November 7, 2025
The late Dr. Charles Stanley said in his great little book, The Wonderful Spirit-filled Life, “The Spirit-filled life is a moment-by-moment relationship characterized by dependency on the Holy Spirit. And surrender is the foundation upon which that unique relationship is built and maintained.” He added that self-effort is a cheap, short-lived imitation. Some people struggle this way for years and finally conclude, “I tried it, and it just didn’t work for me.”
Self-effort, apart from God’s help, never does work. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The problem with so many Christians is that we do not want to surrender, at least not totally. We want to be “good Christians,” but still maintain control over much of our lives. God understands this, as He does all things. And He does expect us to do what we can. But we must remain surrendered with the Holy Spirit in control.
Stanley suggested that spiritual growth is a process and that God is engineering circumstances in our lives with a definite purpose in mind. He has a plan for each willing life. He added that we should relax, for there is no rush; God is in control. Some of the circumstances that God provides we do not enjoy. Some of the occurrences are not to our liking, because they are according to our desires and often sinful lusts.
You may rightly ask, “But how can I stay surrendered to the Holy Spirit?” Well, the Apostle Paul suggests that we pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This means that we are to stay in contact with God. Paul also tells us to constantly give thanks and praise to God. He is so very good to His children (Christians)! He answers prayers in our best interest. Praying without ceasing also means that we realize that God is inside us; He is living in our hearts. We take Him with us everywhere, and He hears our very thoughts. Let us learn to not grieve or quench Him.
God has taught me a lot, but it took Him many years. Like most young people, I thought I could “handle it.” The Lord has been so patient and gracious to me. Now that I am old, I know how true the words of my Lord are when He says that without Him I can do nothing. I have learned to thank and praise Him and always pray for His help before I start to do anything. And doing things involves everything, not just preaching or witnessing.
Recently I ran into some physical challenges in a rental house I own. I worried and did not quite know how to solve a particular problem. Then I remembered to “Take it to the Lord in prayer.” The next day I knew exactly what to do. I called on a professional and he solved the problem for me almost instantly. All I could do was pray, “Lord, thank you for helping me.”
Taking my problem to the Lord in prayer constituted surrender. Asking for the Lord’s help is surrender and acknowledgment that the Holy Spirit is our Helper, as well as our Counselor, Comforter, and Friend. In fact the Holy Spirit is God and our All-in-all. Praise Him. Amen.
___
Ralph Fudge is the pastor of Big Ochlocknee Baptist Church in Coolidge, Ga., and has a Master’s degree in theology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Share with others
