Everything you want is on the other side of surrender

"If my life is surrendered to God, all is well. Let me not grab it back, as though it were in peril in His hand but would be safer in mine!"
— Elisabeth Elliot

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
— Jesus, Matthew 16:25

You have signed up for a life of surrender.

Yes, if you claim to have faith in Jesus Christ — your life is no longer your own!

Surrender is a non-negotiable requirement and should be an obvious characteristic of the Christ follower.

And for most of us, if we’re not careful, we will live a life that is totally doable in our own strength. But what kind of life is that though?!

I want you to take a moment to think of something you REALLY want.

This is a judgement-free zone. All heads bowed and eyes closed. Really go for it.

What do you want? And why don’t you have it?

I’m sure all of our answers were different — but if the answer to the last question was anything close to “I have more work to do” or “I haven’t done enough to get it yet” or “I don’t know if I deserve it” or “it just needs more time”…

I think this newsletter is for you.

I’ve written many times in this newsletter, in my ebooks, on my Instagram, in live talks about “control issues and the Christ follower”. Here’s the quick thought to keep us going:

We have control issues because we fundamentally have trust issues.

We trust our own limited abilities and foresight more than God’s perfect plan, timing, and methods.

We trust ourselves because we have evidence from life experience that we can get what we want — for the most part. (I’d say we’re not thinking and dreaming big enough.)

We don’t want to surrender because we don’t want to feel out of control.

And when it comes to desires, working hard, and needing control —

our attempts to control our lives often lead to exhaustion and dissatisfaction, while the act of surrender leads to unexpected peace and provision.

What we see in the Bible and in the lives of people who walk in the presence of God,

surrender is conscious decision to release control of the outcome of a specific desire to God

and the outcome is always way better, way sweeter, way more effortless and enjoyable than what we could come up with ourselves.

Maybe you’ve heard of the “Scarcity vs Abundance” mindsets:

Scarcity Mindset (Control): A fear-based clinging to what we currently have or think we need. It's the belief that provision is limited by our effort.

Abundance Mindset (Surrender): A trust-based release. It's the belief that God's provision is limitless.

When we release our grip on scarcity and trust God's instruction, the provision is sustained and overflowing.

How many times have you heard someone say something along the lines of:

“I can’t tell you the amount of peace I felt after I just surrendered it to the Lord. And I can’t fully explain the way He provided for more than I ever asked…"

Well, why aren’t we doing this more? And why aren’t you living this way?!

The outcome of surrender is typically not what you thought it would look like — and is always better than what you could’ve dreamed or imagined.

There are so many wonderful stories of a person’s surrender and God’s provision throughout Scripture. Here are a few:

Abraham (Genesis 22): Surrendered his cherished son Isaac, the fulfillment of the long-awaited promise. God provided a ram at the last moment that was even better.

The Widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17): Surrendered her last handful of flour and oil while she and her son were starving. God provided the miracle of her flour and oil not running dry until the famine ended.

Moses (Exodus 4): Surrendered his sense of inadequacy and fear that he wasn't eloquent enough to lead. God Provided the power to perform miracles and the necessary spokesman, Aaron, to speak on his behalf.

Jesus (Matthew 26:39): Surrendered his personal will, choosing the Father’s cup of suffering over his own desire. God provided the ultimate provision of salvation and resurrection life for all humanity.

For my own life — I’m so quick to forget how God has provided for me after moments of surrender:

After my sophomore year of college I was working my first week at summer camp. I had a clear plan to go into the business world and make as much money as possible. I vividly remember calling out to God “You can have my life from here. Whatever you want to do with it, I’m all in.” My career path since that moment has been challenging, but more than I ever could’ve dreamed for myself and my family. I’m so thankful.

In early fall of 2018, we were considering buying a house with more land and closer to town. I really wasn’t sure about the financials or if it was a wise move. I drove past it on my way to the gym one early morning, praying for God to show me if the house was for us. A new sign had just been put up the day before renaming the county road it was on “Taylor Road”. HA! A few days later, I was needing more confirmation if God wanted to do something new with us in this house. Within those couple days, the entire road was repaved and so smooth. We just passed 7 years in this home.

Last December, my wife was considering a new career and business. This was a big change for us. She prayed, listened, and went all in. In January 2025, she had about 3800 Instagram followers. On the cusp of December 2025, she’s at 53,000+. A silly, but strong indicator of abundance on the other side of letting go.

The bottomline: God's provision consistently follows the act of surrender.

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:19

How do I give something up but still actively work at it?

How do I surrender a deep desire and still work through the emotions that come with the desire?

True surrender leads to peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7), which acts as a guard for the very emotions you are processing.

Are you willing to name and/or list out what you really want? The desire, the worry, the activity you are clinging to.

Are you willing to then surrender, let go, cast it all to God?

Are you willing to NOT work on those things until the Lord speaks and/or moves?

Everything you want is on the other side of surrender.

This abundance isn't necessarily getting the original desire. Instead, it is drawing closer in relationship with God and inner peace through the surrender process itself.

What if instead of going into this holiday season and even 2026 with more goals and more habits, what if you committed to more surrender?

Together, let’s make this a December to Surrender. 😉

If you haven’t yet and want to see what it’s all about it — click this link or the one below!

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Love to you all.

Tyler, Texas | November 30, 2025

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