Surrender = Victory
“We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” Winston Churchill spoke these inspiring words in the face of a potential Nazi invasion in World War II. The British were willing to fight to the last man and woman to preserve their freedom. Surrender simply wasn’t an option for victory.
The word “surrender” has and always will invoke the negative implications of giving up, backing down, or in the case of Churchill and the British, forfeiting freedom for a life of subjugation and potential death. As men, we simply don’t like the thought of surrender. Surrender is a last resort. We’d rather use words like “grit,” “toughness,” and “resilience." There is nothing wrong with opposing the idea of giving up or backing down from what’s right. We should strive to persevere and fight through tough times to be the type of leaders God has called us to be for our families and communities. These are all good things! Yet, the Bible teaches us the counter-cultural message that surrendering to God is an integral component of knowing and loving Him. Our surrender results in our victory.
Surrendering our Pride
Men crave attention. We crave adoration. We especially crave being #1. We are prideful by nature. We aren’t in it to be average, we’re in it to be the best AND we want everyone to know it when we’ve made it to the top. The writer of Proverbs gives us a somber warning about this kind of cavalier attitude when he wrote, “pride comes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18). It’s not “if”, but rather “when” pride will bring us down. Okay, so how does this apply to us? Well maybe you’re not like me and struggle with loudly projecting a confident demeanor that oftentimes slips into cocky and conceited. However, you may be the guy who quietly in his heart believes he’s got it all under control and the reason for your success is because of who you are and what you’ve done. Regardless of the way pride has seeped into your life, it’s there if you’re honest with yourself. It’s time to examine and surrender our pride to Jesus because as my father-in-law says, “You don’t want God to humble you.” We must admit that our way is not the best way and that we need Christ’s help to navigate our daily lives. We’re simply not as in control as we think. King Nebuchadnezzar from the book of Daniel learned the dangers of pride when he was driven from his kingdom and rendered insane after declaring,
“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30)
Thankfully, for Nebuchadnezzar that’s not where the story ends. The Lord had mercy on the king and restored his mind and his kingdom after years in the wild. The Lord’s kindness led to a heart change in King Nebuchadnezzar who later proclaimed,
“[37] Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”
If one of the greatest and most powerful men in the world learned the hard way that God has no tolerance for pride, we shouldn’t think that God’s hatred of pride won’t reach us. It’s our choice. Either we can surrender our pride or God will humble us.
Surrendering our Will
The second area we must surrender is that of our will. Each of us have desires and dreams that we hope to fulfill. Our problems arise not with our desires, but rather when our desires and dreams replace our pursuit and love for Jesus as our primary concern. We find ourselves willing to serve God until His ways and His plans interfere with ours. In Mark 4, Jesus explains part of His parable (The Parable of the Sower) this way,
“[18] And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, [19] but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.”
A person can hear Jesus’ words and quickly lose track of their priorities. Before long, Jesus is an afterthought and worldly things have become priority. We must make an intentional decision that we will put Him first and then ask Him for His help to do this daily. His will becomes our will. It is a reminder that as Christians, we are not our own. Galatians 2:20 makes this clear when Paul says,
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Being crucified with Christ is a strong mental picture that clearly points out the vital importance of making Jesus the priority in our life. The Believer’s Bible Commentary says it this way, “The Savior did not die for me in order that I might go on living my life as I choose. He died for me so that from now on He might be able to live His life in me...The Christian lives by continual dependence on Christ, by yielding to Him, by allowing Christ to live His life in him” (1907). Why would we do this? I think my mentor and friend Dennis Nichols says it best, “When a person trusts Christ his own personal interests and goals no longer direct his life; rather Christ who lives in him now directs and empowers all he does.” It’s not about us. It’s about Christ.
Confession
What if after all that I told you that I’m not “there” in either of these areas yet? What if I told you that my pride and my own stubborn will are my biggest pitfalls? What if I told you I still need to figure out how to apply the words I’ve written here to my own life? Maybe right now is an opportunity for me and for you to reflect on where we really are in relation to Jesus, our pride, and our will. Maybe it’s okay I don’t have it figured out because maybe, just maybe, daily surrender of myself to Christ is victory after all.