Kevin Williams is the Local Care and Traditions Pastor at Canyon Ridge and has a heart for walking with people from any hurt, to a place of hope that can only be found in Jesus. In this blog, he shares what he has learned when it comes to living with true strength.

In the athletic culture that I was raised in, giving up was seen as an unacceptable action of weakness. I’m reminded of when legendary boxer Roberto Duran infamously said the words, “no mas” in his 1980 fight against Sugar Ray Leonard. Duran found himself overmatched, frustrated, and beaten up, and quit in round 7 of what was supposed to be a 15-round fight. The warrior gave up. Men around the world and specifically in Duran’s home country of Panama were horrified by this action of weakness. The world saw this dethroned champion as fallen, disgraced, and humiliated.

While the world sees surrender as weakness, disgrace, and the end of the battle, the Christian sees surrender as a sign of strength, humility, and a new beginning. It is a powerful recognition of hope! There’s a saying, “I can’t - He can - I am going to let Him!” Isaiah 40:30-31 says, “Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

It is when we truly understand that God’s power is unlimited, ours is not, and that we have access to that power that we begin to believe and live in a new strength. This matters because it shapes the way we view God, view ourselves, and view others. Our contribution is reshaped by this understanding in a way that impacts others for good! It is in this new found strength that we find, live out of, and share real hope with the world. John 3:30 says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

This week, take time to reflect with these three questions:

What might God be inviting you to surrender? In other words, think about something in your life right now that makes you think “I can’t.” What space would your surrender make so that God can?
What in and around you might change if you surrendered your limitations to God’s unlimited power and presence?
Let your prayer this week be Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” How might praying this make space for God to do a new thing in you and for the people around you?

Here is what I know from personal experience - I lived much of my life believing that my strength was enough to fix and control things. My physical strength was my identity for years. The truth was that my self-reliance and dependency on my own strength became barriers between me and God, and weaknesses for my relationship with others. Surrender is a daily discipline that is worth the investment. Knowing who we aren’t and who God is helps reframe our understanding of the strength we can have to endure in life’s challenges, and the strength to show up well for those around us!

Finding Strength Through Surrender