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"I have been crucified with Christ . . ." -
Galatians 2:20
To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up
sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again
by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can
grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense
or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness,
honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all
He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid
righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give
up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration.
Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender
next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our
rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we
possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be
identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When
people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly
offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride
of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light
of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.
If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a
determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and
all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires
of you.
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