“And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; neverless, not as I will, but as you will.”‘ (Matthew 26:39 ESV)

“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'” (Luke 9:23 ESV)

There have been days when I just want to give up. I want to wave the white flag and surrender.

Surrendering is a good thing, if you are surrendering your life to follow Jesus.

Surrendering is not a good thing if you are just giving up.

I watched a game show one time where this lady kept yelling “Never give up, never surrender!” I think she won the game if I remember right.

I know that there are times that life tries to pull you down and discourage you. I have been going through it this week. That’s when you yell NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER! God doesn’t want us to give up or surrender. He wants us to fight. He wants us to fight to win. And by us taking the first step, then He will step in and help us.

Jesus paid the ultimate price, but He didn’t give up or surrender. He did ask God if it was possible to let it pass by but He said “not my will but yours.” So even though he could have waved the white flag and surrendered, He didn’t. He went through with it because it was God’s will.

So the next time you have the white flag out to wave surrender, stop. Think about it. Is it God’s will I do this? If it isn’t, then don’t give up and don’t surrender.

Kathy Keller