Giving Up Our Own Defensive Will

Jack Miller, to a church he had recently visited and spoken to--

There is a release of God's power when control is surrendered to the Spirit of Christ.

This is not a matter of mere feeling but of faith relying on the word of Christ. Get down on your knees in prayer and then get up and take the risk of humbling yourself by apologizing to that brother or sister you have sinned against. Is not such a liberating act a giving up of your own defensive will? Or go to a friend and say, "I have such a critical spirit and a loose tongue. Will you pray for me?"

Here we have the beginnings of a deep surrender.

--The Heart of a Servant-Leader: Letters from Jack Miller (P&R, 2004), 93