Letting Go

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Why is letting go, and letting God have control, so difficult a thing to do? Letting go of personal rights, attitudes, and surrendering of the will, are the greatest struggles the Christian will face. At times surrendering can seem impossible, but we will find the reward far outweighs the sacrifice.

Does letting go mean I am nothing? Is it a one-time thing and afterwards there is no struggle? Letting go is both surrender and self-denial all rolled into one. It is a life-long commitment to be true to God, come what may. The battle has just begun, and we will need the power of God each step of the way. We cannot let go by ourselves; it takes the grace of God.

Our commitment is not an end, but rather the beginning of a life of self-denial and letting go. We should not think it strange when a multitude of negative thoughts bombard our minds. Satan does not sleep and does not want to see us free and happy. However, by God’s grace, the battles and tests we face, will strengthen our commitment, rather than weaken it. We need a personal commitment to God to continue no matter what we face. We need a covenant with God to be faithful and true to Him no matter what happens. If we have no commitment, we will simply yield to every wind that blows. We will fall at the first onslaught of Satan, or we will try to stand up in our own strength and be an intellectual Christian.

A couple scriptures come to mind. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  James 4:7 The other is the account of the spirit going out of a heart, then returning bringing seven other spirits more detrimental than himself. Luke11:24-26. In the account, this spirit comes back after a time to find the heart unfilled. Powerless to resist because of a lack of commitment, the spirits move in and the man is worse off than he was before. No matter where we are in our Christian journey, Satan will continue to seek reentry to our heart. For that reason, I, we, should not think it strange when we are tempted to be drawn back into the old struggle we left behind.

Part of letting go may include dealing with negative or wrong thinking patterns, which can be like a groove in our mind; a habitual way of thinking. Some may be real while others are imagine. Other times we may have genuine hurts, which need forgiveness and healing. It will take the power of God to conquer our minds and thinking patterns.

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Here are some fundamental anchor points which will help us to fight the battle of our minds.

God is love, and He loves me.

I am human and will make mistakes; so will others.

I am not a superhuman. I will need God’s power and help to overcome the flesh.

God wants me saved more than I want to be, so He is going to provide everything He can to save me.

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There are many more promises in the Bible, so we need not be swept away by the wind of Satan; they will blow, and we will be tempted. We should not be alarmed or think it a strange thing when we are tempted. Temptations are not wrong, unless of course, we are deliberately walking in the way of temptation. On the contrary, temptation may be proof that we are living for the Lord. After all, why would Satan tempt someone who already is in his control?

We will find peace and rest, by letting go and relaxing into God’s care,