Surrender or not to Surrender, That is the Question

Over the past months I have used the word "surrender" in several of my postings. We can feel very close to God when we declare that we have surrendered our lives to God. As a matter of fact the use of that term can make us feel very "spiritual" in our conversation with others as well as our conversation with God. But as I was praying this morning the Spirit challenged my use of that word in my conversations with God. Am I truly at the place in my walk with God that I fully desire to surrender my plans, my desires, my treasures, my gifts and calling, my abilities, etc. to the higher plan and purpose of God? Or have I become comfortable just using that term to appear spiritual in my thinking and in my praying? To the best of my ability, I believe that total surrender is the cry of my heart. To the best of my ability, I believe that I have a strong desire for God to work His will in my life. To the best of my ability, I believe that I desire for His purpose to be accomplished in my life. But for full surrender to be accomplished in my life I have to be willing to step beyond the use of words and put into action the words that I so easily declare to God and in some cases declare to others. As I am writing these words I do not sense any spirit of condemnation; truthfully speaking, I sense a spirit of liberation. Full and complete surrender offers liberty and freedom as I die out to my own desires and begin to live in the strength and purpose of His plans for my life. God is calling all of us out of the mere use of "religious phrases" into the blessed journey of complete surrender. Jesus modeled that lifestyle by going to the cross and willingly surrendering His life to death on the cross so that I (you) could live in the strength of His Life. Let us thank God for the awesome opportunity to live in full surrender to the King of Glory!