Partial Surrender: When You Give It to God but Still Try to Control It

In this message, we examine the danger of partial surrender: saying we have handed a matter over to God while still trying to control, monitor, or force the outcome. Through Scriptures such as 1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 55:22, Proverbs 3:5–8, and Ephesians 1:3, this episode calls us to trust God with the matter, the method, the timing, and the outcome. It is a prayerful encouragement for anyone struggling to let go and rest in God’s plan.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Surrender is not only saying, Lord, I give it to you, it is also learning to stop controlling, stop monitoring, and emotionally carrying what you have already placed in his hands. Good morning and welcome to today's expression of igniting your day. This morning I was shown certain situations where someone says they are giving something over to God but still wants to retain control. They still want to monitor the outcome. They still want to determine the way those things should come out. You say you have given it over to God and thank God for your life. But when you leave the place where you said what you said, you still find yourself wanting to retain control. You still find yourself monitoring the outcomes. You find yourself trying to determine how the thing should turn out. This is what is called partial surrender. I do not know how many people listening to me this morning go through partial surrender. Maybe you have said, Lord, I hand it over to you, but in actual fact, you are still monitoring, you are still checking, you are still trying to control. This morning we will pray for our friends, our family members, and people around us, but we'll also allow the Lord to help us personally. First, we are not talking about stewardship here. We're not talking about being faithful with something God has committed into your hands. When you are a steward of something God has placed in your hands or in your care, you can monitor it because you want to ensure that God's resources are well utilized. That's not what we are talking about. We are talking about things you yourself have handed over to God, things you have said, Lord, I give you this, but you still want to stay in control. May the Lord help us in the name of Jesus. Why must this attitude be dealt with? Why? There are three important reasons I see. First, partial surrender prevents you from moving forward from things and issues God expects you to have left behind. When you practice partial surrender, it keeps you attached to what God wants you to release. Secondly, partial surrender makes it difficult for you to embrace newness in your life. You may find yourself circling the same mountain again and again. Not because God is unable to take you further, but because you are still checking, you are still holding on, and you are still trying to control things God expects you to have moved away from. Thirdly, partial surrender can lead to wrong decisions. You know why? Because you are still including in your reasoning things God expects you to have left behind long ago. You are still including them in your thought process, you are still allowing them to influence your processing and decision making. These three reasons make it important, important rather, for us to gain victory over this attitude today. Partial surrender can prevent you from going forward, it can make it difficult to embrace newness, it can lead to wrong decisions. Let's look at what the Bible says in 1 Peter chapter 5, verse 7. The Bible says, Casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. This passage tells us to cast our care upon him because he cares for us. This means we are not called to place the burden before God and still hold on to it, we are called to release the weight to him. Proverbs chapter 55, verse 22 also says, Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. This is powerful, friends. The Lord does not only receive the burden, he sustains the person who releases the body. He does not ask you to cast your burden on him so that you can become abandoned. No, he asks you to cast it on him because he is able to sustain you. And remember what the Bible says in Psalm 121, verse 4. The Bible says, Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. God cares about you watchfully. There is no amount of surveillance you can offer that will be better than how God watches over you. No matter how excellent you are at monitoring, you can never do a better job than God. You can never do a better job than God. So this morning, we are going to pray. I do not know which areas of your life you have not truly let go as you should. But we will pray for ourselves and we will also pray for our friends and family members. Wherever they are and whatever they are doing, we will be a blessing to them this morning in the name of Jesus. Why do people practice partial surrender? Let's talk about it. I also see three reasons here why people practice partial surrender. These three reasons may not be exhaustive, but as much as the Lord helped me this morning, I could see three reasons why people practice partial surrender. Number one, it's the fear of disappointment. It looks to me like some people have felt disappointed before. Because of that, it has become hard for them to take their eyes away from certain processes in their lives. The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 13, verse 12, hope defied maketh the heart sick. But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. It is not unlikely that there are areas in your life where you waited and waited, but the things you hoped for did not come. So now, in the current situation you are going through, when you remember a past so-called disappointment, it becomes challenging to leave this present issue completely in the hands of God. This is why we need healing. The Bible says that when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. But may I tell you this morning that Jesus is actually the fulfillment of every desire? Until we reach the level of maturity where we see Jesus as the fulfillment of every desire, we will keep focusing on what we are not supposed to focus on. We will keep majoring on minors and minoring on the major. Jesus is the fulfillment of everything you want. Does the Bible not say in Ephesians 1 3 that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ? Yes. Ephesians 1 3 in the King James it says, Blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who have blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Friends, everything is in Christ Jesus. There is nothing you desire that is not already contained in him. Christ is the container. Christ is the fulfillment of everything you will ever need. The things you have needed, the things you need now, and the things you think you will need, you have him already. So declare this morning with faith. My attention is on Jesus. What I am looking for is already made available in Christ. I have the tree of life. Jesus is the fulfillment of everything I will ever need. Pray for that your friend who has not completely let go. Pray for that your brother, your sister who is finding it difficult to release that matter, pray that their attention will turn to Jesus. We declare this morning that with joy we draw from the well of salvation. With joy we draw from that well because we know that Christ is the fulfillment, Christ is the container, and Christ is the bearer of every beautiful thing we will ever desire in life. Amen. The second reason people practice partial surrender is lack of trust in God's method. Some people do not trust the way God is going about the matter, so they hold on to it tenaciously. Some people do not know that God can save in many ways. Friends, God can deliver by immunity, God can deliver by intervention, God can deliver by progression, God can deliver by preservation, God can deliver by eternal preservation. But I also learned from Isaiah chapter 45, verse 15 that God can also deliver by operating in what I call stealth mode. You may not see his hand, you may not see visible movement, you may not see anything happening outwardly, yet God is doing mighty things behind the scenes. Isaiah chapter 45, verse 15 says, Verily, thou art a God who hidest thyself, O God of Israel, thy Savior, the Savior. Many people hold on to what they should have released because they do not trust God's method. They do not trust that the way God is going about it can take them to the desired destination. But the Bible says in Proverbs chapter 3, verse 5 to 8, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil. It shall be health unto thy navel and marrow unto thy bones. Friends, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him. Give him first place in all your ways, and he will direct your path. Who even knows whether that sick feeling, that heaviness, that unrest, that bodily pressure is connected to what you have refused to release. Who knows? The scripture connects trusting the Lord with health and strength. So declare this morning: I am not wise in my own eyes, I receive the wisdom of the Lord. I trust the Lord with all my heart. I accept the wisdom of God. And please remember what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 30. The Bible says, But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Jesus has become wisdom from God unto us. Jesus has become wisdom from God unto me. Jesus has become wisdom from God unto you. Jesus is the manifestation of the wisdom of God for us. So I do not find it hard to trust in the Lord with all my heart. Jesus is my wisdom. I am not wise in my own eyes because Jesus is my wisdom. I am wise according to the provisions of Jesus. I am wise because I yield to the promptings of Christ. I am wise because I yield to the instructions of Jesus. Pray also for that your son. Pray for that your daughter. Pray for that your loved one. Declare that they are wise because they follow Jesus. They are wise because they yield unto Jesus. Amen. The third reason people practice partial surrender is over attachment to a specific desired outcome. Yes. Some people are holding tightly to one particular outcome. They have concluded that unless that specific thing happens, life cannot be what it's supposed to be. But who told you that? Who told you that if you do not work in that organization, you will not become who God said you will be? Who told you that it is only when you drive that particular car that your social status is redeemed? Who told you that? Who told you that unless you go to that country, your life will not become what it's supposed to be? Where did you hear that from? People practice partial surrender because there's a particular outcome they are holding on to tenaciously. And this morning, the Lord brought this question into my heart, and I'll share it with you. He said, What is the essence of a fulfilled desired outcome that has no place in God's purpose for your life? There may be things you and I are believing God for. You may have prayed, you may have fasted, but what is the essence of getting a desired outcome? If that outcome has no place in God's agenda for your life, if you do not receive this warning, you may only increase the burdens you will carry through life. Why? Because that desired outcome may not have the capacity to support your purpose, it may not have the place, the power, or the assignment to support where God is taking you. And because you desired it so intensely, you may end up dragging it along on your journey of life. Friends, God does not want that for you. My brother, God does not want that for you. My sister, God does not want that for you. Some of the things we are holding on to tenaciously may not have a place in our purpose when viewed from God's perspective. Because we hold onto them tightly, it becomes difficult to let go and let God. Remember, Jesus, even Jesus, your Jesus, my Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, it got to a point where he said, Not my will, but thine be done. Luke 22, 42. Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. Can you take a moment this morning and say, Lord, not my will, but yours be done? Yes, I do not want to hold on to any outcome that has no place in my purpose. Not my will, but yours be done, O God. Amen. Friends, let's look at Jeremiah 29:11. Because this passage is often quoted from modern translations. Let us preserve the reference and express the insight clearly. God knows the thought and plans he has towards his people. His intention is not destruction, but peace, hope, and a future. What I see in this passage is that God does not just have a desire for you, he has a plan. A plan. A plan to fulfill that desire. God is not merely ambitious concerning you, he does not just desire a future for you, he has a plan that leads to that future. The inconsistency you think you are seeing between your current situation and what you really want may be part of God's plan. It may look inconsistent because God is executing a plan that He has for you, which is different from what you desire. God does not just want to give you a future, He has already made a plan that leads to that future. And this God is faithful to His plans. Therefore, when He is doing what He's doing to bring you into the future He has promised, you may see what looks like inconsistency in the situations of your life. What is happening now may look different from what you desired, but that does not mean God is absent. It may just mean God is working his process. Why don't you declare this morning, Lord? I accept and embrace your plan for my life. I embrace your plan for my life. I embrace your plan and purpose for my life. I am not threatened by the inconsistency between what I'm going through and what I desire. They may not match, but it could be you who is executing your plan. Yes, friends, we often forget that God is not a magician. Some of the best things God wants to happen in your life require a plan. They require a process. So God may be subjecting you to his process while you keep saying what is happening in my life does not match my desire. But this could be God's process at work. So declare this morning. I do not hold tenaciously to results, I embrace the plan and purpose of God for my life in the name of Jesus. Amen. So, what should I do going forward? What should you do going forward? There are a few things the Lord helped me to understand. This may not be exhaustive, but these are just a few that I believe can help you and anyone else. Number one, admit honestly that it has been challenging. There is nothing wrong with admitting honestly that this has been challenging for you. You can open up to your father, he is your father. Jesus taught that even earthly fathers, despite their weaknesses, do not give stones when their children ask for bread. How much more your heavenly father? I tell you, friends, he cares. He does care. I've not come here to make you feel guilty for how you have handled life. No. I'm here to empathize with you and at the same time to let you know that God has a plan for you. Please accept God's plan. This God, your God, my God, has a plan. He is an extraordinary strategist and a master storyteller. There is nothing wrong in saying, Lord, this has been challenging. Take a moment and talk to your father. Let him know how you feel. Sometimes you go to church, you hear the word, and you are strengthened, but there are still emotional questions that feel unanswered. My brother, my sister, there is nothing wrong with telling God how you feel. Let him know that it has been a challenging journey. You have a friend in Jesus. Tell him how challenging it has been. Number two, you may want to separate responsibility from control. The second thing you must do going forward is to understand that there's a difference between being responsible and being in control. How do you know when what you are doing has become control? You will see yourself inventing actions so that you can keep turning the outcome in your direction. When I say inventing actions, I mean actions the Holy Spirit did not tell you to take. You are manufacturing those actions yourself. You are bringing them up just to make sure things go the way you want. That is control. Responsibility obeys God's instructions. Control manufactures action to satisfy fear. Number three, you can create a boundary. Yes. The third thing you must do going forward is create a boundary. Tell yourself, I will not check today. That brother you have been stalking on Facebook, you can create a boundary. That sister you have been stalking, you can create a boundary. It may even be your child you are stalking. Tell yourself, I have handed him over to you. Today I will not check his profile. Today I will not check her WhatsApp status. Today I will not keep monitoring. Create a boundary for yourself. Tell the Lord, I have handed him over. I have handed her over. I know you care better than I do. Yes. Why don't you just go ahead and thank the Lord this morning for what you've heard? Yes, bless him. Thank him for everything you have received. Yes. Wow. Father, we say thank you. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name. So, friends, in closing, take one matter you have been monitoring anxiously and pray to her.