I SURRENDER ALL
Bennie P. Blount

nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done Luke 22:42

One of the least known "secrets" to a victorious Christian life, a life where one is a real over-comer of the problems of this life, is to know when to surrender. Of course, the idea of quitting in order to get something is not the natural way things happen. But it is the "super-natural" way of gaining a peace that the world can not take away.

Over the years I have had people come to me with just about every problem imaginable. They want magic answers to unsolvable problems in their lives. They want quick fixes to situations. As a Pastor I would, naturally, point them to the Lord and tell them to cast their cares on Him, let Jesus take care of the problem. Even though they would nod their head in agreement, I knew in my heart that they wanted their problems fixed some other way. Knowing this I would tell them that there really is no other way, except through the Lord.

You see, the problems in our lives are caused either by ourselves or others, sometimes its a combination of the two. If we are the cause then we simply quit doing whatever it is that is the problem. If the heart of the problem lies with someone other than ourselves, then there really is very little that we can do to alleviate the problem.

The fact is that very few people in this world have the ability to police themselves and fix their own problems. Many try to solve their own problems, but they eventually fall back into the same situation, or sometimes they end up in a worse situation.

Its equally true that we cannot fix a problem that is caused by someone else. For example, counselors and therapists listen to and advise their clients, but they never really and completely solve their problems.

The bottom line is that ONLY GOD can change a person, whether that person is us or someone else. Bear in mind that the problems in our lives are usually people-created. Either we create them for ourselves or someone else creates them for us.

Since we are incapable of changing others, our focus should be on changing ourselves. Realizing, of course, that only God can really change us. But, He will not go against our will - and that is where the real problem is. Our will, it gets in the way too many times.

Our will is a wonderful thing, when it is used correctly. But our will can also hinder us when problems arise. It is our will that says, "I'm hurt" or "I want revenge." It is our will that says, "I can do this by myself, I don't need anyone's help." It is our will that clouds our vision to the point that we can see no good way out of the problem.

So, what's the answer? With all the problems in my life, how do I get to the place where I have perfect peace, even in the midst of all the problems?

The answer is "SURRENDER." Surrender your will to the Lord's will. Study the lives of all the great men and women of God. Everyone of them, without exception, had to surrender their will to the Lord, they had to let God take care of their problems. They had to reach the point in their lives where they said, "I can't handle this, I just can't do it by myself."

Are you at a place in your life where problems have overwhelmed you? Are you at the point of saying, "I'm at my wit's end. I don't know what to do?" If so, then you are in one of the best places you will ever be - you are at a place in your life where you can honestly and sincerely turn to the Lord and surrender your will to Him and be led by His will for you.

When you surrender to His will you will see the problems in a new light, as you wait on the Lord you will begin to see answers to the problems. And one day you will realize that God wanted to take care of those problems for you all along.

Bear in mind that this must be a personal thing between you and the Lord. No one can do it for you, you are the sole captain of your will - only you can surrender it to God. And when you do your life will change drastically for your good.

In conclusion let me say that I have seen people with problems that seemed devastating to them. But when they surrendered themselves and their problems to the Lord they became over-comers in this life - and so can you.