Surrender Self
[Jesus said,] Whoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
Mark 8:34–35
A police sergeant once asked me the secret of victorious Christian living. I told him there is no magic formula. But if any one word could describe it, it would be surrender.
You may ask, “Billy, how can I surrender my life?” It is surrendered in the same way that salvation comes to the sinner. There needs to be a confession of sin and a complete yielding of every area of life, personality, and will to Jesus Christ—plus faith that Christ will accept that commitment. It is not enough for us to have been confirmed or to have made a decision for Christ at an altar. We cannot walk successfully in the glow of that experience for the rest of our lives. Being human, we need to return and renew those vows and covenants with the Lord. We need to take inventory and have spiritual checkups.
Today Christ is calling Christians to cleansing—to dedication—to consecration—to full surrender. Your response will make the difference between success and failure in your spiritual life. It will make the difference between your needing help and being able to help others.
It will revolutionize your habits, your prayer life, your Bible reading, your giving, your testimony, and your church relationship. This is the Christian’s hour of decision!
If you are a Christian and have been suffering defeat, or have been outside the will of God, or do not know the power and thrill and joy that Christ can bring, I beg of you to surrender every area of your life. Give yourself wholly to Christ.
Our Father and our God, I surrender my heart and my life to You. For I know You can accept nothing less than a full surrender in order to save me from my sins, which I confess to You now. Redeem me, Father, so that I can help lead others to Your redemption as well. In the name of Christ, the great Redeemer. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).