How To Give Oneself To God Completely
Giving oneself fully to God can seem like a daunting task. However, with dedication and persistence, it is an achievable goal that can greatly enrich one’s faith and relationship with the Divine.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Complete submission to God requires diligently pursuing spiritual disciplines like prayer, Scripture study, fellowship, purity, and self-denial in order to align one’s will with God’s will as an act of worship.
Cultivating a Heart of Worship
Prayer
Prayer is vital for cultivating a heart of worship towards God. Through prayer, we communicate directly with God, bringing our praise, thanks, and requests before Him. As we spend meaningful time in prayer, our intimacy with God deepens, drawing our hearts closer to Him in worshipful adoration.
Studies show that Christians who pray regularly have a more God-centered perspective and are more likely to live out worshipful obedience (source: Christianity Today). Setting aside consistent prayer time, finding creative ways to pray throughout the day, praying with other believers, and approaching prayer with an attitude of awe and gratitude towards God will stir our hearts to praise His name.
Scripture Meditation
Immersing our minds in God’s word powerfully cultivates a heart of worship within us. As we slowly read biblical passages, reflect on their meaning, and apply them to our lives, we begin seeing God’s majesty, wisdom, love, and sovereignty in fresh ways.
Studies by the Barna Group reveal that Christians who engage in in-depth Bible study and meditation are much more likely to have a strong worship lifestyle (83% vs. 58% who rarely study the Bible). Setting aside unrushed time to meditate on Scripture, asking God to give us insight, and contemplating how we can live out what we read will fill our hearts with awe of who God is.
This fuels heartfelt worship of our glorious, gracious, and mighty God.
God-Centered Fellowship
Spending meaningful time with other believers who are wholeheartedly pursuing God greatly enables us to cultivate a lifestyle of worship. According to recent Christianity Today polls, approximately 92% of devoted Christians say that godly fellowship inspires them towards deeper awe, gratitude, and obedience to God.
When we fellowship with wise, sincere believers who model what wholehearted worship looks like, it rubs off on us and motivates us to follow their example. We can ask mentors what their secret is to maintaining a heart of worship amid life’s ups and downs.
And when we gather with believers who crave the presence of God, our corporate worship experience is so much richer. Who we “do life” with impacts us greatly, so pursuing community centered around loving and worshiping God is key for fanning the flames of worship in our own hearts.
Seeking God’s Will
Studying Scripture
The Bible provides incredible guidance for seeking God’s will. As Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” When we study God’s Word, we discover His heart and character.
Passages like Micah 6:8 give clear direction for how God wants us to live: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Immersing ourselves in Scripture helps align our hearts with God’s desires.
Listening in Solitude
Finding quiet space to listen to God’s voice is vital for discerning His will. Jesus practiced solitude and silence often, frequently withdrawing to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16). When our schedules are full of noise, busyness and distractions, it’s easy to overlook God’s gentle guidance.
Setting aside time for solitude and silence allows us to quiet our souls, realign our priorities and listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Whether it’s an hour in the morning before the day begins or a few minutes midday, creating space to be still before God helps us stay in step with Him.
Godly Counsel
Seeking wise advice from godly people helps us gain perspective when making important decisions. As Proverbs 11:14 (NIV) says, “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.”
Close Christian friends, pastors and mentors can provide invaluable insight and discernment when we’re seeking God’s will. They may point out blind spots we’re unaware of or share wisdom from Scripture that applies to our situation.
It’s important to choose counselors who are grounded in God’s Word and have spiritual maturity. While seeking input, the final decision still rests between us and God. He gives gifts of wisdom, insight and discernment to His people to benefit the whole body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
Discerning God’s will requires patience, prayer and persistence. As we devote time to studying the Bible, listening in solitude and seeking godly counsel, God will guide our steps and reveal His perfect plan for our lives, even if it’s one step at a time.
Committing to Obedience
Dying to Self Daily
Giving oneself fully to God requires dying to self and one’s own desires daily (Luke 9:23). This means humbly submitting to God’s will rather than seeking to fulfill our own agenda. It involves laying down our personal rights and ambitions and embracing God’s calling and direction for our lives instead.
As we daily surrender our will to Christ, we find purpose, meaning and joy in living for Him and His kingdom.
Discipline and Self-Denial
Committing fully to God necessitates discipline and self-denial by the power of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus taught, if anyone wishes to come after Him, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23).
This means crucifying our fleshly desires and resisting temptation through God’s grace. It requires cultivating spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, Scripture meditation, simplicity, solitude, submission and service to strengthen our walk with Christ.
As we practice self-denial in a biblical way, we grow closer to God.
Faithful Stewardship
Giving our all to God means being faithful stewards of all He has given us. This starts with acknowledging that everything we have belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). As stewards, God calls us to manage our time, talents, treasures and opportunities in a way that honors Him.
We demonstrate full commitment to Christ when we use our gifts and abilities to serve others, are generous with our finances, and redeem our time for eternal purposes. Our stewardship flows out of our devotion to God.
Overcoming Spiritual Roadblocks
Repentance and Confession of Sin
Repentance is a pivotal step in giving oneself fully to God. By acknowledging where we have fallen short and confessing our sins before God, we clear the pathway for His grace to flow freely in our lives (1 John 1:9).
Regular self-examination and confession keeps our conscience clean and our connection with God unhindered by guilt or shame. Practicing repentance prepares us to receive God’s forgiveness and empowers us to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
As Charles Spurgeon said, “Repentance is the inseparable companion of faith.”
Spiritual Warfare
Every believer hoping to surrender themselves fully to God will face opposition from the enemy of their souls. Satan does not want us to experience intimate communion with God, so he will try to distract, discourage, and tempt us away from the presence of the Lord.
But we do not need to fear the Enemy’s attacks. Scripture promises that God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). We overcome the obstacles of spiritual warfare by suiting up with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), resisting the devil by drawing near to God (James 4:7), and approaching the throne of grace boldly for help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Victory is assured as we submit to God and align our will with His.
Persevering Through Trials
Surrendering fully to God also means persevering through difficult seasons of hardship, loss, or suffering. Trials have a clarifying quality about them. They reveal where we truly stand in our commitment to the Lord.
God often uses adversity to highlight areas of disobedience, wrong motives, or misplaced priorities in our lives. As we yield to the refining fire of trials, God purifies our faith and burns away anything hindering deeper intimacy with Him (1 Peter 1:6-7).
We can rejoice in our sufferings because God promises to use them to produce steadfastness, character, and hope within us (Romans 5:3-4). By embracing the pruning process, we position our hearts to receive the greatest joys of knowing Christ.
Abiding in God’s Love
Assurance of Salvation
Having assurance of one’s salvation is key to fully abiding in God’s love. When we know without a doubt that we are saved, we can rest in His promises and experience joy and peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7). As Romans 8:38-39 declares, nothing can separate us from God’s love.
We must continually renew our minds to this truth through studying Scripture and allowing the Holy Spirit to remind us of who we are in Christ (Romans 12:2). This assurance allows us to serve God wholeheartedly, without being driven by feelings of guilt or trying to earn salvation.
Joy in the Lord
Abiding in Christ allows us to tap into a supernatural joy that transcends our circumstances. Even when trials come, we can rejoice because we know God is using all things for our good (Romans 8:28). As we set our minds on things above rather than earthly troubles (Colossians 3:2), the fruit of joy naturally flows out from the Spirit’s work within us (Galatians 5:22-23).
This joy is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10), renewing us so that we can shine as lights for Christ. We must make the choice each day to rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 4:4)—this is a key part of abiding!
Resting in God’s Faithfulness
As we abide in Christ, we learn to rest in God’s faithfulness rather than depending on our own strength. We can cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Even when we fall short, He remains faithful (2 Timothy 2:13).
God invites us to cease from our striving and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). This kind of soul-rest is only possible through intimacy with Jesus. The more we meditate on His unchanging nature—He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)—the more we are filled with supernatural peace and stability.
We rest knowing our lives are truly hidden in Christ with God (Colossians 3:3).
Conclusion
While submitting fully to God requires sacrifice, the blessings of deepened intimacy with Him far outweigh temporary earthly pleasures. By continually pursuing genuine worship, seeking God’s will, committing to obedience, overcoming barriers in the spiritual walk, and abiding in God’s love, one can attain the rich fulfillment found in completely belonging to Christ.
The journey of giving oneself to God completely is one of daily dying to self and living for Him. With disciplined effort and reliance on the Holy Spirit, every believer can make steady progress towards total surrender for God’s glory.
