Strength in Surrender

This powerful article reminds us that the greatest breakthroughs often come not through striving, but through strength in surrender. By letting go of control and trusting God fully, we open the door for His power to work in and through our lives—transforming pain into purpose and ordinary moments into miracles. Whether you’re battling addiction, fear, or uncertainty, true freedom is found when we place everything into God’s capable hands.

 

Surrender is often a misunderstood concept. Many see it as a sign of weakness, a notion that couldn’t be further from the truth. For us, surrender is where we find our greatest strength.

In James 4:7, you are reminded to “submit yourselves therefore to God.” This means that you learn to surrender your will and your decision-making to Him daily. This is what it means for Jesus to be in control of your life. When you live with Jesus as your Lord, you finally discover the true meaning of joy and peace!

The book of Proverbs (written by King Solomon) gives us this practical advice to help us yield our lives to the Lord: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV).

As you yield your life to Christ more and more, you find His Holy Spirit becoming clearer and more evident. When you come up against a temptation or a trying circumstance, you will discover that your fleshly desires are diminishing while God’s Spirit is alive and active.

This is 2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV) at work. This verse states, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” The word glory means splendor, honor, and magnificence, and God will take your life from glory to glory to glory until one precious day, you will be standing in Heaven with Jesus, completely transformed into His glorious image!

The Power of Letting Go

Addiction thrives on our attempts to control our circumstances and manipulate our reality. Surrendering to God requires us to let go of our need for control and entrust our lives completely into His loving hands.

The psalmist understood this important truth and wrote on behalf of the Lord, “LET GO and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10 NASB footnote).

You see, the secret to having God exalted in our lives is in simply letting go—relinquishing something we treasure, transferring it from our hands to His. Or, as Jesus told us, we must lose our life to find it (Luke 17:33).

Letting go takes a person’s life from ordinary to extraordinary … from bland to blessed … from victim to victor … and from boring to bold. In contrast, nothing is duller
or more depressing than trying to hold on to what we already have.

Look at these examples …

Abraham’s son Isaac was just an ordinary young man until Abraham let him go and put him on the altar of sacrifice to the Lord (Genesis 22:1–18).

Only after Moses let go of his ordinary shepherd’s staff (Exodus 4:1–5) did it become transformed into “the rod of God,” able to perform mighty miracles (Exodus 4:20; 17:9).

There was nothing extraordinary about the five loaves and two fish the disciples had on hand—until they let go of their supply into the hands of Jesus (Matthew 14:13–21).

You see, whenever letting go takes place, God performs miracles, and our lives are transformed.

Freedom in Trust

Surrendering to God’s will is an act of trust—a recognition that His plans for us are good, even when they may not align with our desires. Psalm 37:5 assures us, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act” (ESV). By relinquishing our grip on our lives and trusting in God’s faithfulness, we find freedom from the bondage of addiction and the burdens of self-reliance.

Genesis 28 tells the story of a fearful, lonely time in the life of Isaac’s son Jacob. One night he was by himself in a deserted place far from his home. When Jacob fell asleep, he had a spectacular dream. In his dream, he saw that a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached Heaven. The angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

This dream got Jacob’s attention right away. The ladder between Heaven and Earth showed Jacob a powerful and life-changing truth: The resources of Heaven are a lot closer than we think!

Too often, believers view Heaven as some distant and inaccessible place, with no impact on our lives until after we die. But Jacob’s dream showed him there is constant activity taking place between Heaven and Earth. Because of that, amazing miracles are possible, including financial breakthroughs, physical and emotional healings, and restored relationships.

After Jacob witnessed this interaction between Heaven and earth, the Lord promised in verse 14 to give him that land and said, “In you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (NASB).

Have you ever thought about the promises God has given YOU for your life and your family? When you are armed with the promises of God, you don’t need to fear the future. The Lord has already declared His plan, and nothing in Heaven or on earth will stop it from happening.

Jacob’s encounter with the Lord impacted him so greatly that he declared the spot to be a special sanctuary of God’s presence: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it … How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (vs. 16–17).

In the physical realm, this piece of ground was just a desolate section of desert. But Jacob dedicated it as a special place … the very gate of Heaven!

Friend, God has a plan and a purpose for your life as well! His Word is full of promises to you. Instead of allowing fear to rule your mind, reach out in faith, trusting and believing the Lord to fulfill His promises. Genesis 12:2 says He wants to bless you and make you a blessing. And as long as you’re still breathing, God is still working!

Perhaps the dreams and promises God has given you seem impossible. But remember that God promises to be with you all along the way, just as He told Jacob in Genesis 28:15, “I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (NASB). Trust God to faithfully complete the work He’s begun in your life.

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Excerpt taken from Simple Steps to Overcoming Addiction by Inspiration Ministries

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