The Point of Purity Podcast

I Surrender How Much?

• Steve Etner • Season 4 • Episode 189

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We are daily engaged in spiritual warfare. We are on the front lines in this battle for purity, integrity and godliness. As a result, we desperately need to know how to fight this war. We need the combat training that only God can give. You cannot afford to NOT be prepared!
 
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We are daily engaged in spiritual warfare. We are on the front lines in this battle for purity, integrity and godliness. As a result, we desperately need to know how to fight this war. We need the combat training that only God can give. You cannot afford to NOT be prepared! 

Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. A weekly study filled to the brim with the all the tools from Scripture you will ever need to build a lasting life of Biblical purity. 

 I’m your host Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #189. This week’s episode is entitled “I Surrender … How Much?” 

 

In Psalm 25:1 David says, “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.” 

Have you ever paused long enough to truly comprehend what this verse is telling us? This is almost so simple of a phrase that we tend to skip over it, thinking we need to find something else that has more depth, more “meat” to sink our spiritual teeth into. But I want us to park here for a while and consider what it is that David is saying. And more importantly – what he’s doing. 

So, let me repeat the verse. Listen closely. “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 25:1) What is David doing here? Well, you might say that he is praying to God here – and you would be correct. But what is he doing in this prayer? In other words, there is more going on here than just David talking with God. What is the action he is taking? What is the posture he is assuming? Let me repeat Psalm 25:1 one more time. See if you can figure it out. “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.” 

If you answered something like, “OK, well it sounds like he’s lifting up his soul to God” you would be spot-on. But what do you think that means? Why is he doing this “soul-lifting” thing? What’s his purpose, his goal? And what should you and I be learning from all this? 

David is choosing to surrender his  life  to God. It’s important here that you understand this was a deliberate choice he was making. This wasn’t being forced upon him. No one was holding a knife to his throat saying, “do this, or else!” He is willfully and willingly choosing to surrender his entire life over to God. He recognized that who he was is only because of who God is. He owed God everything. 

 “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” 

Are you making that same choice? Notice what I did not ask just now. I didn’t ask “have you made” or “will you make,” as if it’s a one-and-done kind of thing. This is a daily, moment-by-moment decision that you must continuously make. Are you daily making the willful choice to lift your soul up to God? “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” 

We must moment-by-moment, repeatedly, consistently choose to lift up our soul – the core of who we are, ALL of our life, every part of it - to the Almighty, Most Holy, Sovereign Creator and God of the Universe. You are who you are because God is who He is, and you owe God everything. 

Think with me for a moment about the word “soul.” In Psalm 25:1 David prays, “To you, O Lord, I lift up my  soul.  ” What is your “soul,” and why is it so important to lift that up to God? 

In Genesis 2:7 we see that “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a  living soul .” Your “soul” is the real you. It’s your personhood. It is the seat of your will, emotions and passions. It’s the core of all you are. Your soul is what is going either to Heaven or Hell for eternity when you die. 

On the flip side, your body is just the vehicle – the “car” if you will – that God has given you to travel through life with. A car, by the way, that is permanently out of alignment. Your soul is the driver behind the wheel of that car. 

In Matthew 10:28 Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” And in Matthew 16:26 He asks “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” 

OK. Now let’s take a moment here to consider Jesus’ command of Matthew 22:37. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” 

Question: How much of your heart, soul, and mind is to be  totally  surrendered to God? The answer? ALL of it, all of the time. Here’s another question: When God says “all,” what does He mean? If you have been following this podcast for any length of time, then you are fully aware that “all” means all and that’s all “all” means. 

So, with that understanding, let me ask you this: When  is ALL of your heart, soul, and mind to be totally surrendered to God? Right now, right now, right now – every time, all the time. 

Now I have an important question for you here. When you choose to give up and give in to your temptations and sinful habits – at that moment – are you choosing to walk in obedience to Christ’s command of Matthew 22:37? Are you choosing to love God with  all  your heart,  all  your soul, and  all  your mind? 

Let me give you a hint here to help you with your answer -  either you are all in or not in at all , there is no in-between. So, why do you willfully choose to disobey God? Why do you choose to love yourself more than you love God? 

 “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 25:1) 

Now that we understand that your “soul” refers to the real you, we also begin to understand that “lifting up your soul” to God means you are  totally and completely  surrendering everything you are and everything you have over to God. Everything. 

That includes your sinful passions and desires. You need to “lift up” – totally and completely surrender your heart, your soul, your passions and desires totally and unreservedly over to God. 

Totally surrendering your soul over to God is not as hard as the enemy wants you to think it is. 

 Long  before the actual temptation to sin, victory begins when you choose to (as Deuteronomy 4:29 says) “search after (God) with all your heart and with all your soul” – and you do that hours, even days  before  the temptation hits. 

When  you  are on the throne of your heart, you will choose –always choose – to seek out what will make King Me happy, happy, happy. King Me will  never  voluntarily decide to step off the throne in favor of God’s reign and rule of your life. Why? King Me is convinced God’s way will be less than fulfilling and not as pleasurable. God’s way is boring. God’s way won’t satisfy. So, the King says no-way to God’s way. (if you would like to learn more on this particular topic, be sure to read my book <a href=”https://www.amazon.com/Removing-Life-Dethroning-King-Me/dp/194363520X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=removing+the+I+from+life&qid=1606241045&sr=8-1” title=”By Author Steve Etner: Removing the I from LIFE – how to dethrone King Me” target=”_blank”> “Removing the ‘I’ from LIFE: The Dethroning of King Me”</a> available on Amazon.com) 

Let me repeat Deuteronomy 4:29 - “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 

According to this verse, what percentage of your day can be about seeking your own desires, passions, and pleasures? The answer: 0%. Why can’t it be less than, oh, say 10%? Or 5%? Or even 1%? Why does it have to be 0%? What’s wrong with seeking out a  little  forbidden pleasure from time to time (especially if I’m not hurting anyone)? 

It’s all about the motivation of your heart – “ why  are you seeking your own desires?” I guarantee you it has nothing to do with honoring God but everything to do with pleasing King Me. 

OK, time for an honest assessment here – what percentage of your day is typically about seeking your own desires, passions, and pleasures vs. God’s? 

According to Deuteronomy 4:29, the result of only half-heartedly searching for God while King Me is still sitting on the throne of your heart is this: You will not find Him. He will not respond to you. You will continue in your sin and experience the ramifications of your choices. 

In Isaiah 59:2 God says, “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” 

Those “iniquities,” those sinful King Me choices have separated you from God. Romans 8:7 says you have chosen to turn your back on Him in favor of your own sinful passions and desires. As a result, Micah 3:4 warns, you “will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer; he will hide his face at that time, because (you) have made (your) deeds evil.” 

Once again let me repeat the words of Deuteronomy 4:29 - “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 

Notice the words “from  there  you will seek the Lord.” From where? From  right where you are In other words, you don’t have to get your act together  before  you can seek the Lord. You don’t have to stop sinning before you can reach out to God. Come to Him just as you are – sinful, dirty, wretched and worn. Just come. 

In John 7:37 “Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If  anyone thirsts,  let him  come to me and drink.”

Let’s face it, you are thirsty my friend. The problem is that you have been running to the wrong well to be satisfied. 

In John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst’

Isaiah 58:11 tells us that “The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places.”

And Psalm 107:9 says that God “satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

Listen to God’s call. Do you hear it? God is calling to you. He is bidding you to come to Him  just as you are.  No fluff. No pretense. Just you. Your soul. Lift it up to Him. Surrender your heart to Him. 

I love the words of Isaiah 1:18 where God is saying to you “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become wool.” 

I challenge you to lift up your soul right now to God. Even though your sins are many, even though you have been guilty of idolatry because you’ve chosen over and over again to worship King Me – just come and let God cleanse you. Let Him fill you. Let Him truly satisfy you. 

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus extends a personal invitation to “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

Jesus is inviting you to come to Him – right here, right now – just as you are. Come to Him with your heavy burdens, your pressing problems, your recurring sinful habits – let Him give you the rest you are seeking. You don’t have to change anything before crying out to Him. Just come as you are. 

 

 OK. Let’s hit the pause button until next week’s episode. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry (what we do to help men across the globe find freedom and victory over sexual sin), be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com.

 If you’re a subscriber to this podcast, then you’ve heard me talk about our “Point of Purity Program” – a 12 week, 1-on-1, Bible-Centered coaching program taking you into Scripture to teach you how to develop a lifelong strategic plan for sexual purity. And I often talk on this podcast about the various books I have written (7 so far) – all of which are available on Amazon (just do a search for my name – Steve Etner – and you will see how you can purchase any and all of my books).

As a faith-based, donor-supported ministry, all of this (and so much more) is only made possible by our team of ministry partners who give financially to this ministry. Without compromise The Purity Coach shows men and women how to have a continuous relationship with Jesus that is real and personal.

 If this Point of Purity podcast has been a blessing to you, if it’s ministered to you, encouraged you, challenged your walk with Christ, would you please join our team of Point of Purity Partners as we seek to continue impacting our world by equipping and training men and women in how-to live-in purity, godliness, and integrity. Your financial / tax-deductible support of any amount to this ministry will go a long way toward helping men and women find the victory and freedom that only Christ can – and will – give!

 To give your tax deductible gift to this ministry today, simply go to ThePurityCoach.com and click on the Donate button in the upper right corner. And thank you for partnering with us! 

And if you have not yet subscribed to this podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes! So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.