Circling Surrender

In our walk with Christ, it would seem that there are always those things in our lives, those chains we keep surrendered to. You know which ones are yours, and you can bet I know which sweet little sins I keep safely curled up in my lap. Even though I am born again and have new life, I still keep a few secret sins around to keep me comfortable. Eventually, though, the Holy Spirit reveals to us that those sins aren't keeping us comfortable so much as they are keeping us captive.

Spiritual growth doesn't look like figures, it doesn't work out mathematically to create a line graph, or deal in the laws of physics. It looks like circles, great loops... and if you are earnest about growing nearer to the Lord, the circles move in a direction - toward Him. It can't be exactly charted, but it can be followed in steps:

Step 1: You branch out, and inadvertently fumble things and mess up. You seek forgiveness.
Step 2: The Lord gently helps you on your feet, dusts you off, turns you slightly and shows you the right path. You eagerly jump at the second chance, now that you "know it all."
Step 3: You shrug the Holy Spirit's nudging off because, after all, you "know it all" about that old sin (neglecting the fresh new form it has taken in your life). You begin to walk back in the direction you came from.
Step 4: You fall again, seeking forgiveness and repentance. He turns you and rights you again - circle complete.

There is nothing we can DO to save ourselves, no power short of the Holy Spirit is great enough. There IS, however, a part we play: surrender. If, right after Step 1, we would instead humble ourselves to surrender to Christ and the cross, then we would be able to keep Him before us and move forward to Him. Oh, the strength of the word "if" - no "then" is released until the "if" is surrendered to.

Thinking about this, an old memory verse came to mind...

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

- Philippians 2:12-13 -