Full Abandonment to God
Full abandonment to God is necessary for a life fully owned by Him and to meet the condition for the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
David Shelby Corlett emphasizes the importance of making a full consecration or abandonment of oneself to God in order to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit. This consecration goes beyond surrendering one's will and possessions; it involves yielding the entire life, body, soul, and spirit into God's hands for His Spirit to fill. It requires a deep commitment where Jesus rules without a rival in our hearts, signifying a complete ownership by God.
Text
As a basis for the exercising of this faith of appropriation the child of God must make a full consecration or abandonment of himself to God. This is not merely a surrender of his will to God, he has done that in his surrender to be a child of God. He must yield the whole life, the whole self, fully into the hands of God for the specific purpose that He may fill him with His Spirit. No shallow conception of consecration will do in this case. It is not merely meeting a condition at one time for some blessing. It is a contract of a life relationship in which the full dominion of heart and life is yielded into the hands of God. The old hymn of consecration states it thus:
My body, soul and spirit,
Jesus, I give to thee;
A consecrated offering,
Thine evermore to be.
It is not merely giving all of the possessions to God, nor the renouncing of the opinions of friends or loved ones when such Opinions may contradict God's will for His children. It is above all the full yielding or abandonment of self to God, where self is no longer on the throne but where Jesus rules without a rival. We may do well sincerely to consider, "Am I fully yielded to God? Does He fully own me?" It is only as we consciously make such an abandonment of ourselves to God that we may meet the condition for the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
Sermon Outline
- Full Consecration to God
- What Consecration Involves
- The Importance of Full Abandonment
- Meeting the Condition for the Holy Spirit
- Living a Life Fully Owned by God
Key Quotes
“My body, soul and spirit, Jesus, I give to thee; A consecrated offering, Thine evermore to be.” — David Shelby Corlett
“It is above all the full yielding or abandonment of self to God, where self is no longer on the throne but where Jesus rules without a rival.” — David Shelby Corlett
Application Points
- Make a conscious decision to yield your whole life to God.
- Recognize that consecration is a life relationship, not just a one-time event.
- Live a life where Jesus rules without a rival.