What Surrender Means

You must depend on God, be disciplined and trained for the higher life. Yes, depend on God; wait His pleasure; follow Him; rely in obedience on the strength of His Word. To obey when it seems the hardest is true surrender to God. This will quicken your moral nature and subdue your pride. Learn to submit your will to God's will, and you will be made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. Reflecting Christ, 108

For the pardon of sin, for the Holy Spirit, for a Christlike temper, for wisdom and strength to do His work, for any gift He has promised, we may ask; then we are to believe that we receive, and return thanks to God that we have received. We need look for no outward evidence of the blessing. The gift is in the promise, and we may go about our work assured that what God has promised He is able to perform, and that the gift, which we already possess, will be realized when we need it most. To live thus by the Word of God means the surrender to Him of the whole life. There will be felt a continual sense of need and dependence, a drawing out of the heart after God. Prayer is a necessity; for it is the life of the soul. Family prayer, public prayer, have their place; but it is secret communion with God that sustains the soul life. Education, 258

How Are We To Surrender

Many are inquiring, "How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?" You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair.

What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.…

Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, you ally yourself with the power that is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast, and thus through constant surrender to God you will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith. Steps To Christ,47, 48

Surrender Requires Effort

There must be heart-felt surrender of our will to God; we must renounce all our own supposed merits, and look to the cross of Calvary. This surrender to God involves effort on the part of the human agent to co-operate with the divine agencies; the branch must abide in the vine. The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 1104

The Will The Only Barrier Between us and God

The way has been made clear for all those who choose to hear, repent, and believe. All heaven is waiting the sinner's cooperation, and the only barrier that stands in his way is one which he alone can remove,—his own will. He must submit to the will of God, and through repentance and faith, come unto God for salvation. No one will be forced against his will; Christ draws, but never compels, service from any man. The Roman power never had any authority for forcing the conscience, and the Protestant world has no license to follow in its track. In not a single instance have they the example of Christ in forcing men to become His followers.

He says, "Come unto Me [He gives an invitation to draw the soul] all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Man is required to surrender self, to submit to be a child of God, to submit to be saved by His grace, and when this is done, divine agencies cooperate with the human agent, and the character is transformed. It is in the surrender of the will that the line of demarcation between a child of God, an heir of heaven, and the rebellious, who refuse the great salvation, is distinctly drawn. The apostle asks the question, "Who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?" It is the truth that sanctifies the soul. It is Satan that beclouds the mind, so that eternity is lost out of the reckoning. Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, March 24, 1896

Surrender Based On Our Choice

If the Spirit of God is received into the heart, it will mold the character into forms of beauty; it will give a loveliness of disposition that will identify the receiver with Jesus. The young may be fashioned after the similitude of the character of Christ, if, with full purpose of heart, they will put their will on Christ's side. There is nothing that can hinder this full surrender to Christ except one's own choice to accept Satan's rule instead of Christ's. Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, January 1, 1891

Jesus Our Example Made Complete Surrender to the Father

The life of Jesus gave evidence that He expected much, and therefore He attempted much. From His very childhood He was the true light shining amid the moral darkness of the world. He revealed himself as the truth, and the guide of men. His conceptions of truth and His power to resist temptation were proportionate to His conformity to that Word which He Himself had inspired holy men to write. Communion with God, a complete surrender of the soul to Him, in fulfilling His word irrespective of false education or the customs or traditions of His time, marked the life of Jesus. Fundamentals of Education, 162

In their delineation of the plan of redemption, holy men of God "spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." Christ identified Himself with the One revealed in these prophecies. He brought them to shine as a light upon His pathway from the manger to the cross. In His entire self-surrender, He left His dignity and His mission to the world to be discerned chiefly by His life. He set His own feet in the paths which the poor and neglected must tread. He opened His own heart to the woes which the afflicted must suffer. This was a work which the Pharisees would not do, and which brought upon Christ their hatred and scorn. And yet how easily might Christ have poured contempt upon the pride and position and wealth of the world, upon human assumptions of honor! The Youth's Instructor, August 12, 1897

Salvation Requires Complete Surrender

God's plan for us is so broad, so full, so complete, that we have every reason for cooperating whole-heartedly with Him in carrying it out. There is no reason for hesitancy on our part. The sacrifice of Christ atones for every sinner. Christ is the One "in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins." All that is required on our part is a complete surrender of our thoughts and purposes, our will, all that we have and are, to God, to be used as He may direct. Review and Herald, October 4, 1906

In receiving Christ as our Captain there must be a complete surrender of the human will to the divine will. The Lord can work out His will through those who have made this surrender, for they give prompt and cheerful obedience to His commands. God expects us to obey without questioning. We are to ask, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Then, though the command may be as stern and startling as that given to Abraham, we are to obey. Abraham's soul was rent asunder by the command, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and offer him for a sacrifice on one of the mountains which I will tell thee of" (Gen. 22:2). But he did not hesitate to obey. That I May Know Him, 219

Salvation means to us complete surrender of soul, body, and spirit. Because of the unruly elements in our nature, our passions often gain the mastery. The only hope of the sinner is to cease from sin. Then His will is in harmony with the will of Christ. His soul is brought into fellowship with God. Those who enlist in the army of Christ must in all things submit to His authority and consult His will. Implicit obedience is the condition of salvation. God's law must be obeyed in every particular. It is our salvation to make His law our rule, His life our pattern, His glory our chief aim. To keep ourselves in the love of God, to be bound to obedience by His requirements, this is to be free in Christ. The Signs of the Times, November 15, 1899

Surrender the First Step to Obedience

The first step in the path of obedience is to surrender the will to God. This may seem a difficult thing to do; for Satan will present every possible objection, and will manufacture difficulties, and magnify perplexities before the mind; but take the first step, and the next step on the ladder of progress will be easier. The ladder of progress must be climbed round by round; but God is above the ladder, and His glory will illuminate every step of advancement. The path of faith and self-denial is an upward path; its way is heavenward, and as you advance, the misleading clouds of doubt and evil will be left behind. Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, October 9, 1894

But you need not despair.... It is for you to yield up your will to the will of Jesus Christ, and as you do this God will immediately take possession and work in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. Your whole nature will then be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ, and even your thoughts will be subject to Him. Mind, Character, and Personality Volume 2, 694

Christians are to surrender their will to God's will, that they may maintain good works. They will be brought into circumstances where strong temptations will solicit them to indulge in evil. They will be brought into the society of those whose influence will tend to lead them to the indulgence of self in pleasure-seeking, and in gratification of natural inclination. This influence will be dangerous to the spiritual health of the soul. The Christian should withdraw himself from the company of those who are as a snare to his soul. The Youth's Instructor, September 29, 1892

God Will Work Out Our Salvation if We Surrender

The Lord will by His own methods, break up this indifference of man toward his fellow-man. He will educate and train and discipline His children, O how kindly and lovingly, for their greater consecration and usefulness in His work, and fit them for a higher life. It is by His Word that He instructs, and by experience that He develops virtues and powers, making those in His service meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. If they will surrender to God, and not look to man, or depend on the finite in the place of the Infinite, He will work out for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Spalding and Magan Collection, 68

You are to die to self, to crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts. You need not devise ways and methods of bringing about your own crucifixion; self-inflicted penances are of no avail, and will be found worthless when the test comes upon you. We are to surrender the heart to God, that He may renew and sanctify us, and fit us for His heavenly courts. We are not to wait for some special time, but today we are to give ourselves to Him, refusing to be the servants of sin. Do you imagine that you can leave off sin by your own human power a little at a time? You cannot do this; Jesus was treated as a sinner when He assumed the likeness of sinful flesh, that the sinner might be treated as righteous. The Father loves us who believe in Christ as He loves His only-begotten Son. Thus by faith we can grasp the righteousness of Christ, and our Saviour saves us from all sin.

The converted soul will hate the thing that Christ hates, and love the thing that Christ loves. Has He not by His death and suffering made provision for your cleansing from sin? You must take the blood of Jesus and apply it to your heart by faith; for that alone can make you whiter than snow. But you say, "The surrender of all my idols will break my heart." This is what is needed. In giving up all for God, you fall upon the rock and are broken. Give up all for Him without delay, for unless you are broken, you are worthless. The Signs of the Times, August 8, 1892

The Lord accepts no halfway work; there must be on your part no blundering in the sacred work of God. Do not trust yourself, but surrender your will and ideas and ways to God, and do His will alone. Live to please Him who thought you of such value that He gave Jesus, His only-begotten Son, to save you from your sins. Through His merit, you may be accepted. Fundamentals of Christian Education, 301

If you will but yield your own way, and surrender yourself to Christ, how pitiful will He be to you. Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, July 19, 1892

God's Word Will be Fulfilled When we Surrender to It

When the Bible is made the study book, with earnest supplication for the Spirit's guidance, and with a full surrender of the heart to be sanctified through the truth, all that Christ has promised will be accomplished. The result of such Bible study will be well-balanced minds. The understanding will be quickened, the sensibilities aroused. The conscience will become sensitive; the sympathies and sentiments will be purified; a better moral atmosphere will be created; and new power to resist temptation will be imparted. Teachers and students will become active and earnest in the work of God. Counsels to Parents Teachers and Students, 357

The Lord loves man. He has given evidence of this love by giving His only begotten Son to die for man, that through His grace He might redeem him from hostility to God, and bring him back to his loyalty. If man will cooperate with God, the Lord will bring his will into connection with Himself, and will vitalize it by His own Spirit.... The gospel must be received in order to regenerate the heart, and the reception of truth will mean the surrender of mind and will to the will of divine power. Our High Calling, 104

Nothing Less Than Complete Surrender

Will Give Us Entrance to Heaven

God will accept nothing less than unreserved surrender. Half-hearted, sinful, professing Christians would spoil heaven, were they permitted to enter. They would stir up a second rebellion there. Those who know the truth, yet do not exalt the Author of truth, will never enter the city of God. The Southern Watchman, June 11, 1903

Surrender Assures God's Guidance

Those who surrender their will and their way to God, doing as did Abraham in keeping the way of the Lord, will be guided into safe paths. Their prayers will go up continually to God for help, and holy angels will be on their side, working through them, that they shall not be overcome of the evil one. The Youth's Instructor, November 11, 1893

Work on Earth Not Finished Until God's People Make Full Surrender

Christ desires by the fullness of His power so to strengthen His people that through them the whole world shall be encircled with an atmosphere of grace. When His people shall make a whole-hearted surrender of themselves to God, this purpose will be accomplished.…Christ will abide in humanity, and humanity will abide in Christ. In all the work will appear, not the character of finite man, but the character of the infinite God.…The goodly fabric of character wrought out through divine power will receive light and glory from heaven, and will stand before the world as a witness pointing to the throne of the living God. Then the work will move forward with solidity and redoubled strength. God's Amazing Grace, 128

In His great love, Christ surrendered Himself for us. He gave himself for us to meet the necessities of the striving, struggling soul. We are to surrender ourselves to Him. When this surrender is entire, Christ can finish the work He began for us by the surrender of Himself. Then He can bring to us complete restoration. Review and Herald, May 30, 1907

Life, and Victory Over Sin Comes Only By Surrender

God is the fountain of life, and we can have life only as we are in communion with Him. Separated from God, existence may be ours for a little time, but we do not possess life.…Only through the surrender of our will to God is it possible for Him to impart life to us. Only by receiving His life through self-surrender is it possible, said Jesus, for these hidden sins.…to be overcome. It is possible that you may bury them in your hearts and conceal them from human eyes, but how will you stand in God's presence?…To sin, wherever found, God is a consuming fire. Reflecting Christ, 377

The surrender must be complete. Every weak, doubting, struggling soul who yields fully to the Lord is placed in direct touch with agencies that enable him to overcome. Heaven is near to him, and he has the support and help of angels of mercy in every time of trial and need. The Acts of the Apostles, 299

Personal piety can only bear its testimony in a wise and unconditional surrender to God. It can only be obtained by asking of God. We are to shut our doors to all outward activity, and kneel before our Maker. Away from human beings, we are to consider our duty in the light of the Word of God. "I pray not," said Christ in His prayer to the Father, "that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil" (John 17:15). The soul that seeks after God will find Him. And the life will be full of goodness, love, and truth. The conversation will be of heaven, from whence we look for our Saviour. Our religion will tell, in its influence, in our personal deeds [1 John 3:10-22; 2:4-7 quoted.] Manuscript Releases Volume 11, 372

Effects in Our Life From Not Making Complete Surrender

But many who profess to be His followers have an anxious, troubled heart, because they are afraid to trust themselves with God. They do not make a complete surrender to Him; for they shrink from the consequences that such a surrender may involve. Unless they do make this surrender, they cannot find peace. Desire of Ages 330

The free gift of grace is yours; will you by faith accept it? Your surrender to God must be as free and complete as has the offering of Christ been free and complete for you. Then you will be accepted of God in every work you do, in every prayer you offer. Hesitate no longer. "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." In the face of present and acknowledged duty, make no delay to meet the demand of God; for if you do, the light you have will become darkness. The mind and judgment will become perverted; for when precious opportunities are neglected, blessings unappreciated and unimproved, all good purposes become weakened, and there is less strength to resist temptation to commit presumptuous sins. The ties of worldly influence are subtle and strong, and can be severed only through the power of the grace of Christ. Make it your purpose to break away from every influence and habit, to give up every practice that weakens spirituality, and sunder every tie that binds you to Satanic agencies. The Signs of the Times, September 25, 1893

Many profess to come to Christ, while they yet cling to their own ways, which are a painful yoke. Selfishness, covetousness, ambition, love of the world, or some other cherished sin, destroys their peace and joy. They are restless, impatient, dissatisfied, their spirits chafe under the weight of care and responsibility, all because they have not made a complete surrender to Jesus, and are seeking to carry their burden without His aid. If He were by their side, the sunshine of His presence would scatter every cloud; the help of His strong arm would lighten every burden. The Signs of the Times, December 17, 1885

There are some who are seeking, always seeking, for the goodly pearl. But they do not make an entire surrender of their wrong habits. They do not die to self that Christ may live in them. Therefore they do not find the precious pearl. They have not overcome unholy ambition and their love for worldly attractions. They do not lift the cross, and follow Christ in the path of self-denial and self-sacrifice. They never know what it is to have peace and harmony in the soul; for without entire surrender there is no rest, no joy. Almost Christians, yet not fully Christians, they seem near the kingdom of heaven, but they do not enter therein. Almost but not wholly saved means to be not almost but wholly lost. Selected Messages, vol. 1, 399

Perfect Peace and Rest Comes From Surrender

Rest is found when all self-justification, all reasoning from a selfish standpoint, is put away. Entire self-surrender, an acceptance of His ways, is the secret of perfect rest in His love.…Do just what He has told you to do, and be assured that God will do all that He has said He would do.…Have you come to Him, renouncing all your makeshifts, all your unbelief, all your self-righteousness? Come just as you are, weak, helpless, and ready to die. Our High Calling, 97

As you make a full surrender of your will to God's will , your way to God's way, you will learn of Him who is meek and lowly in heart, and will find rest unto your soul. A calm confidence will preside over you.…You will experience more and more clearly the sense of an ever-present, all-pervading Saviour. This will give the soul power…which the changing circumstances of earth cannot undermine. It plants the feet upon a solid rock. Lift Him Up, 252

Jesus says: "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." If you will make room for Jesus, and cleanse the soul from the defilement of sin, you may enjoy perfect peace with God. But some will ask, How am I to do this? By an entire surrender of your will and your way to God. The peace of God will not rule in your hearts while you retain your worldly ambitions and indulgences. The Signs of the Times, August 6, 1885

Surrender to God Simplifies Life

To have the religion of Christ means that you have absolutely surrendered your all to God, and consented to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit moral power will be given you, and not only will you have your former intrusted talents for the service of God, but their efficiency will be greatly multiplied. The surrender of all our powers to God greatly simplifies the problem of life. It weakens and cuts short a thousand struggles with the passions of the natural heart. Messages to Young People, 30

Surrender to God in His Work

Why is it that some of our ministers have so little power?—Because they have not made an entire surrender to God. They do not see the sinfulness of clinging to their own way. While they hold the truth, and try to present it to others, they cling tenaciously to their own ideas, which are crude and narrow and without symmetry; and in the minds of the people the precious truth of God is blended with the peculiarities of the minister, and is refused. Let all who preach the truth, and all who profess to believe it, submit themselves fully to the influence of the Spirit of God, that the truth may refine, elevate, and sanctify them. Gospel Workers, 244

Many are in self-deception, and enter into plans with which the Lord has nothing to do. But the only safe course to be pursued is to obey the word of the Lord. Instead of doing this, many propose to do wonderful things. They find it easier to plan some great thing for the future than to empty themselves of self, surrender to God heart, mind, and will, and submit to be molded by that power that can create and destroy. Let the youth critically examine their motives, by prayer and searching of the Scriptures, and see if their own will and inclinations do not lead away from God's requirements.

Many say, "We will do this or that. I can do a good work in this way or that way;" but will you prayerfully consider as to whether you are following the Light of the world, or walking in the sparks of your own kindling? It is a perilous thing to walk in the sparks of your own kindling; for the word of God declares of those who do this, that they "shall lie down in sorrow." In following your own way you will be disappointed. You will have no comfort. You will gain nothing yourself, and will have robbed God of the service due to Him, because you insisted in trying your own way, saying, "I will work for God in this way," when God had marked out another course.

Your plans seem very plausible; but if they are not wrought in God, they will come to naught. The Lord would have His servants work out His plan; for then He can work with them. God requires obedience. "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." God will not tolerate stubbornness and rebellion; "for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." The Youth's Instructor, March 9, 1893

Much prayer, and a humbling of the heart, a constant surrender of the will to God, will bring the help pledged to every worker by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Angels of God will work for those who yield themselves to the leading of the Spirit. Manuscript Releases Volume 7, 354

God's workers must gain a far deeper experience. If they will surrender all to Him, He will work mightily for them. They will plant the standard of truth upon fortresses till then held by Satan, and with shouts of victory take possession of them. They bear the scars of battle, but there comes to them the comforting message that the Lord will lead them on, conquering and to conquer. Colporteur Ministry, 155

Now, if all will go to work unselfishly, with an eye single to the glory of God, humbling their hearts and repenting of their sins, God will work in their behalf. Souls will be converted, and the piety and devotion of the workers will be felt by unbelievers. The only security against failure is to be found in entire surrender to God, daily seeking His counsel in all things, keeping the light burning, and daily reflecting its bright rays to others. Pamphlet 149, p. 49

When you die to self, when you surrender to God, to do His work, to let the light that He has given you shine forth in good works, you will not labor alone. God's grace stands forth to cooperate with every effort to enlighten the ignorant and those who do not know that the end of all things is at hand. But God will not do your work. Light may shine in abundance, but the grace given will convert your soul only as it arouses you to cooperate with divine agencies. You are called upon to put on the Christian armor and enter the Lord's service as active soldiers. Divine power is to cooperate with human effort to break the spell of worldly enchantment that the enemy has cast upon souls. God's Amazing Grace, 37

God's Promises To Us, if We Surrender To Him

Christ is the rightful owner of man. He says to him, "You are Mine. I have bought you with a price. I gave My life for you, that your life might be made harmonious and symmetrical. If you will surrender yourself willingly to Me, I will guide you aright. You are a rough stone, but if you will place yourself in My hands, I will polish you. I will put you in the place that I have chosen for you, that after My plans and methods you may work out My purposes for you. I will so imbue you with My grace that by the luster with which you shine you will bring honor to My name. No man shall pluck you out of My hand. I will make you My peculiar treasure. In the day of My appearing and My triumph, you will be a jewel in My crown of rejoicing." Manuscript Releases Volume 18, 203

The experience that follows complete surrender to God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Review and Herald, August 19, 1890.

It is submission to sin that brings the great unhappiness of the soul. It is not poverty, but disobedience, that lessens man's hope of gaining eternal life, which the Saviour came to bring him. True riches, true peace, true content, enduring happiness,—these are found only in entire surrender to God, in perfect reconciliation to His will. Review and Herald, July 4, 1912

Effects of a Surrendered Will

Let your mind come fully and habitually under the belief that Christ loves you. As you make a full surrender of your will to God's will, your way to God's way, you will learn of Him who is meek and lowly in heart, and will find rest unto your soul. (Matt. 11:29). A calm confidence will preside over you. Your heart will possess a dignity to which before it was a stranger. You will experience more and more clearly the sense of an ever-present, all-pervading Saviour. This will give the soul power to hold its stability, power which the changing circumstances of earth cannot undermine. It plants the feet upon a solid rock. Manuscript Releases Volume 18, 81

You should seek God with all your heart for yourselves, that the faith which you possess may be a working faith,—a faith that is genuine,—a faith that works by love, and purifies the soul. Through the grace of Christ you will make decided endeavors to overcome all cold, rough, harsh, uncourteous ways and manners. These un-Christlike attributes will be clearly seen as they are, as you behold the Pattern; for it is by beholding Jesus, by talking of Jesus, by contemplating Jesus, that you will see the offensive character of sin, of selfishness, or hardness of heart, and you will do the very thing that God requires you to do, and that you have not yet done.

You will put away all self,—self-importance, self-love, self-esteem, envy, evil-surmising, and jealousy, and plead for the Holy Spirit to come into your hearts and abide with you. As you taste and see that the Lord is good, you will hunger and thirst after more of the Holy Spirit, and will make an entire surrender of your will and your way, your plans and ideas, to God, and will keep the way of the Lord. Your words and deportment must be guarded. The Youth's Instructor January 3, 1895

Those who take Christ at His word, and surrender their souls to His keeping, their lives to His ordering, will find peace and quietude. Nothing of the world can make them sad when Jesus makes them glad by His presence. In perfect acquiescence there is perfect rest. The Lord says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee." Isaiah 26:3. Our lives may seem a tangle; but as we commit ourselves to the wise Master-worker, He will bring out the pattern of life and character that will be to His own glory. And that character which expresses the glory—character—of Christ, will be received into the Paradise of God. A renovated race shall walk with Him in white, for they are worthy. The Desire of Ages, 331

True Religion Means Surrender

Yet Jacob's history is an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance. It was by self-surrender and confiding faith that Jacob gained what he had failed to gain by conflict in his own strength. God thus taught His servant that divine power and grace alone could give him the blessing he craved. Thus it will be with those who live in the last days. As dangers surround them, and despair seizes upon the soul, they must depend solely upon the merits of the atonement. We can do nothing of ourselves. In all our helpless unworthiness we must trust in the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour. None will ever perish while they do this. The long, black catalogue of our delinquencies is before the eye of the Infinite. The register is complete; none of our offenses are forgotten. But He who listened to the cries of His servants of old, will hear the prayer of faith and pardon our transgressions. He has promised, and He will fulfill His word. Patriarchs and Prophets, 202

It is not a conclusive evidence that a man is a Christian because he manifests spiritual ecstasy under extraordinary circumstances. Holiness is not rapture: it is an entire surrender of the will to God; it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the light; it is walking by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love. The Acts of the Apostles, 51

No repentance is genuine that does not work reformation. The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sin; it is a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the conduct. Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwelling of the principles of heaven. The Desire of Ages, 555

Surrender is More Important Than Money, Talent or Education

Our power is not in our talents of education or means, neither is it in our popularity; it is in self-sacrifice, our willing obedience to Jesus Christ. Those who truly surrender all to Him, will carry a weight of influence, and will carry others along with them, because they walk in the light. Brain power will be inefficient, purse power of little account with God; but heart power, thorough godliness, humble fidelity, will bear a weight of influence that will be irresistible. Sons and Daughters of God, 236

Among our ministers, physicians, teachers, and canvassers, there is need of an entire surrender of the mind, the heart, and the soul to God.... Neither dress, expensive homes, nor stylish living gives character to the work. But a meek and quiet spirit is in the sight of God of great value. Religion does not make a man course and rough. The true believer, realizing his own weakness, will guard himself at every point, and place his whole confidence in God. True Christian godliness cannot be forced; it is the outflowing of an honest heart....Selected Messages vol. 2, 201

Surrender Leads to Following Christ in Self-Denial and Suffering

All who make an unreserved surrender of themselves to God will share in the self-denial of Christ, and will have fellowship with Him in His sufferings. The Signs of the Times, October 13, 1898

Closing Thought and Prayer

No outward observances can take the place of simple faith and entire renunciation of self. But no man can empty himself of self. We can only consent for Christ to accomplish the work. Then the language of the soul will be, Lord, take my heart; for I cannot give it. It is Thy property. Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for Thee. Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self. Mold me, fashion me, raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich current of Thy love can flow through my soul. Christ's Object Lessons, 159

It is not only at the beginning of the Christian life that this renunciation of self is to be made. At every advance step heavenward it is to be renewed. All our good works are dependent on a power outside of ourselves. Therefore there needs to be a continual reaching out of the heart after God, a continual, earnest, heartbreaking confession of sin and humbling of the soul before Him. Only by constant renunciation of self and dependence on Christ can we walk safely. Christ's Object Lessons, 159