True Surrender: Beyond Sacrifice and Ritual

Devotional

Day 1: Sacrifice Without Surrender: The Danger of Religious Games

It is possible to offer God sacrifices—our time, our worship, our service—while still holding back true surrender in our hearts. Outward religious activity can become a cover for inward rebellion, as we try to appease God or others without truly yielding our will to Him. God is not fooled by external displays; He desires our hearts, not just our rituals. The story of Saul warns us that we can do all the right things on the outside and still miss the mark if we are not fully surrendered on the inside. Are you offering God sacrifices while refusing to give Him your whole heart? [03:16]

1 Samuel 13:1-2 (ESV)
"Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel, Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent."

Reflection: Is there an area of your life where you are going through the motions of faith, but holding back true surrender? What would it look like to give God your whole heart today?

Day 2: The Subtle Growth of Pride and the Need for Humility

Pride often begins subtly, as we take credit for victories that belong to God or others, and it can grow unchecked if we are not careful. Saul’s downfall began when he claimed Jonathan’s victory as his own, refusing to share the glory and praise. This pride, if left unaddressed, leads to a downward spiral that distances us from God and others. Humility requires us to acknowledge the contributions of others and to give God the glory for every good thing in our lives. Are you willing to celebrate others and give God the credit, or are you tempted to keep the spotlight for yourself? [11:42]

1 Samuel 13:3-4 (ESV)
"Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, 'Let the Hebrews hear.' And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal."

Reflection: Think of a recent victory or accomplishment—did you give credit to God and others, or did you keep the praise for yourself? How can you practice humility in your words and actions today?

Day 3: The Power of Fear and the Importance of Community

When fear grips our hearts, it can drive us to isolation, hiding, and spiritual retreat. The Israelites, pressed by the enemy, hid in caves and separated themselves from the community, making themselves vulnerable to further attack. The enemy wants to isolate you, convincing you that you are alone and powerless, but God calls you to remain connected to the body of Christ for strength and encouragement. Don’t let fear push you into hiding; instead, draw near to God and His people, where faith is built up and hope is restored. [24:36]

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (ESV)
"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."

Reflection: Are you tempted to withdraw or isolate yourself when life gets hard? What is one step you can take today to stay connected to your church family or a trusted believer?

Day 4: Waiting on God Versus Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands

Impatience and pressure can tempt us to act outside of God’s instructions, as Saul did when he offered the burnt offering instead of waiting for Samuel. When we are pressed by circumstances or fear, it is easy to justify disobedience, but God values obedience over sacrifice. Waiting on the Lord requires trust, patience, and a willingness to let go of control, even when things seem to be falling apart. God’s timing is perfect, and He is never late—will you trust Him enough to wait, or will you take matters into your own hands? [37:26]

1 Samuel 13:8-10 (ESV)
"He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, 'Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.' And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him."

Reflection: Where are you feeling pressured to act before God has given you clear direction? How can you practice waiting on the Lord in that area today?

Day 5: God Desires Genuine Repentance and a Heart After His Own

God is not looking for empty rituals or half-hearted worship; He desires a broken and contrite heart, genuine repentance, and a life fully surrendered to Him. Saul lost his kingdom because he valued the approval of people over obedience to God, but David, despite his failures, was called a man after God’s own heart because of his sincere repentance. God does not bargain with disobedience or accept partial surrender—He requires our all. Will you give Him your whole heart, or will you settle for sacrifice without surrender? [49:53]

Psalm 51:16-17 (ESV)
"For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

Reflection: Is there something you need to genuinely repent of today, not just with words but with your heart? What would it look like to bring God a broken and contrite heart right now?

Sermon Summary

“Sacrifice Without Surrender” explores the subtle but dangerous difference between outward religious activity and true, wholehearted surrender to God. Using the story of King Saul in 1 Samuel 13, the message challenges us to examine whether our sacrifices—our worship, our service, our giving—are genuine acts of surrender or simply religious performances meant to cover up areas of rebellion in our hearts. Saul’s life is a warning: he started well, but over time, his heart drifted from God. He became more concerned with appearances, the approval of people, and maintaining control than with obeying God’s clear instructions.

When Saul faced pressure—his army scattering, the enemy closing in, and the prophet Samuel delayed—he took matters into his own hands. Instead of waiting on God, he offered sacrifices he was not authorized to make, revealing a heart that trusted in ritual and self-effort rather than in God’s timing and authority. This act of disobedience was not just a mistake; it exposed a deeper issue: Saul wanted the benefits of God’s favor without the cost of full surrender. He was willing to sacrifice, but not to submit.

The story draws a sharp contrast between Saul and David. David, though deeply flawed, was called a man after God’s own heart because he brought God not just sacrifices, but a broken and contrite spirit—a heart of genuine repentance and surrender. The call is clear: God is not looking for religious games or half-hearted worship. He desires our whole heart, our honest confession, and our willingness to lay down every idol, every area of self-will, and every attempt to control our own lives.

The challenge is to resist the temptation to hide in fear, to isolate ourselves, or to blame others for our spiritual condition. Instead, we are called to stay connected to the body of Christ, to walk in the Spirit, and to continually surrender every part of our lives to God. Only then can we experience true deliverance, lasting victory, and the kind of relationship with God that transforms us from the inside out.

Key Takeaways

1. Outward sacrifice without inward surrender is empty. God is not impressed by religious activity if our hearts remain rebellious or self-reliant. True worship begins with a willingness to lay down our pride, our need for control, and our desire for the approval of others, offering God our full obedience even when it costs us. [03:16]
2. The pressure of life reveals the true state of our hearts. When Saul was pressed by fear and the threat of losing his army, his impatience and lack of trust in God surfaced. Times of testing are not just obstacles; they are opportunities for God to expose what is really inside us and to invite us into deeper surrender. [32:01]
3. Taking matters into our own hands leads to compromise and loss. Saul’s unauthorized sacrifice was an attempt to force God’s hand and maintain control, but it resulted in the loss of his kingdom. When we refuse to wait on God and act outside of His will, we may achieve short-term results but forfeit long-term blessing and intimacy with Him. [34:00]
4. Genuine repentance, not religious performance, is what God desires. David’s legacy was not built on perfection but on a heart that was quick to confess, quick to repent, and quick to return to God. God is looking for brokenness and honesty, not for us to cover up our failures with more activity or empty words. [49:53]
5. Isolation and fear are tools of the enemy to keep us from surrender. When we hide in “caves” of shame, fear, or self-pity, we cut ourselves off from the encouragement and accountability of the body of Christ. Staying connected, being honest about our struggles, and submitting to godly leadership are essential for walking in victory and true surrender. [24:36]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:16] - Sacrifice Without Surrender: Setting the Stage
[04:12] - Israel’s Demand for a King
[05:15] - Rejecting God’s Leadership
[07:13] - Saul’s Early Years and Spiritual Decline
[07:50] - The Philistines: A Picture of the Flesh
[11:42] - Saul’s Pride and Taking Credit
[14:45] - The Enemy’s Counterattack and Spiritual Warfare
[16:37] - The Armor of God and Daily Battle
[19:04] - Strongholds and Spiritual Weapons
[23:26] - Sacrifice Without Surrender: The Heart Issue
[26:26] - The Danger of Isolation
[30:01] - Saul’s Fear and the People’s Response
[32:01] - Saul’s Disobedience Under Pressure
[34:00] - Unauthorized Sacrifice and Compromise
[38:08] - The Consequences of Impatience
[41:51] - The Narrow Road of Surrender
[43:53] - True Discipleship and Surrender
[47:22] - Compromise for Approval
[49:53] - God’s Requirement: Full Surrender

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to 1 Samuel 13, what specific instructions did Samuel give Saul regarding the sacrifice? What did Saul do instead?
When Saul saw his army scattering and Samuel was delayed, what was his response and what did this reveal about his heart? ([32:01])
In Psalm 51, what kind of sacrifice does David say God truly desires?
According to the sermon, what did the Philistines represent in the story, and how did the Israelites respond when they felt threatened? ([17:26])

Interpretation Questions

Why was Saul’s act of offering the sacrifice considered such a serious act of disobedience, even though it was a religious act? ([34:00])
What does the contrast between Saul and David teach us about the difference between outward religious activity and true surrender? ([49:53])
How does pressure or fear reveal what is really in our hearts, according to the sermon? ([32:01])
Why is isolation from the body of Christ described as dangerous in the sermon? ([24:36])

Application Questions

The sermon warns about “sacrifice without surrender”—doing religious things without truly giving God our hearts. Are there areas in your life where you are “sacrificing” (serving, giving, worshiping) but not fully surrendering? What would it look like to surrender those areas? ([03:16])
When you feel pressure, fear, or things are not going your way, do you tend to take matters into your own hands like Saul, or do you wait on God? Can you share a recent example? ([34:00])
The sermon says that God is not impressed by religious activity if our hearts remain rebellious or self-reliant. What are some “religious performances” you might be tempted to use to cover up areas of disobedience? ([03:16])
David was called a man after God’s own heart because he brought God a broken and contrite spirit. When was the last time you came to God with honest confession and repentance? What keeps you from doing this more often? ([49:53])
The message highlights the danger of isolation and hiding in “caves” of shame, fear, or self-pity. Are there ways you are isolating yourself from Christian community? What steps could you take to reconnect and seek accountability? ([24:36])
The sermon challenges us to lay down every idol and every area of self-will. Is there something you are holding onto—control, approval of others, a specific sin—that you need to surrender to God? What is one step you can take this week to begin that process? ([49:53])
How can you encourage someone else in your group to stay connected and walk in surrender, especially if you notice them withdrawing or struggling? ([26:26])

Sermon Clips

Have you ever offered worship not in surrender but to cover up rebellion? Do you make sacrifices expecting favor from God while refusing to give him your heart? The last one is when convicted do you repent or attempt to cover rebellion with fake worship? [00:02:00]

We can do a lot of covering up with what we're doing out there with our external religious things and artifacts and ceremonies to almost make it seem like you're serving God, but you're not completely surrendered. Does that make sense? [00:02:59]

You got to understand the mind of God that when you keep pushing and pressing something, eventually he's going to let you have that thing that you're asking for. Even if it's bad for you. He'll hold it back for a season, but there's going to be a time where God just simply steps back and allows you what you want. [00:06:34]

Salvation is easy, sanctification is hard. Y 'all hear me church? Give me a clap something. Y 'all know what sanctification is? That's God going to work in your life after you've been saved. [00:07:50]

This is Saul's growing pride. It started small. But he's taking credit for the battle that had been won by his son. Amen? This is, look, church, it left unchecked. It started off small, but it'll start to grow in your heart if it's left unchecked. [00:13:27]

Though you had a victory, doesn't mean you get to have vacation. I don't know what that is. You come to church and you give all this spiritual work, you know, to God. And all of a sudden, you feel like you can take an ease spiritually by vacationing and going and indulging in your flesh. That's where the mentality of Christians are. I've done my spiritual work. Now I can go and have some fun. It doesn't work like that. [00:14:48]

We can't get comfortable in our Christian walk. We can't get comfortable as soldiers in the Lord. Lord, we have to rise up and put on the full armor of God daily, every day. [00:16:33]

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God. They're mighty through God. To pulling down what? Every stronghold. You know what a stronghold is? A stronghold is a habit you've developed over the years. It's now erected as a stronghold around your mind. You can't break those strongholds in your life. You ain't strong enough. Are you hearing me? [00:19:19]

You lay one thing down. Another comes up. You have some victories. I'm more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. I've had three or four days that have been good and all of a sudden you wake up this day. The flesh is heavy. Wait a minute. Three four days I've been walking in sobriety. I've been walking in freedom. I've been walking in deliverance and all of a sudden the temptations of my flesh are rising up. You got to know that when Satan comes looking for you. He's bringing people with him. Demons with him. [00:22:16]

He wants to see if your temple is garnished. What does that mean? He wants to see if you're dressed up in religion. Because Satan don't care about religion. He loves religion. He'll leave you alone in religion because he knows it's going to lead you to hell. Amen. Religion don't save nobody. Jesus does. [00:22:53]

God is looking for those who will worship him in spirit and in truth. He's looking for the hearts that are worshiping from the heart out and not the teeth out and not playing with God. I think too many Christians are playing with God and looking for something that's not there. [00:23:37]

If he can get you to walk in fear or start to convince you that you're never going to come out of what you're in, you're never going to be set free. You're always going to be just like you are right now. Those are lies. Those are all lies from the pit of hell. Because my Bible says that when I got born again, I was a new creation. Oh, no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. [00:25:06]

It only matters if your faith is in the right object. And that's Jesus Christ and what he did for us on Calvary's cross. It's not by might. Not by strength. But by my spirit. By his spirit, say it to the Lord. We can do all things through Christ, which strengthens us. [00:26:00]

I'm tired of hearing Christians saying they can do this thing by themselves. They cannot. You cannot. I cannot do this by myself. Are you hearing me, church? We are the body of Christ. We are the body of Christ. We are the church of the living God. We need each other. Once a month? No, no, no, no. Every day. [00:26:49]

Bad company corrupts good character. You're going to have to separate, church. You're going to have to come out from amongst them, church. Amen. Hallelujah. Sacrifice without surrender. [00:28:22]

If you're always giving time to the flesh, guess what? It's going to be hard to walk in the Spirit. Walk in the Spirit and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. It's through the Spirit that you mortify the deeds of the body. Are you hearing me, church? Come on. [00:29:22]

How many of you know those instructions are very important when God tells you to do something? You don't go in there with negotiations. You do what God tells you to do. Amen. [00:33:12]

A lot of us experience forgiveness without deliverance. Are you hearing me, church? Forgiveness is not the same as deliverance. Deliverance is a whole other thing. That takes work. That takes you doing something and meeting God in the middle somewhere. [00:35:18]

When you don't know what to do, and I like it even more than this, pray, you always pray. You do what? Nothing. You wait. You wait on the Lord because it hasn't been clearly given to you on what to do. [00:37:17]

Fear can paralyze you. Fear can cripple you church. Fear can keep you away from God. Fear can keep you away from the body of Christ. [00:40:26]

Forgetting those things which are behind. Pressing on to the future of the high calling of Christ Jesus. That means I'm pressing on in the narrow road. The narrow road is Jesus. He is the way of the truth and life. Broad is the way of the destruction. But narrow is the way that I must follow. Amen. [00:41:36]

Jesus looked back and saw the 12 and said, They left me. Jesus said, y 'all going to leave too? I have a mission. I have a mission. I have a mission to do while I'm here on the earth. You have a mission. While you're here on the earth. Are you hearing me? We all have a mission. We all been commissioned to do something. Amen. We're all representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ. [00:44:03]

Saul was a man after the people's heart. He cared what people thought. And so when this happens, you start to sacrifice the wrong things. And you're not surrendered to the Father completely. And what happens in that moment, you start to compromise. Are you hearing me? Because your heart's after the people. [00:47:15]

God does not bargain with disobedience he does not accept half -hearted worship if we refuse to give him everything we should expect him to remove everything God does not beg for obedience he demands it he does not plead for surrender he requires it if we won't submit we will suffer are we ready to surrender or will we fall like this man this is sacrifice without the surrender of the surrender [00:51:25]

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