Spiritual Surrender – Faith & Reason

“I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yeah, I know that I am nothing: as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things” (Alma 26:11-12)

Addiction surrenders later freedom to choose. Through chemical means, one can literally become disconnected from his or her own will.” (Elder Russell M. Nelson, in Conference Report, October 1988, 7; or Ensign, Nov. 1988, 7).

There comes a moment in our own personal journey when the illusion of self-sufficiency collapses. We discover that the strength we trusted has betrayed us, and the wisdom we followed has led us into bondage. Yet this moment – this breaking – is not the end. It is the doorway to the only strength that can save us.

Welcome, fellow travelers. Today we walk together into the holy paradox of recovery: the place where admitting our nothingness becomes the birthplace of divine strength. The scriptures do not shame our weakness – they reveal it as the very place where Christ meets us. This journey towards wholeness involves a profound acknowledgment of our vulnerability and the limitations of our mortal existence. As we explore these spiritual truths, we uncover the transformative power inherent in our weaknesses, enabling us to forge a deeper relationship with our Creator.

Heavenly Father, we come as we are – empty, weary, and aware of our need. Thank you for your grace that teaches us the freedom of surrender. Thank you for teaching us the joy of boasting only in Your grace that strengthens us in our own weakness. Thank you for your grace that fills our nothingness with Thy strength, that we may rise in the light of Thy truth – in Jesus’ name, Amen.

There is a sacred honesty that God requires before He can remake a soul. It is not the honesty of mere confession, nor the honesty of admitting mistakes. It is the honesty of reaching the end of our own resources and discovering that our strength has never been enough. Alma’s declaration— “I know that I am nothing”—is not the groan of despair but the first breath of spiritual clarity. It is the moment when the soul stops pretending, shedding the facade of self-reliance to embrace the empowering truth of dependence on God. This is where healing begins—a transformative process that beckons us to lay down our burdens.

And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep … Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”
~ Genesis 1:2-3, NASB ~

The beginning of genuine Christian discipleship and recovery is not a desire to be better; it is the admission of total ruin. One that comes by way of godly sorrow and contrition of spirit. A deep brokenness of human will, mind, and spirit. We come to ask God – come asking, begging, Him to help us tidy up the ruin of our lives, to help us organize the chaos into something manageable. For His grace to help us manage and cope, or deal, with the ruins of our lives.

God is not interested in helping us to either cope, manage, or deal with how we’ve shipwrecked our lives. He desires, and intends, to create something entirely new out of the void we find ourselves in. Each of us needs to come to the place of spiritual depravity. A place of spiritual bondage and desolation. A place where we awaken to the awful state of our own conditions – our own powerless and inability to manage our lives. It is this “formless and desolate emptiness” of our own soul and admit that we are powerless to light a fire that purges and cleanses us.

As long as you believe you have a spark of your own life left to fan into flame, you are not ready for God’s creative power to work in your heart, mind, and spirit. The darkness over the surface of the deep is not a problem for us to solve through our own willpower; it is a condition that can only be broken by the invading voice of God – the very spirit of Truth.

The Spirit of God was “hovering,” waiting. He waits over the chaos of your addiction, your broken promises, and your moral bankruptcy. He does not panic at the sight of your desolation. He will not act until you stop attempting to be the creator of your own restoration.

Recovery is not renovation of our lives. Nor is it a reformation of our lives. It is not a renovation or reformation project we undertake. Recovery is a resurrection of the corruptible and desolate soul that needs to be put to death and buried in covenant with Christ. Only then are we risen up in a newness of life through Christ. We are to stop attempting to explain the darkness or negotiate with the chaos. Stand still in the midst of your absolute ability and allow the Father, through Christ, by the gift and power of the Holy Spirit, to speak the very word that separates who you were from who He is making you. Let Him command the light you need to separate from the darkness and step into His glory.