This post is part of my Steps to Christ series.

On our own, we are separated from God. The Bible describes us as dead in our sins and taken captive by the Devil.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
- Ephesians 2:1 NKJV

 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
- 2 Timothy 2:26 NKJV

The good news is that God wants to save and transform us. God loves us just the way we are but loves us too much to leave us the way we are. God desires to heal us and to set us free. But this requires a complete transformation, the renewing of our whole being, therefore we must yield ourselves wholly to Him.

The Struggle is Real

The war against self is the greatest battle we will ever fight. I have always believed this to be the great struggle of the Christian, the yielding of self, completely surrendering all to the will of God. This does not come easily nor can it be done only once. Daily we must submit to God before we can be renewed in holiness.

“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
- Isaiah 1:18 NKJV

God invites us to reason together. He invites us into a relationship. God does not ask us to turn off our brains, but rather to understand Him and His plans and to choose Him. He invites us to give ourselves to Him, that He may work His will in us. We are free to choose whether we will be set free from the bondage of sin, to share the glorious liberty of the children of God, or if we will wallow in sin trying to satisfy our selfish desires.

Some of you might be tempted to consider this surrendering some type of work. But to deny our willingness to surrender is to suggest that God forces His will upon us. Look at what Jesus had to say about giving things up.

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
- Luke 14:22 NKJV

We must not be willing to allow anything to stand between us and Christ. Whatever draws our hearts away from God must be given up.

Money and prosperity are the idols of many. The love of money, the desire for wealth, is the golden chain that binds them to Satan. Reputation and worldly honor are worshiped by others. Others make a life of selfish ease and freedom from responsibility their idol. But these bands of slavery must be broken. We cannot be half the Lord's and half the world's. If we want to be God's children, we must be all in, it all or nothing.

Do you feel that it is too great a sacrifice to yield all to Christ?

Ask yourself the question, “What has Christ given for me?” The Son of God gave all—life and love and suffering—for our redemption.

Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
- Isaiah 53:12 NKJV

God does not require us to give up anything that it is for our best interest to keep.

Think about it, what do we give up, when we give God our all? A sin-polluted heart, that Jesus has to purify, and cleanse by His own blood, and to save by His incredible love. And yet we think it is difficult to give up all? We should be ashamed of this.

How do we go about this? I love the way the following quote describes it.

Many are inquiring, “How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?” You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.
- Steps to Christ p47

By choosing Christ our lives may be transformed. When we yield our will to Christ, we ally ourselves with the power that is above all powers. That is the only way we will have strength from above to remain steadfast, and through constant surrender to God we will be enabled to live a new life, even the life of faith