I don’t know about you, but I’m the kind of person who loves to seek God for a word for the year ahead.
Every December, I make space to pray and ask the Lord for a word I can anchor the coming year in – something I can return to again and again, a kind of spiritual compass for the next 365 days.
This year, I very clearly sensed God speak one word into my spirit:
Surrender.
At first, I thought, Great.
A year of laying down my preferences, my plans, my desires – and yielding to the will of God.
But then again… isn’t that exactly what we’re meant to be doing anyway as followers of Jesus? Yielding to His higher, wiser, perfect judgement, and trusting Him with our very limited understanding of what we think we need, want, or desire?
So as the year began, I started intentionally walking out this word. During my time with God, I made it a habit to pray something like:
“Lord, today I surrender to You. I give up my will, my way, my decisions, and I lean into Your better judgement and loving direction.”
And honestly?
It has been incredibly releasing.
Here’s the confession part: I like to think I’m in control.
I love a good list. A diary. A schedule. None of those things are bad in themselves. But personal trauma has taught me that chaos is dangerous and order is safety – so I cling tightly to structure.
What I began to realise, though, is that while I was listing, planning, and scheduling, I was doing it all in my own strength.
My desire for “control” was actually limiting me. I was micro-managing my life so tightly that there was very little room for the Holy Spirit to move. Everything was boxed up, labelled, and tied with a neat little bow – or so I thought.
And I don’t want to live like that.
If I’m reading my Bible correctly, Jesus invites us into abundant life – life in all its fullness (John 10:10).
So how can I expect to experience the fullness of all God has for me if I’m gripping my life with white knuckles?
Around this time, my incredible church began its monthly women’s gathering, SHE. And do you know what the theme for the year is?
SHE RELEASES.
You genuinely cannot make this stuff up.
As our Senior Pastor preached the opening message, one line stopped me in my tracks:
“The root of control is fear.”
I didn’t like that.
But I couldn’t shake it.
The more I sat with it, the more I realised it was true. My need to control my life wasn’t about wisdom or responsibility – it was rooted in fear.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of prophetic words spoken over me – from leaders, friends, and fellow believers – sometimes spoken, sometimes written in a card, sometimes sent as a simple voice note. And there has been a consistent theme woven through them all:
There is more for your life.
For a long time, that frustrated me.
Because all I could think was, How on earth could I possibly handle more?
But as 2026 began, and as I meditated on the words Surrender and Release, something shifted. I realised that if I want to step into the “more” God has for me, I have to relinquish the illusion of control.
My friend Rosie, in her wisdom, gently suggested that “surrender” might need a companion word – something that would inspire action, movement, increase.
And as God so often does, He met me there.
The word He led me to was obedience.
Hear me out.
If we are going to surrender control of our lives to a loving God, we need to be able to hear Him, walk with Him, and respond to His direction. Without that two-way relationship, we either seize control back – or reduce ourselves to passive puppets.
God is not a puppet master.
He loves us too much for that.
He has given us free will so that our walk with Him is rooted in relationship, not cold dictatorship.
So now, when I spend time with God, I still pray my surrender prayer – but I’ve added something new. I ask Him for a heart of obedience. Not obedience in my own strength, but obedience empowered by His Spirit.
We are called to bear fruit for the glory of God. And if we insist on full control over our lives, that fruit will remain small. But when we surrender, hand over the reins, and willingly walk in obedience, I believe we will see far greater fruit for the Kingdom of light – and far greater impact against the darkness.
I’m only at the beginning of this journey. And if I’m honest, it’s unfolding quickly.
God is increasing my capacity, adding unexpected things into my life, and at the same time removing the crushing pressure to perform – all in one breath.
Let me be clear: this is not about doing more. We are all busy enough already.
This is about yielding to the One who knows exactly what we are anointed to do – and what we are not anointed to do – and trusting Him enough to direct our lives accordingly.
It’s about living in such a way that when we look back, we can only say,
“Only God.”
If we want to see people set free from eternity without Him, we must begin to live and move in the flow and fruit of the Holy Spirit, operating within the roles and responsibilities we have been assigned – anointed – to walk in.
Only then can the yoke of oppression be broken.
And only then does God receive all the glory.
Living The Jesus Life 