Where Is My Residency?

To Some, Surrender Sounds a Lot Like Losing

The Bible suggests that there is one primary step needed for us to die to our flesh – surrender.  Literally one small step that feels like a giant leap.  To some of us who are reading this, the word surrender is somehow linked to losing.  And for those, losing is unacceptable.  In war, if one side surrenders to the other, waving the white flag means they lose.  Defeated.  Second place.  Humiliated.  Losers!

We need to get that image out of our heads when we consider the context of the “surrender” God is inviting us to.  He certainly doesn’t see you and me as losers.  I’m sure, when studying other scriptural messages, this image of waving the white flag may have its place, but not when it comes to the healing journey you and I are on.  That type of surrender – “I’m a loser” – runs the risk of deepening our shame and may actually reinforce the times in our past that we were dominated, blamed, controlled, manipulated, abused, overlooked, and so on.  To that person, losing isn’t cathartic; it’s tragic.  And we’ll do anything in our power to avoid it.

I’ve chosen to use an example from my own life to illustrate a perspective of surrender that I believe is best suited for the transformational work we’re doing.  When Jesus would do this, His examples became known as “parables.”  My students and clients have been known to refer to my use of modern-day metaphors as “davisms.”

Ann and I have moved a few times over the course of our marriage, but only once to a different state.  When we relocated from Kentucky to Texas, we were required to go to the DMV (which in Texas they call the Texas Department of Public Safety) to get a Texas driver’s license.  Even though we were entirely eligible for a Texas license, and we had brought all of the appropriate papers with us (social security card, birth certificate, proof of residence, etc.), they would not give us our new Texas license until each of us surrendered our Kentucky driver’s license.

Why did I need to surrender my Kentucky license?  They probably just destroyed it anyway.  Or sent it back to Kentucky for them to destroy.  The reason we were required to surrender our license was not because Texas was trying to prove we had lost some sort of battle.  No, it was because we could not be residents of two states at the same time.  Get that?  We had to choose whether we were residents of Texas or residents of Kentucky.  It was our decision.  But we couldn’t choose both.

Where Is My Residency?

God wants every one of us to give up our residency in this world – fallen, unfulfilling, and in decline – and live our lives as residents of His kingdom.  Similar to how Ann and I had to do when we moved to Texas, each of us must surrender our proof of residency in this world if we want to experience the fullness of Christ in our lives.

So, what is the proof of residency in this world that we need to surrender?  We are to give God our shame, pride, and fears, our godless beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and our efforts to be “good.”  Basically, we are to surrender anything that elevates self and stands in front of God on our priority list.  God accepts nothing else that we have to offer.  To be a resident of His kingdom, we must let go of all that has defined us on this earth.  Let’s look at what the Bible has to say about this.

“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting For him to return as our Savior” (Philippians 3:20 NLT).

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT).

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.  These are not from the Father but are from this world.  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.  But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever” (1 John 2:15-17 NLT)).

“We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19 NLT).

“The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world.  I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates (rejects) you” (John 15:19 NLT).

If you’re reading this with a desire to surrender your residency – and all of the baggage that comes with it – yet have little idea how to go about doing it.  In my next posting I will walk you through what the Bible teaches on this subject.

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