Faith is Best Practiced in Authenticity
Surrendering to a belief can sometimes imply that we claim to know the truth. However, true humility lies in letting go of any preconceived notions or assumptions. Entering into union with God begins with acknowledging that we know nothing about Him. We cannot define, conceptualize, or place boundaries or limitations on God.
When we let go of our beliefs, conceptions, and the limitations we place on God, we accept our own ignorance. Our faith then becomes based on the complete humbling of our identity as individuals before the authentic living truth. Recognizing that our definitions of who we are and what we desire keep us endlessly seeking yet never satiated, we become aware of the vicious cycle of suffering we are stuck in.
The Act of Surrender
Being able to surrender in this way requires a high level of acceptance and authenticity. We must let go of the mind-body identity we have built from this world and recognize it as a falsehood. We assumed that our desires and beliefs were true representations of who we are, but these desires, beliefs, and ideas are not what make us whole. By letting go of resistance and doubt, we understand that our true self, our true image, is only found in the unconditional love and light of God.
Once we let go of our beliefs, our ideas, and our conceptions of who we believe we are and who God is, all that remains is the living truth. This truth is unspoken, unconceptualized, and directly experienced in the act of total annihilation of our ignorance by surrendering our entire self wholly to God, placing no expectation or limitation on Him. Most importantly, we listen to the stillness through which we can know and connect with God intimately and truly “hear” Him, without any limitation on His expression to us in the ways He wants to reveal Himself in our lives.
A Prayer of Surrender
I like to pray something like:
“Lord, I pray to let go of my expectations and release my doubt, separation, and resistance to Your presence. Help me to see and feel Your love in the way You choose to reveal it, so that I may surrender myself to You in every moment.”
You will notice His presence in your life is self-evident, and that we were separating ourselves from Him by holding on to our ideas and beliefs. Our insistence that we are right was holding us back from truly knowing God’s presence by humbling and surrendering ourselves entirely.
The Power of Stillness
I think this verse captures the attitude perfectly:
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
(Psalm 46:10)
It is an eternal invitation to enter the sacred silence where divine truth resides. Stillness is not emptiness but fullness—a space where the divine speaks most clearly to a heart that listens. This theme recurs often in scripture:
- Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
- Psalm 62:1–2 “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him.
Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” - Psalm 131:2 “But I have calmed and quieted myself; I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.” - Psalm 37:7 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” - Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.” - Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in You.”
Recognizing Our Being in God
The process of surrendering is effortless; it’s not resisting anymore. It’s a deep recognition of Acts 17:28:
“For in Him we live and move and have our being.”
As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’”
In that revelation, we know that once we let go of our ideas, all that remains is being—and that being is living through God. All the things we thought were “ours,” like our body, mind, and life, are borrowed. Their existence is made alive through God; every moment was already in God.
If we recognized the divinity of our being as a reflection of God, we’d let go of “our” beliefs to embrace the living truth that we are deeply inseparable from Him. Once we surrender to this truth, our will and desires begin to naturally align with the newfound identity that is far greater than this body and mind, than this flesh and bone. Our being is borrowed from God. When you cut out your self-conception—the idea of you—from yourself, the reflected light and life of God in which we live and move and have our being is all that remains.
Your desires no longer satisfy you; the desire to be intimately connected is infinitely content. This reflects John 4:13–14, where Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well:
“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”
This notion of the water that leaves you no longer thirsty is eternal peace, as reflected in John 14:27:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Overcoming Fear Through Faith
True faith requires surrendering even our fears. You must be honest with yourself and understand what you keep resisting and avoiding. As a result of surrendering those things, you are made brave and fearless. Consider Deuteronomy 31:6:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them,
for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Acknowledge your fear from a place of authenticity because it reveals your avoidance and separation. If your soul and being are to abide in the life and light of God, then you have nothing to fear:
- Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
The Journey Toward Authentic Faith
This journey toward authentic faith, grounded in humility, is about recognizing our limitations and allowing God’s unconditional love to transform us. By being still and truly listening, we can overcome fear and find genuine peace and courage in His presence.
We discover God in every aspect of our lives—in all people and all places—realizing we can never escape Him. As we surrender and perceive God in all of life, we develop profound reverence and love. We become deeply compassionate toward the entire spectrum of experience, truly appreciating suffering, beauty, and humanity.
This awe-inspiring mystery of God and reality transforms from mere belief into a lived and cherished experience of intimate unity and connection, achieved through humility, authenticity, and earnest surrender.
May we all find the courage to surrender ourselves wholly to God, embracing the stillness that allows us to truly know Him.
A Helper of Hermes 