a

sod of the Christian life that most

people will never enjoy the Christian

life is a way of life led by the Lord

Jesus Christ he lives within us who has

the very very best from God’s point of

view does that mean no sickness no

sorrow no heartache no wants no needs

that’s not what that means at all

because some of those things that we

don’t want in that life God wants them

in that life for the simple reason he

knows that’s what it’ll take to finish

off the sand out to carve out of our

life things that are hindering us

keeping us from be the person he wants

us to be if you had to surrender

yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ fully

completely no strings attached no no

nothing nothing withholding from him

what would that mean in your life what

is it that you’re holding on to you know

in your life already that God doesn’t

want there is it somebody is it some

thing is it a way of life is that a

heaven in your life what is it that’s

keeping you from being fully totally

surrendered to Jesus Christ is the Lord

of your life because we do we know this

he has the best plan you can’t improve

on God’s love

improve on eternal life what will it

take to bring you to full surrender to

Jesus and discover what he would do in

your life if you gave him full charge he

said Lord here’s my life then you will

live your life and just wonder what

would happen see the Christian life is

not what most people think it is and

some people will tell you no I’m not

gonna be a Christian because they have

an idea if you become a Christian you

give up all fun you give up your rights

you have to love even the wicked yeah

and on and on and on they go but the

truth is when you surrender your life to

Christ fully life begins at its best

that’s when life begins at its best so

what will it take to get you there what

change would you have to make this

morning if you said before I walk out of

this building I’m gonna be fully

surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ is

my Savior what it take what would happen

in your life if you really and truly

surrendered your whole being to him and

just said God whatever you want is what

I want whatever you will is what I will

and I’m listening ready to be obedient

what changes do you think he’s making

your life you may be surprised he

wouldn’t make as many changes as you

think but I have to think about this I

can either fully surrender my life to

Jesus oh I can keep playing this game

then I’m gonna do the best I can Lord

I’m do the best again know what is

perfect I know you fully understand God

yes he does he feel they understands

what you’re missing but it’s not your

the for sure in the life that it’s best

life at its best as a life fully

surrendered life at its best is a life

that discovers just that much God truly

loves you he forgives us of our sin he

writes our name in the Lamb’s Book of

Life never be erased he’s fixed it so

that whenever we die we go into heaven

and he’s also made it possible for us to

live this life here with difficulty

hardships troubles and trials yes but

anchored to eternal life anchored to the

God it was in control of all things and

they will get us to heaven one of these

days now listen carefully if you don’t

have Jesus what do you have that gives

you any assurance about anything today

tomorrow next year until death if you

don’t have Jesus what do you have if I

should ask you do you believe the Bible

oh yes

how much ever do you believe Genesis the

revelation if you if you really believe

that surrender your life to Him give

your whole self to give him the

privilege a blessing you to the maximum

of your potential to surrender to God

when you breathe your last breath what

matters only one thing your relationship

to God through His Son Jesus Christ use

friends you like them

so nobody can answer that question for

you but you but I pray in Jesus name

that you will be honest enough with

yourself when you get home whatever it

might be let’s say to him Lord maybe I

don’t understand it all but I’m

surrendering everything to you

everything and so I hear this but

suppose God does this is no no no no no

may I inform you that yds trustworthy

he’s trustworthy you can trust him he’s

not gonna pull any tricks he’s not gonna

deny you anything he’s promised he’s

gonna do exactly what he said and for

all of us who believers and children of

God he says absent from the body

what present with the Lord safest place

to be is surrender damn and I trust that

you think seriously about it can you

honestly say fully surrendered you may

have to say it today tomorrow the next

day the next week next month next year

because we don’t always stay fully

surrendered but have you ever come to

the place where you’ve said in your life

fully surrendered amen

father we thank you for loving us we

thank you for being patient with us we

thank you for your forgiveness we thank

you that you ruled our name in the

Lamb’s Book of Life thank you for the

assurance of heaven but right now Lord

we want you to work in our hearts so

when we think about every aspect of our

life we can honestly say to you O Jesus

I want to be fully surrendered we want

to be able to not just sing it but the

testify of it all the Jesus I surrender

all to him I freely give I will ever

love entrusting and in this presence

they they live make that our prayer

father in Jesus name Amen

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