Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!” Mark 10:28

At the beginning of the Civil War there were two major fronts—Fort Henry, on the Tennessee River, and Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland—both in the hands of the Confederates who were soon to be challenged by General Grant’s fleet of gunboats. The first set of boats captured Fort Henry, but Fort Donelson was boldly protected. Four days later the Confederates hoisted a white flag and asked what the terms were. Grant responded, “No terms other than an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted.” The fort surrendered.

Unconditional surrender is what God wants of us too. We must give up our sin, desires, possessions, and our entire beings. This may not mean that we must sell all of our belongings or give up our jobs in order to follow Christ, though it signifies that when our hands are empty we can then reach to God’s hands. If we don’t give over everything to God, how then can we be His disciple? (See Luke 14:26-33) Partial surrender would not suffice for Grant, neither will it for the Lord. Hoist your white flag today and yield your will, pride, burdens, fears and lives to Him. Then watch the power of God work within you.

It doesn’t take a lot of strength to hang on. It takes a lot of strength to let go. – Rep. JC Watts