Every new year we make resolutions. They are typically based on something we want to do, want to accomplish, or have put off for too long.
Sometimes they’re superficial things. Other times they’re deeper changes in our character or behaviors.
As Christians we make spiritual resolutions to pray more, give more, go to church more, and so on.
What if this year, instead of asking, “What do I want to accomplish?” we prayed, “God, what do you want to accomplish? What do you want to do in me, through me, and for me in 2019?” This year, instead of saying, “This is my resolution,” what if we said, “This is my prayer”?
I want to share a passage of Scripture that has birthed a daily prayer in my life. It is a prayer that shapes the way I think, the goals I set, and the desires of my heart. It encourages me, strengthens me and builds me up. It is my prayer, and I hope you will make it your prayer also.
I call it “The Prayer of Surrender,” and it comes from Paul’s letter to the Romans.
“I plead with you to give your bodies to God … let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think … Then you will learn to know God’s will for you …” (Romans 12:1-2).
In this passage Paul references our body, our mind and our will (or desires). These are three areas the devil strategically attacks, and so it is these areas we must surrender to the Lord. Any area of your life that is not under God’s leadership is open to the influence of the enemy.
First, we must surrender our bodies to God. Our flesh is weak. We easily give in to sins of the body: greed, lust, gluttony, etc. Our bodies are one of God’s greatest tools, yet we treat them poorly with the way we eat, exercise and rest. When we are suffering physically, we tend to complain and question God.
So how do we surrender our bodies? Through obedience to God’s commands. Create boundaries and invite accountability. Paul said, “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.”
Second, we must surrender our minds. Life transformation begins with the mind, not with the body. The acts of the body are the fruit of the mind. When we read the Bible, our minds are renewed. We learn to think the way God thinks.
Third, we must surrender our will (again, think desires). When we pray, our desires become His desires. There is no greater example of this than Jesus himself.
On the night he was betrayed, he went to the garden to pray. His prayer? “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
In 2019, let’s not make resolutions. Let’s pray prayers. It starts with the prayer of surrender.
Adam Detamore (@adetamore on Twitter) is pastor of Realife Church in Greenfield. This weekly column is written by local clergy members. Send comments to [email protected].
