Week 2 - Everyday Surrender | Month 2 - Obedience
Scriptural anchors for us through M2 - Week 2:
“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” (Luke 9:23 ESV)
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2 ESV)
Removing The Chains of Sin
This week is about getting real, getting aggressive, and purposeful. It’s about the most important war we will wage, the battle to conquer ourselves. It is about removing the chains of sin anchoring us to the past and to death, and to place on the new footwear of surrender that will give us the tread to run the race ahead.
It is about the practical application of the call to obediently surrender to Christ.
This call to obedient surrender is not reserved for extraordinary big once in a lifetime decisions and moments; it needs to be woven into the very fabric of daily living. Paul clearly tells us to present our whole selves, body, mind, and will, as a “living sacrifice.”
That’s not a call to Sunday correction followed by 6 days of secularism that gets forgiven the following Sunday.
Sacrifices in Israel’s temple that Paul is referring to here were placed on the altar of fire, once, and burnt to dust. The “living sacrifice” Paul describes is continual, daily, hourly, every second, every step and breath, is a living sacrifice to Christ, of our wishes, our desires, and the burning of all early signs of Sin, in place of His will, His thoughts, and His work. Every decision, every habit, every reaction becomes an altar where God’s will is chosen over our own, and sin is set aflame and burnt to the dust.
Jesus didn’t mix his words and was very clear:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23, ESV).
Obedience is not abstract spirituality; it is the gritty battlefield work of denying self-interest for God’s interest, daily.
Augustine put it sharply: “To obey is better than to understand; the latter may be our glory, but the former is always our duty.”
If you are stepping into a new movement of everyday surrender like this, it requires vigilance. The world will constantly try to press us into its mold (Romans 12:2), but obedience resists conformity.
As Chrysostom observed, the Christian life is one of constant warfare: “It is not enough to have overthrown once; we must stand ready for fresh battles.”
Each act of continued surrender is both a resistance and an act of rebellion against the dark powers that rule this world, as well as a renewal and growth in the Spirit’s power within you.
A lot of good men who are hungry for a better world, and even ones who are skilled and experienced in the art of war and weaponry, often orient themselves for a fight beginning out in the world against the enemy ahead, and are then shocked at the realization of where Christ demands the battle begin, the battle begins against ourselves. And most are thoroughly surprised at their inability to win that fight at home in their own minds.
This is why Paul links obedience to worship. True worship is not found in lofty words at the pulpit or stirring songs on a Sunday morning, but in continually yielded lives. Brother Lawrence, centuries ago, rediscovered this truth in a monastery kitchen: peeling potatoes with prayer, with a clarity and alignment of duty to Christ, humble actions became as holy as any liturgy, because his will was surrendered to God’s.
Some of these battles may be won swiftly, some skirmishes could be ongoing. Paul speaks of a “thorn in the flesh” - something painful, persistent, and humbling - that he begged God to take away. But instead of removing it, God replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul came to see that this thorn, this ongoing battle, was not his downfall or a defeat, but his reminder: God’s strength shows up best in our struggle. Paul knew that God would continue to help him fight that battle and that through it, God would be glorified.
Many of us carry our own thorns - ongoing internal battles we wish would end. Yet, like Paul, we find that God’s grace doesn’t always erase the pain or clear the battlefield; instead, it sustains us through it and empowers us to continue the fight.
His grace is enough for today, enough for the fight, and enough to keep us standing when our strength runs out.
Obedience is costly.
Fighting these battles may strip us of comfort, recognition, and even sometimes our plans. But in its place comes something infinitely greater - the transforming presence of Christ, shaping us to discern and to do the will of God.
Obedience is gain.
In surrendering our will for his, we do not lose ourselves; we find our truest selves in Him, raised from the dirt of modern culture and false values, lifted above the clawing standards of sin, lifted as heirs to the Kingdom of God. To obey your King, is to choose life over death. Triumph over the world, by first conquering yourself.
The Violence of Surrender
Jesus wasn’t gentle in His language about sin. He didn’t suggest compromise, or slow weaning, or tolerance of sin in any form. Peace must be won, and as Jesus demonstrated in his own extreme gory suffering for our freedom, he commanded fairly extreme violence against sin.
“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:29, ESV).
Notice how Christ’s response is again not outward battle, not to make others act in a way that would prevent you from X, not to force others to X, instead it starts with you. Something is catching your eye? Cut out your own eye!
This is shocking language - and deliberately so. Christ may not be calling for literal mutilation, but He is demanding ruthless, radical action.
Why?
Because sin is not a nuisance; it is a tyrant.
* If we nurse it, it will devour us.
* If we excuse it, it will enslave us.
We will not be turning this discipleship movement into a sin-focused program, but we do need to audit ourselves humbly, and recognize the work and battles the Father wants to wage, and submit and surrender ourselves now and here, today, at this stage in our movement to commit to those battles.
Jesus’ command shows the seriousness of the battle: better to cut off an avenue of temptation than to be destroyed by it. And this is what it is really about: defeating and preventing destruction and raising you up, so that you can go forth and raid hell for the Kingdom.
In practice, this may mean deleting apps that fuel lust, cutting ties with relationships that lead you into compromise, restructuring finances to prevent greed, or silencing voices that stir anger and bitterness.
To capture bad thoughts the very millisecond they arrive and burn them at the bronze feet of God, declaring his victory over them.
To the world and perhaps to those around you, this may look excessive, but Jesus calls it wisdom.
The same violent refusal that Christ applies to lust, must also be applied to all sin: Gossip, pride, envy, idolatry, and selfish ambition. If something causes you to lean towards any number of sins, better to enter Heaven without X than to enter Hell with it.
Our Pastor at Riverlife Fellowship, Byron Wickers, said in today’s service, “Our future, impacts our present.” The war has already been won, that is the reality of the future, your present is to fulfill it, and to fight the battles along the way with him.
Paul provides us with the order to commence the battle: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you” (Colossians 3:5, ESV).
Daily surrender is not polite trimming of sin’s edges - it is crucifixion. It is warfare against the flesh, in reliance on the Spirit’s power.
Only through such radical obedience do we walk in freedom and holiness.
The Grace of God
Alright, lets step out of the big picture for a moment here, if you just heard/ read Jesus’ call to gouge out the eye or cut off the hand, and are thinking, I can do that no problem, Ive done lots of things in life, and think you can do it by sheer willpower, or through a great 10 step program you’ve seen online, or an influencers guide to getting better you’ve been hearing about.
I want to be very clear with you: You will not and cannot win these battles on your own. You will not win these brawls, scraps, and fights because of some steps or fancy words that your favorite influencer offered.
You will need to surrender your ability, surrender your effort, and acknowledge humbly at the foot of the cross that you need Christ and his spirit to dwell within you; you will need to be armed with the Grace of God to win these battles. No law, and no rules will do it, only Christ.
If you do it alone, you will collapse into either pride or despair; you may strive for a few weeks, maybe a few months…. but the end is usually the same: Despair, pride, and resentment.
Human effort alone cannot uproot sin. Trying to fight in the flesh alone will always fail. You will end up with no eyes, no arms, a bloody mess, and still dealing with the same sin alone.
The Christian life is not about white-knuckled striving; it’s about Spirit-empowered surrender. The new boots of surrender, as we said at the beginning. So what does that actually mean?
Paul confesses this bluntly: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing… Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:19, 24–25, ESV). The answer here is not more of Paul’s effort, but more of Christ, more of the Holy Spirit’s supernatural power to bring light into the dark areas we are incapable of doing ourselves.
Jesus Himself promised us the Helper:
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16–17, ESV).
The Spirit isn’t an accessory to your walk; He is the very power of our obedience, the direction, weight, and stride of your walk. Paul reminds us:
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16, ESV).
Notice the promise - not that the flesh disappears, but that the Spirit wins the battle when we yield to Him. Do yourself a favor, and bring every sin, every temptation to the foot of the cross early on, bring it today, right now, get on your knees and throw open the doors to the throne room of the Father and lay it at his feet, and know that the Spirit will empower the victory on this, that the partnering of flesh and spirit is the weapnary neccesary for defeating this enemy.
In practice, this looks like daily dependence:
* When temptation rises, call on the Spirit in prayer before you continue to think any further, waaaay before you act. Catch it immediately and ambush it with the violence of spiritual action.
* When anger burns, pause to ask the Spirit for gentleness. Let the steam vent instead on the burning offering of His will be done!
* When pride whispers, be honest enough to also listen for the Spirit’s conviction and humble yourself quickly, so that God may be glorified instead of you.
* When despair sets in, surrender the gut-drop feeling of falling to the Father, Fall into his throne room, and let the Spirit remind you of the Father’s promises in Scripture. Let his declaration of the future become the present truth.
Paul’s own “thorn in the flesh” was never removed by striving. Instead, the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV). Grace is not permission to sin - it is the ultimate power to endure and overcome.
Be encouraged:
* No sin is too strong for the Spirit of God.
* No habit is beyond His reach.
* Every battle can be won, not by our might or determination, but by His power at work within us.
* The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you (Romans 8:11). He is enough.
This Week’s Scripture Reading Plan
Read one passage each day.
Ask: What battle shall we wage today Father, the Victory is surely yours.
* 2 Corinthians 12:7–10: Paul’s thorn and God’s answer.
* Romans 12:1–2: Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.
* Luke 9:23–25: Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.
* Philippians 3:7–14: Pressing on, counting all else loss for Christ.
* Galatians 2:20: It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
* Psalm 73:25–26: My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart.
The prayer we are petitioning over one another as we move through this week:
“Father, we bring You our thorns, our current battles, and the battles to come. Remind us that surrender is not giving up, but giving over - trusting that Your grace is enough, to defeat all sin, to put to wreckage and ruin the old man, and to raise up a stronger soldier for your use. Where we are weak, be our strength. Where we resist, bend our hearts to yield. May Your power be made perfect in our weakness and Your glory shine through our perseverance. May you be Glorified in the victories to come. In Your sufficient grace we stand. Amen.”
Practice for the Week
This week, we’ve dropped a lot of scripture and some fairly heavy conversation. I want you to focus on the work above. It is that important. No distraction, just going to the foot of the cross in prayer and surrendering to the Lord. God Speed!
Watch / Listen / Read
Listen
We are keeping it short in this section this week, purposefully, to allow the focus to remain on the work above. Here is a playlist to build you up as you go through the week ahead:
The Psalms are songs of the soul - cries of pain, hope, and surrender - and the blues captures that same honest tension. This playlist puts Scripture to melody in a raw, human way that meets us right in the struggle. As you walk through this week of surrender, let these blues-inspired psalms remind you that even in weakness and weariness, worship can rise.
🎵 Tracklist:
* Psalm 1 – Like a Tree by the River 00:00
* Psalm 91 – Under His Wings 03:30
* Psalm 19 – Heaven’s Blues 06:46
* Psalm 121 – Keeper of My Steps 10:40
* Psalm 32 – Covered by Mercy 14:05
* Psalm 46 – River in the Ruins 16:38
* Psalm 63 – My Soul Thirsts for You 20:23
* Psalm 40 – Out of the Pit 24:10
* Psalm 24 – Open Up the Gates 27:49
* Psalm 139 – Known and Carried 31:07
I have linked above each Psalm to the corresponding audio Bible App version, if you would prefer to hear the full Psalm without the music and blues.
📅 This Week’s 30-Min Rally Point
We’ll meet for our first 30-minute rally point this Thursday at 7:00 PM EST via Zoom.This is a space for reflection, encouragement, and activation, a rhythm of checking in, praying together, and pressing forward.
🕖 Zoom Time: Thursday @ 7:00 PM EST🔗 Click to join the Zoom call - Zoom URL
Format:
* Welcome & Opening Prayer (2 min)
* Scripture Reading (3 min)
* Teaching Recap (5 min)
* Discussion Questions (12 min)
* Heart-Level Questions:
* Head-Level Questions:
* Hands-Level Questions:
* Practice Together (5 min)
* Closing Encouragement & Prayer (3 min)
Bring a Bible, a journal, and any wins or wrestles you want to share. This is a safe space to grow.
Next Week's Topic: M2 - Obedience | W3 – Walking the Talk
Read ahead with our M2 W3 Anchor Scripture:
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”- Galatians 5:25 (ESV)
Next week, we’ll focus on putting obedience into motion through practical, Spirit-led action. Together, we’ll explore how to translate conviction into conduct - how to take what we’ve learned about surrender and apply it to our daily habits, relationships, and decisions. We’ll look at biblical examples of obedience in action, and what we can learn where others weren’t obedient, and discuss simple, intentional steps we can take to live out Christ’s commands in our everyday lives.
Obedience is not proven in words but in the quiet, consistent choices that reflect Christ’s character in our homes, workplaces, and communities.
Remember: faith that listens but does not act is incomplete. True obedience walks - it doesn’t just talk.
God is with us!
May the Lord meet you in your surrender, strengthen you in your weakness, and remind you that His grace is enough for every step. May He steady your heart, renew your spirit, and fill you with peace as you continue to walk in His ways.
I’m glad you’re here.
Let’s run the race - Eyes Up, Chin Up!
Grace and peace,
Sam Johnston
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