The Heart of Surrender: How to Walk in Obedience

What It Means to Surrender to God and Walk in Obedience Daily

The Heart of Surrender is the practice of submission and obedience to God. It is an integral part of the Christian faith and is repeatedly emphasized throughout Scripture as necessary for living in alignment with Christ. It begins with a personal decision to give your life to God and walk in obedience each day.

The Heart of Surrender is a concept you may have heard of or maybe it’s brand new. But either way it’s an integral part of faith and obedience to Jesus Christ our savior. True surrender involves submission to Christ and allowing Him to lead every area of your life.

What Does it Mean to Fully Surrender to God According to the Bible?

Surrender is the practice of submission and obedience to God. The theme of surrender is littered through the biblical text by the form of submission and obedience. To understand the weight of surrender is to understand the subcategory of it. Many Bible verses about surrender emphasize this truth and guide us into deeper obedience.

The Biblical Meaning of Submission and Obedience to God

The root meaning of Submission and Obedience comes from the Greek language. In the biblical context the understanding of surrender is used 67 times.

• fulassō etc. 11 x - to keep/guard: observe, guard, and protect

• hupotassō 38x - to subject

• hupakoē 15x - obedience

• hupotagē 4x - submission

  
  

Greek Words for Surrender: Hupotasso and Hupakoe in Scripture

The two I want to focus on today are “Hupotasso” and “Hupakoe.” The word hupotasso is used 38 times in the NT (New Testament) text. This word means to subject—to put oneself under the authority of another higher than us. We see this in the biblical context of Heb 12:9, Jas 4:7, 1 Pet 3:22, etc...

“Furthermore, we had natural fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live?” (Heb 12:9, HCSB).

“Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (Jas 4:7, HCSB).

“Now that he has gone into heaven, He is at God’s right hand with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him” (1 Pet 3:22).

Hupakoe is repeated in the NT text 15 times. This means to be obedient. Obedience is described as a heartfelt response of submission and alignment to God’s will. This can be seen in Rom 5:19, Heb 5:8–9, Rom 16:19, etc...

“For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:19, HCSB).

“Though He was God’s son, He learned obedience through what He suffered” (Heb 5:8, HCSB).

“The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore, I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil” (Rom 16:19, HCSB).

These and other Bible verses about surrender show how both submission and obedience are important for the Christian Walk.

How I Learned to Surrender to God After Heartbreak and Sin

To help you understand the reason for surrender, I want to share part of my own testimony and the continual repentance and re-surrender I had to offer to Christ.

This year I had gone through a rough breakup in my relationship with my ex-girlfriend of 3 years. During this time, I tried to turn towards God and surrender the situation over to Him. But I found myself submitting myself to this world rather than Christ. I struggled with heavy drinking, lustful actions, and searching for validation from others. Instead of living in submission to Christ, I was following worldly desires.

This continued for 2–3 months after my breakup. I found myself trying to serve two masters: the flesh and God (Matt 6:24). This sinful cycle would continue until I finally came down upon my knees and sought full submission and obedience in the Holy Spirit. At this moment I came to Christ and surrendered all my desires fully to Him.

Since this moment of surrender, I praise God every single day for Him not allowing me to indulge in the flesh and continue down the path of death (Titus 2:11–14). Am I perfect? Not at all. But in Christ’s faithfulness I have been given the freedom and grace to continually pursue Him. This I am thankful for because it is in Christ’s faithfulness to me that I am made right in the image of God.

3 Steps to Give Your Life to God and Walk in Obedience Every Day

Is there a tried-and-true method that I have? No, there isn’t. But what I do have is experience that Christ has given me to share.

1. Recognize your need for a savior and acknowledge that doing it with Christ is so much better than acting out of your own flesh.

   
   

Romans 7:18–19, 25 says,

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot do what is good. For I do not do the good I desire; rather, it is the evil I do not desire that I end up doing. -- What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body destined for death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, with my mind I am a slave to the Law of God, but with my flesh to the law of sin” (NIV).

2. After recognition, subject yourself to Christ, conducting each day out of obedience and surrender toward Him.

   
   

Luke 9:23 says,

“Then he said to the crowd, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me" (NIV).

3. Last, offer yourself as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. Turn from living each day out of your own strength and allow Christ to be your dependent joy, love, and peace. This is the daily act of giving your life to God and choosing to walk in obedience despite the struggles.

   
   

Romans 12:1 says,

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him" (NIV).

Encouragement for Those Struggling to Surrender to God

We are born into an imperfect and unclean world that we must navigate every day. But praise God we don’t have to do it on our own. When we continually surrender each day to Christ, we get to live in His peace and love.

If you’re struggling with laying it all out before Christ do not be discouraged. It took me years to fully surrender and then months of pain and anguish to commit myself once again. Surrender is still a daily struggle for me and by no means am I perfect. But it is by the blood of the lamb that I am made holy in the sight of God. Praise be to God our Father in Heaven.

If you have any further questions or would like to hear more of my testimony, please email The Secret Place Ministry at info@thesecretplaceministry.com or reach out on Social Media.

---

If you were encouraged or challenged in your walk with God feel free to share this with someone! If you are interested in more content like this please subscribe to the email list, follow me on social medias, and/or follow the podcast channel!

Remember you are so loved, valued, and cherished.