Surrender is the central theme of recovery. Until you surrender your will to God’s, he cannot do for you what you have been unable to do for yourself.
I love the way C.S. Lewis said it: “One of two things will happen to you. You will tell God, ‘Thy will be done.’ Or in the final day, God will tell you, ‘Thy will be done.’”
Choices have consequences. You will either live under the benefits of God’s will, or you will suffer the penalty of calling your own shots.
The brother of our Lord said, “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
How does surrender work on a practical level? For me, it means praying two prayers every single day – the Third Step Prayer and the Seventh Step Prayer.
Recovery Step: Pray the Third Step Prayer right now. “God, I offer myself to you, to build with me and do with me as you will. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do your will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of your power, your love, and your way of life.”
