The Victory of Surrender

Day 6 – The Victory of Surrender

Scripture:

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Luke 22:42 (ESV)

There’s a real tug-of-war that lives inside all of us.
In one breath, we want to please God.
In the next, we want to be in control.
We want peace—but we also want our way.
We want to follow Jesus—but we also want to hold onto the hurts, habits, and hang-ups that keep pulling us back.

That battle between our flesh and our spirit plays out over and over again in real life.

And then we come to the Garden.

Jesus knew what was coming—His arrest, His torture, and His brutal death on a cross. And in Luke 22, we don’t just see Jesus teaching us about surrender… we see Him living it.

He prays honestly:
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me…”

That’s real. That’s human. That’s raw.

But then comes the turning point—the moment that shows us how to win the war within:

“Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

Jesus didn’t wrestle with sin the way we do—He lived a sinless life we could never live. But He did wrestle with the weight of what obedience would cost Him. He knew the price. He felt the pressure. And yet, for the love of the Father—and for you and me—He surrendered.

And that surrender is what opened the door for our salvation:
the forgiveness of our sins, and the gift of eternal life.

Here’s what Jesus shows us:

If we want to be more like Him, it won’t come through hype or willpower. It comes through simple surrender—over and over again.

Not always dramatic.
Not always emotional.
But real.

On our knees.
Talking with our Father.
Letting go of control.

That’s the goal of prayer and fasting—not just to “do something spiritual,” but to train our hearts to say:
“Not my will, but Yours.”

Because on the other side of surrender is what our hearts are really longing for:
peace, joy, and love… found in the will of God.

Reflection

• Where do you feel the tug-of-war most right now—between what you want and what God wants?
• What is one area where you need to pray, “Not my will, but Yours be done” and actually mean it?

Prayer
Father, You know the battle that rages inside me. You know where I want control, where I’ve been clinging to my own way. Today I surrender that to You. Teach me to trust You, even when obedience costs me something. I want to be more like Jesus—so I’m choosing to pray: Not my will, but Yours be done. Amen.