Surrender to Achieve

Are you striving to be a better person? Do you set goals you want to achieve? Are you willing to consider different goals? Are you willing to be radical in your thinking and developing your goals?

I dare say most of us want to be a better person. However, we may not be able to fully define what that better person looks like. Our idea of that person is vague, based on a variety of characteristics we’ve seen in other people. Wouldn’t it be nice to have those characteristics listed for us?

The list is provided for us. We may not think about it. We may have been told we cannot achieve it on our own. We may even think it is unachievable. Yet, the list is there for us to read and set as our goal. What is the list? It is the fruits of the Spirit found in today’s passage.

Let’s dive into the question of whether it is achievable or not. We cannot achieve it on our own, in our own strength, or by force. Okay, how do we achieve it? We must let go. Stop trying to force ourselves to be the list. Instead, we must surrender to God, allowing the Holy Spirit to make the change in us. It’s not easy. It requires us to trust God. It requires our willingness to change.

Have you ever tried to force yourself to be joyous? It just doesn’t work. Oh, you can fake it, but usually others can see right through it. What about self-control? We might call it discipline. It’s very difficult to discipline ourselves, to have self-control. It requires a very strong and well-trained individual, and even then we may not be able to accomplish it.

On the other hand, when we ask God for His Holy Spirit to work in our lives, producing these fruits in us, it becomes achievable. Notice I did not say it was easy. Why? It still requires us to be willing to change and surrendering to God’s desire. Surrender is especially difficult for us Americans. We are bullheaded, stubborn, hardheaded, or whatever other term you want to call it. We don’t like to give in to someone else. It is easier to give up one of our goals than to surrender to someone who can help us accomplish them.

I pray we all decide to surrender to God. I pray we ask the Holy Spirit to help us be better people. I pray each one of us is willing to change into the person God intended us to be. Surrender to God. Allow the Holy Spirit to make the change. Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead. Achieve your goal of being a better person.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.