7 Bible Verses on Surrendering Yourself to God

The Bible tells us that Jesus is our Lord, which means, he owns everything. When we decide to walk with him in truth, He tells us, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). That's what the apostles did. Peter, James, and John all left their fishing professions and Matthew left his job as a tax collector. Giving something up is never easy, but Jesus has better plans for us. For Him to lead us where He's planning, we have to let go and trust him to take control. Here are 7 Bible passages that tell us how we can best take up our own crosses and follow Jesus.

7 Beautiful Bible Verses to Learn to Surrender to God

God is our father

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)

God bought us

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

God is trustworthy

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30)

Give up worldly feelings

“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.” (Colossians 3:8-9)

Choose to let God in

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

God wants us to be renewed

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1–2)

Bear His cross

“But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” (1 Peter 4:13)

FAQs about Surrendering to God

What is self-denial?

Self-denial is an invitation to follow Christ, “who… made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:7–8)
It means setting aside one’s own desires, ambitions, and interests to entrust oneself fully to God’s will.

Which verse says we must die to ourselves?

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Which verse speaks of the broken being revived by the Holy Spirit?

“For this is what the high and exalted One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” (Isaiah 57:15)