William Fletcher - The Triumph Of Surrender: Finding Harmony In Gods Plan

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1987, 2013 by William M. Fletcher

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ISBN-13: 978-1-61521-907-0

Cover design by Arvid Wallen

Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is coincidental.

Unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the New American Standard Bible ( NASB ), Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Other versions used include: the Amplified Bible ( AMP ), The Lockman Foundation 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987; the Holy Bible, New International Version ( NIV ), Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan, all rights reserved; and the King James Version ( KJV ).

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fletcher, William M.

The triumph of surrender : finding harmony in Gods plan / William M. Fletcher.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ).

ISBN 978-1-61521-907-0

1. Discipline Religious aspects Christianity. I. Title.

BV4647.D58F64 2012

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 18 17 16 15 14 13

To Carol, Susan, and David,
our three children

NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

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CONTENTS

PREFACE

Why write a book on surrender? Well, it all began with a suggestion from my son, who is, like myself, a pastor. We were discussing the need for good, biblical teaching on the subject of surrender. He really jogged my thinking when he said, Dad, I think you ought to write a book on discipline. The more I thought and prayed about it, the more I became convinced he was right.

Some of my friends have commented from time to time that they think of me as a disciplined person. This always puzzles me. I feel like responding as Paul and Barnabas did to the people of Lystra when the people tried to worship them as gods. These two servants of the Lord cried out in protest, We are also men of the same nature as you (Acts 14:15). And I must protest also, for I struggle with discipline just as others do.

However, I am convinced of the necessity of discipline for all who desire to walk in harmony with God. Many Christians find it difficult to accept the importance of discipline, not only because they struggle to live disciplined lives but also because they see discipline in a negative light. Such people even consider Gods discipline of His children as a negative kind of punishment something to be feared. Thus they cannot, or will not, exercise it in their lives.

I see Christians who are missing out on an important part of the love relationship between God and His children: discipline. As I thought about this all-too-typical response to God in this area, I felt the Spirit drawing me to offer some help to my fellow strugglers. I concluded that we all need to better understand discipline, and that the place to begin is with surrender . Thats the focus of this book. We need to cease our struggling and fall happily into the arms of our loving Father. Then walking in step with Him will be a joyful, transforming experience.

Part One

THE PERFECT PLAN

CHAPTER 1

THE HUMAN QUESTION

Why do these things happen to me? A thirty-eight-year-old woman sat in my office, nervously tugging at her handkerchief as she spilled out a long string of problems that were plaguing her life.