Surrendered Action
When neuroscience and scripture feel confusing, here's the answer
“The Self-Brain Surgery Sunday™ letter is the best five minutes spent on the Internet all week.”
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Hey friend,
A few weeks ago, I wrote in this letter about “getting your feet wet.” That message seemed to hit folks hard ; we received dozens of emails and several hundred new subscribers as people shared it with their friends and families. (You can read it here if you missed it.)
The core idea was simple: sometimes we wonder why God isn’t moving or answering our prayers, when in reality he may simply be waiting for us to take the step he’s already called us to take.
But I heard from more than one person that the letter left them feeling a little confused.
They essentially asked: “Which is it, Doc? ‘Let go and let God,’ or ‘Pray like it’s all up to God, but work like it’s all up to me?’”
At first glance, it can feel like scripture and neuroscience are giving us conflicting advice. After all, the Bible tells us both to “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14) and “Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it” (Ezra 10:4).
We see verses about working heartily for the Lord, and others about finding our strength in quietness and rest.
And science tells us that our brains release helpful neurotransmitters when we start moving, but it also shows clear benefits when we learn to rest and relax more effectively.
So what gives?
Are we wrong to feel nervous about moving ahead of God’s timing and clarity, while also feeling the pressure that we need to make things happen and hope He’ll bless our efforts? Is the science confused? Is Scripture?
The truth is simple, freeing, and so hopeful!
The balance we want to strike is not choosing between surrender and action. It’s learning to surrender the outcome to God while still taking the next obedient step He’s already placed in front of us.
I call this Surrendered Action.
In Joshua 3, the priests had to step into the flooded Jordan River before the water parted. That was action. But they only moved because God told them to. That was surrender. The water didn’t stop flowing until their feet got wet.
James reminds us that faith without works is dead. Real trust shows itself in movement.
Isaiah 30:15 says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” Notice the order. Rest and quietness come first. Strength flows from surrender. But that strength is meant to be used.
Eugene Peterson put it beautifully: “Hope commits us to actions that connect us to God’s promises.”
Biblical hope is not passive wishing. It’s releasing the outcome to God and then stepping forward in obedience.
This is the both/and we’re invited to live in.
We surrender our need to control the result. We stop trying to force or perfectly predict how everything will turn out. And from that place of trust, we take the next right step.
This Week’s Self-Brain Surgery Operation
If you’re feeling that tension right now, here’s one simple thing you can practice:
Pick one area where you’ve been stuck between praying and moving.
Write it down in one sentence.
Pray this short surrender prayer out loud: “God, I release my need to control or perfectly predict the outcome. I trust You with the results.”
Ask honestly: “What is the next right step I already know to take?”
Take that step this week- no matter how small it feels- while trusting God with what happens next.
Surrender the outcome. Take the step.
You don’t have to figure out the whole path. You just have to get your feet wet with the next obedient move.
If this resonates, share it with someone who needs it. Be sure to listen to Monday’s podcast, where we go much deeper into the scripture and neuroscience behind surrendered action. Then on Friday I’ll release the full Self-Brain Surgery training video on YouTube with a practical exercise you can use all week.
Leave a comment and tell us why “surrendered action” seems relevant to you right now. We’ll pray for you by name.
With you on the journey, friend!
You can get the training you need to master self-brain surgery in my new book. You can go even deeper in The School of Self-Brain Surgery.
The good news is, you can start today.
Be sure to check out the archive of previous posts if you missed last week’s letter.
Dum spiro spero (While I breathe, I hope),
Lee
II Timothy 1:7, “For you were not given a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”
From the banks of the North Platte river on Moon River Ranch in Nebraska, USA
Disclaimer: This letter is for informational purposes only. It contains general information, drawn from my experience, research, and best practices. It is not health care advice, and is not intended to replace the counsel of your health care provider. Consult your provider before starting any new treatments or making changes to your health routine. This message does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship between us.
