Unit 4 Key 6 – For the Mentor

JOURNEY TO FREEDOM HANDBOOK

UNIT IV Key 6                               SURRENDER

Purpose of this Key:

1. Understand the dangers of abusing God’s mercy by deliberately indulging our sin.
2. Realize the holiness and sovereignty of God.
3. Realize that we do not have the authority to decide what sin is; God alone sets the standards.
4. Understand that temptations reveal hidden weaknesses.
5. Understand that when we get the victory over a sin in our lives, the Holy Spirit will bring conviction of other sins as He sanctifies us.
6. Learn how to pray with an attitude of surrender rather than striving for control.
7. Evaluate how much progress they have made learning to surrender to God’s will.
8. Evaluate how they relate to earthly authority.

Galatians 5:16

Common responses:

1. We need to be continually focused on God.
2. We need to notice when our consciences warn us against temptation.
3. Only the Holy Spirit can give us the strength to resist temptation.
4. We will always be tempted, but the Holy Spirit equips us to resist.
5. The Holy Spirit equips us to resist temptation if we are in the Word.
6. If we keep busy doing the Lord’s will, we will not have time for sinning.

Points to emphasize:

1. The closer we get to Jesus, the more we notice the sins of our minds and the lies of the devil that we have believed.
2. We need to bring every thought, attitude, and feeling before Him, and be aware of every gap in our battle armor.
3. We need to be aware of tempting stimuli in our environments and pray about those. 
4. If we commit our time to the Lord, He will show us ways to serve.
5. He blesses our obedience when we are willing to serve.
6. We must never forget how helpless we are without the mercy of God.

II Corinthians 3:17

Common responses:

1. Life with Jesus gives us true freedom.
2. We need to do good deeds in response to His forgiveness, not to benefit ourselves.
3. We are free to carry out God’s will and are glad to do so.
4. This freedom does not mean we are free to do as we please. Real freedom means we do what pleases God.
5. The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to choose God’s will instead of sinning.

Points to emphasize:

1. Worldly people think that freedom means they can sin as much as they please.
2. Real freedom is when we turn away from temptation, obey God’s will, and feel glad that we did.
3. Only faith in God’s mercy as a free gift can change our self-will. Striving to please God by living a clean life and doing good works does not change our self-will (Romans 7:8).
4. Accepting God’s forgiveness as a free gift brings us a sense of freedom that our sins can never give us (Romans 6:17 & I John 5:3).
5. Only the Holy Spirit can cause conviction of sin, repentance, and the faith to believe that Jesus on the cross made full satisfaction for our sins.
6. When tempted, we always have a choice: to act upon the temptation or pray to be rescued from it. God will help us resist temptation if He is asked.
7. We feel real freedom when we want what God wants.
8. Without the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are slaves of sin (John 8:34). We feel as if we have to act upon our temptations.
9. Before the Fall in Eden (Genesis 3), our First Parents only wanted what God wanted. Since the Fall, we have been in rebellion against Him.

Romans 6:6-11

Common responses:

1. When we receive forgiveness of sins, sin loses its grip on us.
2. We are free to live the abundant life that results from faith in Jesus’ Atonement.
3. Our sinful nature died on the cross when Jesus broke the power of sin, death, and the devil.
4. The penitent sinner receives a new nature along with God’s forgiveness, which makes us willing to serve God.
5. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us, changes our self-will, and makes us glad to obey God.

Points to emphasize:

1. We sin in order to feel good, but surrendering self-will feels so much better.
2. The more we confess our sins, the more free we become.
3. The more we permit the Holy Spirit to expose the lies of the devil that we have believed and speak truth from the Word against them, the more free we become.
4. When we try to overcome sin on our own strength, we simply replace one sin with another sin. Gambling replaces alcoholism, pornography replaces gambling, etc.
5. The sins that seem so tempting actually died on the cross with Jesus, 2000 years ago.
6. The more we allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds (Romans 12:2), the more we learn what it means to be more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) and have real victory over sin (I John 4:4 & 5:4).
7. We are free to live transparently before God (Hebrews 2:17-18 & 4:15-16).
8. When we are dead to sin, we no longer listen to the voice of temptation.

I Corinthians 10:21-22

Common responses:

1. We cannot follow Christ and try to compromise with sin.
2. We need to be mindful of what acts are sinful and what are not, what is of God and what is of the devil.
3. Compromises lead to bigger problems. We are wise to surrender to God’s will immediately.
4. God is stronger than we are; so if we try to compromise, we will suffer consequences.
5. We can trust God that His way is best.

Points to emphasize:

1. Most understand that we are not to compromise.
2. We either obey God or the devil; there is no middle ground.
3. God is the only Being in the universe who can be rightfully jealous, because His love is so totally self-sacrificing.
4. God does not want to share us with the devil.
5. The more self-will we surrender to God, the more He can use us; the more He can use us, the more He can bless us.

Romans 3:31

Common responses:

1. The Moral Law has value. We need to understand its rightful function.
2. The Moral Law still stands even if we cannot keep it by our own striving.
3. Only when we receive God’s forgiveness and a New Nature do we become capable of keeping the 10 Commandments.
4. Faith gives the Moral Law its rightful place: to convict us of sin, prove our need for a Savior, and show us how to order our lives after we have received His forgiveness.
5. We are not free to establish our own laws to suit ourselves.
6. The Law teaches us how to love God and others.

Points to emphasize:

1. Affirm any Biblical response.
2. The Law was fulfilled in Christ, Who kept it perfectly on our behalf and covers the penitent sinner with His righteousness.
3. The Law has 3 uses. As a curb, it restrains sinners (Romans 2:15); as a mirror, it shows us our need to repent (I John 1:7-9); and as a rule of life, it shows pardoned sinners how to order our lives to please God out of gratitude for His free gift of forgiveness.
4. The Law is a mirror, so we need to confess what we see; it is not a magnifying glass through which we are to look at the sins of others.
5. Make sure they understand the Ceremonial and Civil Law of the Old Testament are no longer binding, but that the Moral Law is. See Additional Points at the end of this chapter for guidelines on how to tell the difference.

1. On a scale of 1-10, how easy do you find self-surrender to be (1 is lowest, 10 is highest)? Please explain your answer.

Common responses:

1. Answers will vary. Some report high numbers.
2. Others explain that some parts of their lives are more surrendered than others.
3. By now, many have learned that surrendering to God’s will is easier than striving for control.
4. Some have noticed that when they first come under conviction of a sin, they struggle to give it up; once they repent and surrender to God’s will, they feel more free.

Points to emphasize:

1. Encourage thanks and praise to God for how much the Holy Spirit has enabled them to surrender to His will.
2. Encourage them to continually wait for God’s instructions.
3. Assure them that the more they surrender to God’s will, the more they can bring their problems before Him and seek His solutions.
4. If we have trouble with another person, we can ask God how He wants us to handle that person.
5. Remind them that no one surrenders totally in this life. We can only surrender what the Holy Spirit makes us aware of. Nothing is gained by trying to get ahead of Him.
6. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that makes us more sensitive to God’s will.
7. If we persevere when we are tested, blessings often follow.
8. God cannot bless us if we insist on doing things our way.

2. On a scale of 1-10, how much have you grown in your ability to surrender to the Lord since you began the Keys? Please explain your answer.

Common responses:

1. Numbers are usually high. Many add that surrender is a work of God in their lives.
2. Many describe how their faith has grown, which makes surrender easier.

Points to emphasize:

1. Encourage thanks and praise to God for their growth of faith that led to greater surrender.
2. Affirm any surrender of self-will, and acknowledge any struggles they describe. Surrender rarely comes without a struggle against pride and self-will.

3. What are you still finding hard to surrender?

Common responses:

1. Answers will vary.

Points to emphasize:

1. Counsel based on your knowledge, experience, and what you have learned from working with this person.
2. Affirm that they have come a long way, even if they still have issues to surrender. We will always have something to surrender as long as we live.
3. Refer them to Romans 8:31-39 for encouragement.

4. Do you think that someday God will get angry about your habitual sinning and will have no more forgiveness to give you, and that you will be hopelessly lost? Why or why not?

Common responses:

1. Most say “no”. The Word assures them of God’s unfailing mercy on penitent sinners.
2. Many used to think that way, but the Word showed them otherwise.
3. A few still have brief moments when they think that way; but they realize that these doubts are coming from their own sinful nature or the devil’s lies, not from God.
4. Some recognize that while God might discipline them, He will not abandon them to their sins.
5. Some recognize that there is a difference between struggling against a habitual sin and deliberately sinning.

Points to emphasize:

1. Affirm God’s unfailing mercy on penitent sinners, and encourage praise for the assurance we receive from the Word.

5. Have you ever acted upon an idea that seemed to be right, gotten into a lot of trouble, and only then approached God in prayer? Please describe.

Common responses:

1. Answers will vary. Almost everyone has a story to share.

Points to emphasize:

1. Counsel based on your knowledge, experience, and what you have learned from working with this person.

6. Have you learned to take your problems of daily living before God, describe the situation, and leave the outcome entirely in His hands? Please describe how you prayed and what the outcome was.

Common responses:

1. Answers will vary. Almost everyone has a story to share.

Points to emphasize:

1. Counsel based on your knowledge, experience, and what you have learned from working with this person.

7. Give as many reasons as you can think of for not deliberately sinning.

Common responses:

1. Sin does not honor God and is against His will.
2. Sin can become addictive.
3. It sets a bad example for others.
4. Jesus went to the cross to deliver us from sin and the devil’s grasp.
5. I want to be a better person.
6. Sin destroys one’s testimony and witness to the unsaved.
7. God will not hear our prayers unless we first repent.
8. Sin is selfish and hurts others.
9. Sin gives the devil control, so we are no longer free.
10. Sin causes more stress, guilt, and low self-esteem.
11. Sin blocks our spiritual growth, and makes it harder to comprehend the Word.
12. No one wants to be a hypocrite, especially those who are in leadership positions.

Points to emphasize:

1. Affirm any Biblical response. This question often causes a lot of thought and insight.

8. Have you ever met people like the ones described in Jude 1:4, 10, & 12? What was your response? Were you ever that way? If so, what changed your mind?

Common responses:

1. Many realize that they were like such people before they believed in Jesus as their Savior.
2. Many have struggled to find kind and gracious ways to deal with such people.
3. Many have become more discerning as a result of dealing with such people.
4. Some realize that prayer might be the only way to deal with them.
5. Some prefer to shun them, because they feel ill-equipped to deal with them.

Points to emphasize:

1. People in churches who behave like that are usually legalists, who do not truly understand that salvation is only and entirely through God’s mercy in Christ (Luke 18:9-14).
2. Discernment is not assignment. We can ask God if He wants us to witness to them about God’s forgiveness as a free gift to the truly penitent.
3. Such people cause confusion for new believers and inquirers.
4. We need to be Spirit-led in dealing with them.
5. Prayer is the best defense, and James 5:16b always applies.
6. Often the devil will eventually overplay his losing hand.
7. We can pray for secret sin to be exposed only if we are willing for our own secret sin to be exposed.

9. Do you have any difficulties with authority figures (I Peter 2:13-17)?

Common responses:

1. Some have usually respected authority.
2. Some used to be suspicious of and resent authority, but now realize respecting authority figures is God’s will.
3. Some only have difficulties with authorities who are unfair.

Points to emphasize:

1. Affirm any progress they have made to accept authority.
2. Peter was writing this to the early Christians, who were being fed to lions or burned to death by the secular authorities.
3. He himself would soon be executed in an unusually painful and gruesome way.
4. We need to pray for earthly authorities, especially for those who abuse their power. Authorities are also sinful human beings who need redemption in Christ.  
5. God will bless us if we accept earthly authority, even authorities who abuse power. We can ask His direction on how to deal with them.
6. If our parents used their authority badly, we often have trouble respecting authority during our adult lives. Lies of the devil may be operating in our minds.
7. Our job is to live lives of integrity and let God handle unfair authority figures.
8. Verse 16 tells us that we can accept authority with an attitude of dignity and self-respect.

10.We sometimes resist authority because we think rebellion will make us free. Note I Peter 2:16 in its context, and compare it with John 8:34-36. What does this tell us about freedom?

Common responses:

1. Rebellion gives us the illusion of being in control of our lives.
2. We are not really in control of our lives when we sin.
3. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we feel free to obey God’s will.
4. God will bless our obedience.
5. Jesus is the ultimate authority in the universe.
6. By accepting authority, we are living a good witness.

Points to emphasize:

1. Rebellion does not make us more free; it proves that we are not free.
2. Rebellious people feel that they have something to prove; as long as we feel we have something to prove, we are not free.
3. When we are free in Christ, we have nothing to prove; and we can accept authority without feeling diminished or degraded.
4. When we are free in Christ, we can pray for the salvation of those who have authority, however unjust they may be.
5. The devil tells us that rebellion makes us more free; he lies.
6. When we are free in Christ, we can do the right things for the right reasons, without our pride blocking us.
7. The secular world often treats kindness, gentleness, and patience as signs of weakness, thereby tempting people to rebel in order to prove that they cannot be pushed around.

11. Please read II Kings 18-20 and II Chronicles 29-32. What were some things about Hezekiah that made him a great leader? What were some of his mistakes?

Common responses:

1. He trusted the Lord and put Him first.
2. He led the people back to God by removing idols, restoring temple worship, and keeping the Commandments.
3. His mistake was to pridefully show off his wealth to the foreign visitors.
4. Another mistake was to give in to the enemy’s threats instead of relying totally on God.
5. He was not fully surrendered.
6. He prayed for God’s help as a last resort instead of immediately.

Points to emphasize:

1. We can surrender to God’s will in many ways but then rely on ourselves when another challenge arises.
2. Hezekiah relied on his own wisdom to deliver him from the enemy. He did not seek God’s deliverance until the city had no food left.
3. When he relied totally on God for deliverance, God intervened.
4. If he thanked God after being delivered from the enemy, there is no record of it. There are other examples of people giving God thanks after being delivered from their enemies.
5. He should have consulted the prophet before he showed his wealth to the foreign visitors, who he later learned were spies.
6. He also failed to raise his son Manasseh to be a godly man (II Chronicles 33).
7. We should consult God’s will in even small matters. The Babylonians were a small and insignificant country at the time they sent a delegation to visit Hezekiah, but just a few decades later they were a super-power focused on expansion (II Chronicles 36 & Lamentations).

12. On a scale of 1-10, how victorious have you been lately? Please explain your answer.

Common responses:

1. Most are doing well.
2. Some report having had sexual opportunities, but refused.
3. Some are only slightly tempted by ssa/ma/tx, but are more concerned with sins of words or thought.
4. Some have come under conviction of sins that did not used to concern them.
5. Some are having trouble with other kinds of temptations.

Points to emphasize:

1. Encourage thanks and praise to God for any victory gained.
2. If the number is high because they have had very little temptation lately, encourage thanks and praise to God. 
3. If the number is high because they have had to fight much temptation and were successful, encourage thanks and praise to God.
4. More tests will likely be put in their way, but future tests should not spoil their enjoyment of the victories they have had so far.
5. Avoid criticizing a low number. Try to find out the reason for it. Ask about their thoughts, attitudes, stressful situations, how they are using their time, or if anything unexpected has happened.
6. If they sin less frequently than before, assure them that God has been working in their lives. Encourage progress, not perfection.
7. If they slipped into sin but noticed that the feelings were not as strong, that is a sign of God at work in their lives. Encourage them to confess it, accept God’s forgiveness, and get back on track.
8. If they feel worse after sinning than they used to, that is a sign that God has made their consciences more responsive to His will. They can be thankful for their awakened consciences; they used to be dead in their sins (Ephesians 2:1).
9. Remind them that I John 1:9 and Romans 8:1 always apply.
10. Encourage them to retrace their steps and ask the Holy Spirit to give them insight into    what weakness led to the fall.
11. Encourage them to confess sins of thoughts (Romans 12:2) in order to more easily avoid sins of words and deeds.
12. Continue to encourage them to use memorized Scripture to block tempting and negative thoughts. Encourage use of the Emergency Prayer.
13. If they view themselves as making very little progress, keep their focus on God’s mercy rather than their own failures. Punishing themselves with guilt accomplishes nothing; Jesus took the punishment on their behalf.
14. New Christians do not always understand the difference between temptation and actual          sin. Some give themselves a low number, but while the temptation was great, they may not have fallen into sin. Explain the difference to them.
15. If they have not had temptation in a long while, they might need to be aware that the devil does not give up easily and may be preparing a major attack. This possibility should not prevent them from enjoying their progress now. Overcomers commonly experience a major attack of temptation before getting the final victory over a besetting sin. If they withstand a big temptation, which can go on for days or weeks, they will usually find themselves that much stronger once it is over. Encourage them to pray for rescue immediately when tempted.

13. Did you use any memorized Scripture to battle temptation lately? What was the result?

Common responses:

1. Most have stories to share and are amazed at the results.
2. Some are amazed at how much they have been able to memorize.
3. Some have not memorized any new verses but are effectively using what they have already memorized.
4. By now, most have learned to use the Word effectively against temptation.
5. Most are using the Word against sins of deeds. Some are still learning to use it against the sins of thoughts, selfishness, discouragement, etc.
6. Some are less consistent.

Points to emphasize:

1. Affirm any Biblical response.
2. Affirm any awareness of sins of thoughts and attitudes, which lead to sins of deeds and words.
3. Remind them that every time they do this, they become stronger.
4. Remind them that the brain is growing new neurons around memorized Scripture instead of their sinful thoughts.

14. How is your spiritual life in general, how are your private devotions, and how are things at your church/fellowship group?

Common responses:

1. Answers will vary.
2. Most report that things are going well.
3. A few are beginning to emerge as leaders in their church/fellowship group.

Points to emphasize:

1. Encourage them to praise God for whatever is going well.
2. Explore what is not going well and try to help them find out why.
3. Counsel based on your knowledge, experience, and what you have learned from working with this person.

Plan of Action:

1. Affirm any Biblical response.
2. Counsel based on your knowledge, experience, and what you have learned from working with this person.
3. Give lots of encouragement for any valid ideas on how to make changes.
4. Encourage confession of sin and receiving forgiveness where they identify a need to make changes.

Additional points:

1. People are often confused about which Old Testament laws we are still required to obey, why some no longer apply, and how to tell the difference.
2. God expects holiness from us (Matthew 5:48). Sin is transgression of His Law.
3. Only God can decide what sin is (James 4:12). Humans cannot set aside God’s Law based on human reasoning (Matthew 5:17-19 & Mark 7:6-13).
4. The Old Testament Law can be divided into Ceremonial Law, Civil Law, and Moral Law.
5. Jesus on the cross was the perfect Sacrifice for our sins (Isaiah 53:10-12 & Hebrews 10:1-22), thereby overturning any need for the Ceremonial Law (Galatians 4:9-11 & 5:1-4, & Colossians 2:9-17). On the cross, He was the Atonement for our sin (Romans 8:3-4). He made full satisfaction for our sins.
6. The Ceremonial Law foreshadowed the coming of Jesus (Colossians 2:16-17).
7. Some Christians in Galatia wanted to re-instate the Ceremonial Law as binding on Christians, and they taught that Christian males must be circumcised to be saved. Paul assured them that only salvation by faith could save them (Galatians 3:1-5 & 5:1). He even said in Galatians 5:12 that those who seek to enforce Ceremonial Law should cut off their own private parts.
8. In Mark 7:15-19, Jesus set aside Old Testament dietary laws. This point is reinforced in Acts 10:9-15. Peter was free to take the Gospel to Gentiles, who offered him non-kosher food in their homes (Acts 11:3-18). Because of Jesus, Christians are now free to eat pork, shellfish, or other foods that in Old Testament times were forbidden.
9. The Civil Law of the Old Testament can often be discerned from its context. Christians are to obey the civil laws of their own nations (Matthew 22:17-21, Romans 13:1-7, & I Peter 2:13-17). We can only refuse when the civil authorities demand we disobey the Moral Law (Acts 5:27-29).
10. The Civil Law of the Old Testament has often been used to justify slavery and similar social evils.
11. However, the Civil Law also forbade kidnapping someone in order to make him a slave (Exodus 21:16), which was often the case during the African slave trade. The Civil Law required the death penalty for the kidnapper. The Civil Law also required that protection be given to anyone who escapes from slavery (Deuteronomy 23:15-16).
12. In the New Testament, Paul undermines the entire basis of slavery when he forbids slave-owners to use violence to enforce obedience (Ephesians 6:9). He further undermines slavery by expecting Philemon to treat his runaway slave as a brother in Christ (Philemon 16).
13. The Moral Law is still in force (Matthew 22:37-40 & I Timothy 1:5-11).
14. The Moral Law from the Old Testament is reinforced in the New Testament (Mark 7:20-23, Romans 1:18 – 2:6, I Corinthians 6:9-11, & I Timothy 1:8-11).
15. Jesus told His audience that the Moral Law of the Old Testament did not go far enough (Matthew 5:27-48). He reinforced the attitude implied in Exodus 23:4-5 when He said we must be good to those who hate us (Luke 6:27).
16. Conscience is not our best guide, though the Moral Law is written on our hearts (Romans 2:15). The Word of God must inform our consciences (Hebrews 4:12 & II Timothy 3:16-17).
17. The Law is for the ungodly (I Timothy 1:9-10). Once saved by the mercy of God in Christ, the inner person delights in the Moral Law (Romans 7:22) and wants to obey it.
18. The argument has been made by gay theologians that Jesus said nothing about homosexuality, thereby implying that homosexuality is no longer a sin. It is not logical to argue from a negative. Jesus also said nothing about incest, sexual abuse of children, or sex with animals. He did not have to; His Jewish audience had the Torah, and already knew these were sins. Only when the Gospel came to the Greek/Roman world did it become necessary for the Apostles to address sexual sins.
19. The Moral Law is still binding, but we cannot obey it. We need the continual covering of God’s forgiveness as a free gift in Christ (Romans 6:23). Only when we repent and receive forgiveness do we become willing to obey God rather than our own sinful nature (Romans 6:17 & 23). Then we become truly free (John 8:36).