Pastor Rick Warren concludes Chapter 10 of The Purpose Driven Life by listing 7 characteristics of surrender.
1. When you surrender your life to God through the power of the Holy Spirit, you will experience peace, freedom, and God’s power in your life.
2. Victory comes through surrender. Paradoxically, surrender doesn’t weaken you, it strengthens you.
3. God uses surrendered people.
4. Sooner or later, everybody surrenders to something or someone. As E. Stanley Jones astutely observed: “If you don’t surrender to Christ, you surrender to chaos.”
5. The greatest hindrance to God’s blessing in your life is your own sinful nature, not other people.
6. Surrender is not a one-time event. As Rick notes, there is a moment of surrender and the daily practice of surrender.
7. Your decision to live a totally surrendered life, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will be tested. You may be called on to do unpopular or seemingly impossible tasks. Nothing is impossible when God’s grace, love, and wisdom are in our hearts.
