May 12, 2021: The Two Stages of "Surrender" Must Occur in Our Hearts for Change to Take "Deep Root".

When you read the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John, you will discover the story of the transformation of Peter. Peter was known as the apostle with the "foot-shape-mouth". He constantly was putting his foot in his mouth in either the things he said or the things he did. One of Peter's biggest misstatements was when he was telling Jesus that he would be willing to go to prison or die for Him.

Luke 22: 33-34

But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

Peter was so full of himself and he did not even know that he was. Jesus told Peter that before the rooster would crow today, that he would deny Jesus three times. Many of us are like Peter. We say or do things and do not know why we do them.

The first lesson we learn about Peter was that he had to come to recognize that he was full of himself. When Peter saw Jesus from across the courtyard of the High Priest, after denying Jesus three times, Peter realized that Jesus knew him better than he knew himself. It was then that Peter went away and cried bitterly because of his sinful nature.

Luke 22: 60-62

But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

The second lesson that Peter had to realize was that He had to come to full and absolute surrender of every part of himself to Jesus. And then as he surrendered all of himself to Jesus, Jesus sent the Holy Spirt to take full control of Peter to be used mightily for God's work, not Peter's work. Peter's whole nature was changed. The work that Christ began in Peter when He looked upon him, was perfected when he was filled with the Holy Spirt.

We too as Christians, in our own walk with our Lord, must come to recognize these two important lessons: (1) To realize that we are very sinful in our nature and want what we want in our lives. (2) That we must completely and absolutely surrender all of ourselves to our Lord so that the Holy Spirit can have full domain of our lives for God's glory.

PERSONNAL COMMENT:

My prayer for everyone who comes to understand the process of our surrender to our Lord, is that as we surrender, we stay humble at the feet of Jesus, being in His Word daily, confessing daily our self-will before Him and then allow Him to lead us to fulfill His work in us. (Ephesians 2:10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.