Surrender

Control is an illusion.

Deep inside we know this but grasp for it anyways. We often try to manipulate life’s outcomes rather than aligning ourselves with God, trusting that he knows best. Sometimes we think we even trick ourselves into believing that we are in the driver's seat and can make life happen on own.

But the reality is that we are not in ultimate control because we are not God.

When we refuse to surrender control we end up carrying more of life's burdens than we were designed to and our soul suffers. Ironically, the more we fight for control the more it produces worry and anxiety.

This doesn’t sound like life to the full does it?

So what do we do?

We do what Jesus showed us how to do; we surrender.

The practice of surrender is laying down what we want and yielding to what God wants. It is intentionally giving up the illusion of control and trusting that He is God and He knows best.

Surrender is a daily practice that takes time to learn. But, on the other side of surrender is freedom that brings peace and joy knowing that we can trust God.

What is the practice of surrender?

Before you begin:

This seven day experience is designed to help you create some space to be with God and begin to learn the difficult practice of surrender.

There are seven days to this guided experience. The first six days are designed to address different areas of your life that your can surrender to God. On day seven, you will spend time reflecting on what you experienced and let God speak to you about how to integrate this practice into your daily spiritual rhythm.

Before you jump in, check out these five best practices that will help you with this experience.

Best Practice 1

Settling first

We highly recommend you engage in our one week practice on Settling before you begin. Learning to settle is a “first things first” when it comes to listening to God.

Best Practice 2

Set aside 20-30 mins

Set aside 20-30 minutes of quiet space each day. Put this time on your calendar and create a daily discipline to meet with God.

Best Practice 3

No distractions

You will want to be free of distraction. If you are using your phone for this experience, set it to Do Not Disturb.

Best Practice 4

Visualize Surrender

As you surrender to God, hold your hands open, palms up, and picture the thing(s) you are giving to God. While this may feel weird at first, you’ll find it to be an important practice over time.

Best Practice 5

Get a Journal

We will ask you to write out your thoughts each day as part of this experience. Trust us, it’s an important part of the process.

Ready to begin?

Click on Day One below to get started.

Day One
Surrender Josh Collesano Surrender Josh Collesano

Day One

On day one of this practice we start with a simple prayer of surrender, “Jesus, I want what you want.”

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Day Two
Surrender Josh Collesano Surrender Josh Collesano

Day Two

A little influence can trick us into thinking we are powerful. To live a life surrendered to God requires that we give up our desire for influence and power and trust in The Powerful One.

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Day Three
Surrender Josh Collesano Surrender Josh Collesano

Day Three

We all want to be loved and approved of. It goes wrong when we place the approval of others above God. So what do we do? We must surrender our desire to be approved of for God's love.

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Day Four
Surrender Josh Collesano Surrender Josh Collesano

Day Four

On day four we focus on our desire to be comfortable. If we want what God wants then we must embrace discomfort by taking up our cross daily to follow Jesus.

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Day Five
Surrender Josh Collesano Surrender Josh Collesano

Day Five

Control is an illusion. If we want to follow Jesus we must give up our desire for control and instead learn to trust Him.

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Want to go deeper?

Check out “Do you want what God wants” in season two of our podcast Free And Light. We unpack the practice of surrender and how it fits in finding the life Jesus offers.