Does any of this sound familiar?

• If I was just strong enough, I can beat this.
• If I try harder, I can overcome this fear.
• If I can find the right book (doctor, website, resource), then I can beat this.
• If I just had the willpower, I can be free.

The problem with these statements is that the burden for freedom is upon you. In fact, believing it’s up to you may be the very reason you can’t get free. Let me explain.

Who does the Covering?

In the Garden of Eden before sin happened, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. There was no fear, no sadness, no lack of purpose. Life was good. Everything they needed, God provided. He was right there, walking with them, talking with them and being their God. He was their Source for everything. Then, sin happened.

Once sin came into the world, Adam and Eve’s first response was to hide and cover themselves. So, “they made themselves coverings” (Genesis 3:7).

Instead of God being their sole provider, now they felt responsible for covering themselves. They carried the weight of something that was not their responsibility. Sin does that. Sin makes you feel like you are the one responsible for making things right and getting things done.

Where does the Power come from?

The power to get free from fear, anxiety, and panic attacks will not come from more willpower, more knowledge, nor more effort. The power to get free comes from God and God alone through Christ. As you surrender your efforts and strength to God, he will move through the power of this Holy Spirit to set you free.

“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6b).

The power of God happens when we surrender to it. If we convince ourselves that we must be strong and do this ourselves, then God graciously steps aside and lets us try. He’s a gentleman. He will not force you to do something you don’t want. It has to be our choice.

How do you Surrender?

Surrender is not easy, because we are often programmed (from our culture and from our upbringing) that surrender is weak. We are taught that we must be strong, that we are in charge of our own destiny, and that we are completely responsible for our fate. While there may be some truth in those statements, the key to surrender is learning how to let go of control. To surrender, you have to give up control to God.

Here are three ways to surrender:

1. Learn to focus on today. Jesus encourages us not to live in tomorrow, but live in today. “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things” (Matthew 6:34). If you find yourself worrying about tomorrow, ask God to help you focus on today.
2. Don’t rely on your own knowledge or understanding. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” You don’t have to figure everything out. Don’t lean on your own understanding. Rather, trust God.
3. Don’t give into the fear. Fear will scream, yell and roar, but you don’t have to give in. Don’t let fear tell you what to do. I have found that facing my fears head on has been wonderful in my path to freedom. “You are a slave to whatever controls you” (2 Peter 2:19).

As you learn to surrender your life to God in Christ, the more peace you will experience.

Prayer: Father, I’ve been doing all the work in this pursuit of freedom, and I’m tired. I need you to take over. I surrender to you. I give you control. Teach me how to completely surrender my life to you in Christ.

You may have said to yourself, “It is just too much” or “I don’t see how it’s possible.” You need to renew your mind to believe it is possible to overcome fear. It may feel impossible, but with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Too many times, fear screams so loud and rears it’s ugly head, and we so often respond to the fear. We give in. We obey the fear. But, here’s how the Bible encourages us to stand against this “roaring lion”:

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Fear is just a voice, a roaring voice in your mind that exaggerates. When the devil lies to us and tries to create fear, we should stand against those lies. Listen how the very next verse encourages us on how to respond to those fearful threats:

“Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” (v. 9)

Words like “stand firm” and “be strong” imply that you can do this. If you need more strength, remember those who are going through the same kind of suffering. The Bible would not have said to “stand firm” and “be strong” if you couldn’t do those things.

1 Corinthians 10:13 confirms that we will not be given a situation beyond what we can bear:

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

According to this verse, you will always have a “way out so that you can endure”. This is a great promise from God!

I know how unbearable fear and panic can feel at times. When your body responds with heart palpitations, your breathing gets shallow and your hands and feet start tingling, it can feel incredibly overwhelming. But, you can rest in the truth of God’s promises and not give in to the fear. You can “stand still and see the salvation of God” (Exodus 14:13).

The key to overcoming fear is to look to Christ. He is your salvation–not just for heaven, but for life here on earth as well. Listen carefully to the words of Jesus:

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:31)

In a very straightforward way, Jesus said we will have “many trials and sorrows.” But, I’m so glad he didn’t stop there. “Take heart!” he said. Be encouraged. Why? Because he overcame the world. If you want to overcome fear, look to Jesus. Let him guide you in every area of your life. Put your trust in him. When you are afraid, when your heart starts racing, when your mind spins out of control, say to yourself, “Lord, I will not respond to this fear. I will trust you. You have overcome the world, and my faith is in you.”

He will carry you through those fearful times!

Prayer: Father, help me renew my mind so that I may know I can overcome any fear that roars against me. I put all my trust in you.

Initially, this can be hard to grasp, especially in our American culture.  We are taught that surrendering is a sign of defeat.  But, in God’s kingdom, it’s quite the opposite.  I call it the “divine paradox” — to win, we must surrender.  Jesus said it this way, “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life” Matthew 16:25.

Let me give you a visual example.  Before you met Christ, you’re driving down this road by yourself. You’re the only one in the car.  But then, you see Jesus on the side of the road. So, you pull over and ask him to join you.  He climbs into the passenger seat, and off you go.

While on the road, you come to know Jesus and give him your life.  Then, you ask “Lord, guide me, show me where to go. I surrender.”  You genuinely desire to do what Jesus tells you to do.  The problem is that you’re still driving.  When you’re driving, it’s up to you to decide what to obey and what not to obey.  This is not surrender–this is commitment.  Sure, it sounds good. “I’m a committed Christian.”  But, we’re not called to be committed–we are called to be surrendered.

I recently read a great article called “Why I’m Not a Committed Christian (And Why That’s a Good Thing)“. For more information on this concept, you should take some time to read this article.

We are called to surrender. Here’s what we need to do: we need to stop the car, get out and let Jesus drive.  ”Jesus, take the wheel.” That is absolute surrender!

So, how do we do that?

Recently, I’ve been reading a book by Andrew Murray called “Absolute Surrender”.  (You can read it for free online, or listen to it for free online.)  While reading this book, I keep getting stuck in chapter 1, because he so wonderfully describes the surrender process.  Here are the steps he describes for absolute surrender:

God expects your surrender

When you think about God’s creation, is it not already surrendered to God? The sun, moon, stars, flowers, trees–all is surrendered to God. Andrew clarifies, “Do they not allow God to work in them just what He pleases? When God clothes the lily with its beauty, is it not yielded up, surrendered, given over to God as He works in it its beauty?” And, God loves us so much that he has given us the choice to surrender to him, and when we do, we can be all that he created us to be.

God accomplishes your surrender

I love this! It is God who works in us and accomplishes the surrender for us. Andrew instructs, “God does not ask you to give the perfect surrender in your strength, or by the power of your will; God is willing to work it in you. Do we not read: ‘it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:13)?” Even if you’re not sure you’re willing to surrender, pray “Lord, make me willing.”

God accepts your surrender

God wonderfully accepts our surrender when we give him our lives completely. Andrew said, “There is a God present who at that very moment takes possession of you. You may not feel it, you may not realize it, but God takes possession if you will trust Him.” God receives you with open arms and an open heart.  You don’t have to be perfect to come to God. Come to him as you are, and he will accept you. “Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it” Hebrews 4:16.

God maintains your surrender

This is also wonderful news that it is God’s duty and responsibility to maintain our surrender.  It’s not our burden.  Andrew said, “When God has begun the work of absolute surrender in you, and when God has accepted your surrender, then God holds Himself bound to care for it and to keep it.” Jesus clarifies it this way, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls” Matthew 11:29. Oh, that may find rest for our souls when we give him ourselves completely!

God blesses when your surrender

I believe the reason God wants us completely, absolutely surrendered to him is so that he can bless us with all the promises he has for us–promises of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). And, as we surrender completely, we can then receive all the promises of God that are freely given to us as our inheritance as children of God. Andrew summarizes, “This absolute surrender to God brings wonderful blessings.”

So, I encourage you today to stop being a committed Christian and start being a surrendered Christian.  Ask God to show you what that means and how to walk it out.  If you get a chance, read Andrew Murray’s book.  And, let’s talk about it on Facebook.

Prayer: Father, I know I’ve been driving for too long, and I have not been completely surrendered to you.  Lord, I stop the car, get out and let Jesus take the wheel. I completely trust you!

Other areas are not so clear, like “Should I take this medication?”, “Should I change jobs?” or “Do you think I should go back to school?” These questions don’t have an obvious, straightforward answer.

So, how do we know what to do? How can we get clear direction for the important decisions of our life? Yes, we can talk to others. And, we can seek wise counsel. These are good, and the Bible says we should do these things. But, the ultimate choice still remains with us. We alone have to face the natural and supernatural consequences of our decisions.

In the past, under the old covenant, the people could only go to God through the high priest. Only he had direct access to God. Only he could go into the temple’s innermost chamber–the holy of holies. No other person could go there. All of your requests, all of your prayers, all of your questions, all of your concerns were funneled to God through this man, the high priest.

Today, under the new covenant, things are quite different. We no longer have an earthly high priest. We no longer funnel our prayers through an earthly man. Yes, we still have a High Priest; we still have one who goes before God on our behalf. Our High Priest is Jesus Christ. Because of him, we can now go directly to God ourselves. Jesus paved the way for us to approach God, not in our own goodness, but in goodness of Christ.

Here’s how the writer of Hebrews explains it: “We have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin” (4:14-15).

So, what does having Jesus as our High Priest do for us? What can we do now that we couldn’t do before? Listen, as the writer continues in verse 16: ” Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

If you have a question, a concern, a prayer, a fear, a time of need, then Jesus Christ has made a way for you to come directly to the throne of grace. You don’t have to go through a priest, a pastor, a minister or any earthly man. With Jesus as your new High Priest, the doors of heaven are open to you, because “God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him” (Hebrews 5:9).

Prayer: Father, I know that I’m unworthy to stand before your throne of grace. My sin is disgusting in your sight for you are a perfect, holy, sinless God. But, you sent your Son to die for me and to make a way for me to come to you. Father, I receive the work of Jesus Christ in my life. I choose today to obey him that I may stand before your throne of grace in my time of need. Father, forgive me of my sins. I choose to turn away from my sin, and turn towards you. Give me the strength to follow you all the days of my life. I ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Soon after we arrived, we decided to go exploring. We started by climbing on top of the “big rocks”. We quickly noticed that we could jump from rock to rock, never touching the ground. It was only about four feet to the ground, but in my son’s mind, it was 400 feet and there was hot lava all over the ground! Danger!

As we leapt from rock to rock, I was amazed at my son’s courage. Even my wife wouldn’t jump over some of the huge gaps. (She had to trample through hot lava to keep up with us.)

After hours of jumping, Caleb successfully made all of the courageous leaps. Except for one. It was towards the end, and it was quite a large leap. I was surprised when he took two steps back and went for it.

As he landed on the side of the rock, I knew he wasn’t going to make it. His sandals began to slip, and he started to slide down. I leapt over him and quickly grabbed his hands and pulled him to safety. He caught his breath and finished our last few leaps back to home base.

I share this story because it reminds me of what this battle with fear is like. As we leap from situation to situation, there are times we feel like we’ll drop hundreds of feet into hot, burning lava. You see, fear has a way of exaggerating things. What may seem like a four-hundred-foot drop into hot lava may only be four-foot drop to solid ground.

So, most of us never jump–we never get in the car, we never go to the grocery store, we never get married, we never have children or we never take on that new job. The risk seems more than we can handle, because fear has a way of blowing everything out of proportion.

As my son sprang from rock to rock, I was there with him the whole time. I watched him, protected him and instructed him with each leap. In the same way, your heavenly Father will be with you to watch over you, protect you and instruct you with each leap of your life. If I–an earthly father–can take care of my son, how much more can God–a heavenly Father–take care of you?

And, if you do begin to fall, cry out to your Father. Just as I went before Caleb and lifted him out of danger, so God will go before you, and lift you up out any danger. He cares for you. He loves you more than you know. Through Christ, you can come to him for strength and peace and courage.

“If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your dwelling. For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone” (Psalms 91:9-12).

Prayer: Father, give me the strength and courage to leap from boulder to boulder, situation to situation. I trust you to go before me and protect me, and pull me to safety when I fall.