A Consecrated life, Part 2: Total Surrender
In my previous post, I established that consecration is a lifestyle in which those who are born of God intentionally and perpetually set themselves apart from all that is carnal and worldly to pursue what is Most Holy. I also explained that consecration is an ongoing process—a journey of purifying, pruning, and perfecting—that prepares the believer to experience deeper intimacy with the Lord and equips them to be effective in the Kingdom of God.
Now that the foundation has been laid, I want to unpack what I’ve come to understand by the Holy Spirit as the three stages of the consecration life cycle: Surrender, Purify, Submit. In this post, I will focus on the first stage: total surrender.
To begin, let’s define our key term, surrender. In its simplest sense, to surrender means to give something up or hand it over. The concept of surrender in the Bible holds profound significance and is reflected in various Greek words used throughout the New Testament:
παραδίδωμι (paradidomi)
Meaning: To hand over, give up, or entrust.
Example: Jesus embodies paradidomi when He surrenders Himself to the will of the Father: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
ὑποτάσσω (hupotasso)
Meaning: To submit, arrange under, or yield.
Example: James 4:7 calls believers to submit to God: “Submit (hupotasso) yourselves to God.”
ἀφίημι (aphiemi)
Meaning: To let go, leave, or release.
Example: Jesus says in Luke 5:11, “Leave (aphiemi) all and follow me.”
Together, these terms emphasise that surrender is not just an act but a heart posture of yielding completely to God.
The lives of the disciples illustrate what true surrender looks like. A powerful example is found in Matthew 4:19-22:
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately, they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James and John, in the boat with their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.
Here we see Peter, Andrew, James, and John immediately surrendering their livelihoods, careers, and even familial obligations to follow Jesus. Their response highlights a central truth: when the Lord calls us, we must be willing to leave behind anything He asks of us to fully pursue Him. Now am I suggesting that every believer must quit their job or abandon their family? Absolutely not. However, I am emphasising the importance of cultivating a heart that is ready and willing to release anything that competes with God’s will in our lives.
The Process of Total Surrender
In the context of consecration, total surrender is about removing attachments, affections, and desires for anything—be it a person, place, or thing—that could hinder our ability to immediately pick up our cross and follow Him. It is a daily commitment to pray, as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
Surrender begins with recognising that the most valuable things we can offer to God are our lives and our will. Scripture reminds us that our lives are not our own: “You were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20). We exist solely for God’s purpose and pleasure, and acknowledging this truth is the first step toward complete surrender.
True surrender requires us to relinquish control over all that holds us back from fully following Christ. This may mean letting go of personal ambitions, trusting God with the unknown, or releasing relationships and habits that conflict with His will. Total surrender is not a one-time act, but a lifelong journey of yielding ourselves entirely to Him, trusting in His goodness, and committing to His purposes.
Only when we surrender can we truly experience the depths of intimacy and oneness with God that consecration demands.
P, xo
