Absolute Surrender

Have you ever felt the tug of war between your desires and divine will? 'Absolute Surrender' by Andrew Murray delves into this spiritual battleground, presenting a radical call to relinquish all control to God. Murray, a revered Christian leader and prolific writer, challenges the half-hearted commitments that characterize modern faith, advocating instead for a life wholly surrendered to the Holy Spirit's power. This book isn't just a theological discourse; it's a transformative journey that addresses the core of spiritual stagnation—self-reliance. With historical roots in the late 19th-century holiness movement, Murray's insights remain strikingly relevant today, offering a timeless solution to the universal struggle of aligning human will with divine purpose. 'Absolute Surrender' stands as a beacon for those yearning to experience the fullness of God's presence, making it an indispensable read for seekers of deeper spiritual truth.

Key Ideas:

1. Absolute Surrender as the Foundation for a Spirit-Filled Life: Andrew Murray presents a radical shift from partial commitment to absolute surrender as the cornerstone of experiencing the Holy Spirit's fullness. He argues that many Christians remain spiritually stagnant because they withhold areas of their lives from God's control. By surrendering everything—possessions, relationships, and self-will—believers open themselves to divine transformation. 'Jesus has such infinite riches and glory that He deserves it, and He is such a heavenly, spiritual, divine gift that unless we give up everything, our hearts cannot be filled with Him.' This idea challenges the notion that spiritual growth can coexist with self-reliance, urging a complete abandonment to God's will.

2. The Holy Spirit as the Source of True Transformation: Murray dismantles the belief that human effort alone can achieve spiritual growth, highlighting the Holy Spirit's role in inner renewal. He contrasts the disciples' pre-Pentecost weaknesses with their post-Pentecost boldness, attributing this change to the Spirit's indwelling presence. 'The presence of Jesus by the Holy Spirit is meant to be unbroken, continual, and forever.' This perspective reframes faith as an intimate, ongoing relationship with Christ, empowered by the Spirit, rather than a set of external practices.

3. The Danger of Spiritual Stagnation: Murray critiques the acceptance of prolonged spiritual infancy among believers, likening it to a disease. 'Babyhood at the proper time is the most beautiful thing in the world, but babyhood continued too long is a burden and a sorrow.' He identifies dependence on others for spiritual nourishment and inability to help others as signs of immaturity, urging a move towards Spirit-led maturity through surrender.

4. The Battle Between Self and Christ: Murray introduces the concept of a spiritual battleground where self and Christ vie for dominance, emphasizing the necessity of denying self to follow Christ. 'It is either one or the other. There is no other choice for us; we must either deny self or deny Christ.' This idea challenges the sufficiency of partial surrender, presenting absolute surrender as the only path to true discipleship.

5. Love as the Essence of Spiritual Power: Murray elevates love beyond a virtue to the core of divine transformation, arguing that its absence grieves the Holy Spirit. 'The fruit of the Spirit is love. Wherever the children of God come together, they must love each other intensely, or the Spirit of God cannot do His work.' This reframes Christian practice as centered on supernatural love, enabling unity and power.

6. Human Helplessness and Divine Omnipotence: Murray presents surrender as acknowledging human helplessness to access God's omnipotence. 'It is impossible for me, my God; let there be an end of the flesh and all its powers.' This paradigm shift from self-reliance to divine dependence is key to experiencing God's transformative power.

7. The Continuous Keeping Power of God: Murray challenges the belief in sporadic divine intervention, advocating for trust in God's unbroken keeping power. 'If you will entrust yourself entirely and absolutely to the omnipotence of God, He will delight to keep you.' This idea promotes a life of continuous surrender and fellowship with God.

Practical Tips:

1. Daily Surrender Practice: Begin each day by consciously yielding control over your decisions, possessions, and relationships to God, creating space for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully within you.

2. Invite the Holy Spirit Daily: Cultivate a daily practice of inviting the Holy Spirit to dwell within you and guide your actions, ensuring an unbroken fellowship with Christ.

3. Pray for All Believers: Make it a habit to pray for all believers, especially those who are struggling or persecuted, to foster unity and divine love within the global body of Christ.

4. Acknowledge Helplessness: Regularly acknowledge your limitations and surrender them to God in prayer, shifting reliance from self-effort to divine power for true spiritual victory.

5. Study Christ’s Life: Immerse yourself in the Gospels to study Jesus' life of absolute surrender, asking the Holy Spirit to help you embody His humility, obedience, and love in your daily life.

Key Quotes:

• It is either one or the other. There is no other choice for us; we must either deny self or deny Christ.

• The condition for obtaining God’s full blessing is absolute surrender to Him.

• God does not ask you to perfectly surrender in your own strength or by the power of your will; God is willing to work it in you.

• The life of Christ must become mine.

• If the light comes in, the darkness is expelled. It is the presence of Jesus, dwelling in us by the Holy Spirit, that can make us holy.

• The Spirit is the Spirit of God’s love. He is the Spirit of the crucified love of Jesus.

• Babyhood at the proper time is the most beautiful thing in the world, but babyhood continued too long is a burden and a sorrow.

• Cry for it, claim it, accept it, and do not rest until you have it.

• The fruit of the Spirit is love. Wherever the children of God come together, they must love each other intensely, or the Spirit of God cannot do His work.

• It is impossible for me, my God; let there be an end of the flesh and all its powers, an end of self, and let it be my glory to be helpless.

• With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

• You cannot save yourself from the flesh, or even get rid of it, but if you come and accept Christ in you right now, He can lift you over into the new life.

• The Holy Spirit still teaches His people... but God can only reveal His will to a heart that is humble and tender and empty.

• Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work unto which I have called them.

• Let death be to you the most desirable thing on earth: death to self for the sake of fellowship with Christ.

• Jesus has such infinite riches and glory that He deserves it, and He is such a heavenly, spiritual, divine gift that unless we give up everything, our hearts cannot be filled with Him.

• The presence of Jesus by the Holy Spirit is meant to be unbroken, continual, and forever.

• God is willing and ready to come to all who ask with sincere hearts.

• If you will entrust yourself entirely and absolutely to the omnipotence of God, He will delight to keep you.

• The beginning of faith is utter despair of self, a ceasing from man and everything on earth, and finding our hope in God alone.