Surrenderance Series: Part II — The Power of the Holy Spirit in Surrender

It’s easy to tell someone, “Dress modestly, love your neighbor, do good to all people, test the spirit by the Spirit.” Those are wonderful commands. But if they’re done apart from the Holy Spirit, they become nothing more than dead works - outward acts with no inward transformation.

2 Timothy 3:5 (KJV) warns of people “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” That power only comes through the Holy Spirit.

It’s possible to appear righteous, go to church, give tithes, and still not be surrendered. It’s possible to believe - and still not have the Spirit. Even the demons believe, yet they tremble (James 2:19).

That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 7:22–23, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?...’ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you.”

They had works, but not the Spirit.

The Spirit Is the Difference

Some may ask, “But didn’t I receive the Holy Spirit when I first believed?” The book of Acts shows otherwise. The disciples in Acts 19:1–6 believed in Jesus but had not yet received the Holy Spirit until Paul laid hands on them.

Scripture never says belief alone equals indwelling. The Spirit fills those who are emptied - those who have died to self and yielded to God.

Without the Spirit, surrender is impossible. The flesh cannot crucify itself. Only the Spirit can break the power of sin and renew the mind.

Romans 8:13 says, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

Brokenness: The Doorway to Surrender

There’s no ten-step plan to surrender. Each person’s journey is unique. The process may look different, but the catalyst is always the same: brokenness.

Surrender begins when we are tired of being tired - when we see ourselves in the mirror of the Word and realize how far we’ve drifted from His reflection. Even our “good” deeds can come from wrong motives - fear, pride, or a need for validation.

True surrender happens when we say, “I don’t just want to escape judgment; I want to know Jesus. I want to be filled with His Spirit and changed from the inside out.”

A Prayer of Surrender

Father, I realize that surrendering is not easy.

I’ve formed my own ideas of how a Christian should act, think, and speak - sometimes based on others’ opinions, and sometimes out of pride.

But I want to reflect Your goodness and walk in the footsteps You left for us to follow.

I confess that I’ve been like a dead man walking - claiming life but living far from You.

Today, I come to the end of myself. 

Fill me with Your precious Holy Spirit.

Empty me of pride, fear, and self-reliance.

Let my works be pleasing and acceptable in Your sight.

Thank You, Lord, that in You, I have victory.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.