At the point of surrender, one stops doing all that is within their power to do to fix their problems and asks God to give them His power to recover. They stop trying to control other people. Get into recovery. Address childhood traumas. And allow God to heal the wounds of their souls.
Surrendering means no longer fighting, pushing, or justifying—in other words, it is the refusal to stay in denial or blame another. Here’s another way to put it: Surrendering is giving up all excuses for their problems and looking to God as the ultimate resource. A surrendered heart no longer looks for justification to use a substance or have an unhealthy habit.
When someone eventually realizes that the road they’re on is hurting them more than the false comfort and help they’re receiving from it, they realize that to stay on this road is to choose further heartache and destruction. At this point, they will begin to admit that their life has spun out of control. And self-control has failed them. On top of that, their forms of self-treatment have failed and must be abandoned.
While humans are limited, fortunately, God is not.
Surrendering is acknowledging that God has the power to change the course of a person’s life. After all, a person is powerless to change it on their own. It means they are ready to stop escaping into the old patterns, habits, and attitudes, no longer saying they can handle it.
It is an active, conscious turning toward God and others. It means no longer manipulating God or bargaining with Him. To do this, they must get past their pain and fear. Also, they must be willing to cling to hope in God and his love for them—it reflects their willingness to submit to His plan and process for recovery.
Once a person relinquishes their control to God, they begin to experience His supernatural power in their life. Romans 12:2 NLT says, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
When someone surrenders, they don’t just give up or play dead or wait for God to fix them. Instead, they begin to reach out to God and others—like seeing a counselor and going to a Life Recovery Group—to help restore their life.