Chien Liao

Let Go: Why Your Grip Is the Only Thing
Standing Between You and God’s Best

What if the greatest obstacle to what God has prepared for you is not your past, your weakness, or your failure — but your unwillingness to surrender today?

Every man has something he is unwilling to let go of — and that thing, more than any failure or weakness, is what stands between him and the life God has prepared for him.

The rich young ruler is every man. He was moral, religious, and earnest enough to run to Jesus. But when Christ put His finger on the one thing he would not surrender, “he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Matthew 19:22). He was not kept out by his sin. He was kept out by his grip.

That is the thesis of this entire conversation: Surrender is not the end of your story. It is the beginning.

We were made for a purpose. God wired eternity into the human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11), and every man feels it — that restless sense that there is something more, something you were built for. But when that hunger is not submitted to Christ, it becomes dangerous. We chase titles, money, self-improvement, and spiritual shortcuts. Paul warned us this was coming: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” (2 Timothy 4:3). The voices change with every generation. The emptiness does not.

Jesus did not come for the qualified. He came for the surrendered.

Look at Peter — the man who cursed and denied Christ three times on the worst night of his life. Jesus did not retire him. He reinstated him. Three denials met with three commissions: “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:17). Your failure is never the final word. Your refusal to return is. The question Jesus asked Peter, He is asking you right now — “Do you love me?”

C.S. Lewis understood this deeply: “The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become.” Surrender does not diminish your manhood. It defines it.

This is what Paul charged Timothy with — and what God is charging you with today: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15). An approved worker is not a perfect man. He is an obedient one. He shows up. He submits. He carries the Word into every room he enters — his marriage, his workplace, his home, his community.

The Great Commission was not handed to professionals (Matthew 28:18–20). It was handed to ordinary men who said yes. If God is calling you to lead, to disciple, to be counted — then step forward. Not because you are ready. Because He is.

Look in the mirror. The man staring back is being called to something greater than comfort, greater than success, and greater than self. Christ does not need your credentials. He needs your surrender.

There is a place for you, man of God. Come. Be counted among the Remnant.

Application:

Name your grip. The rich young ruler’s obstacle was wealth. Yours may be reputation, control, past failure, or fear of what full surrender will cost you. This week, sit quietly before God and ask Him directly: “What am I holding onto?” Write it down. Bring it to the cross.

Brotherhood & Biblical Accountability

There is something in a man that responds to sacrificial loyalty. We see it in stories. In Gladiator, Cicero risks everything to remain faithful to Maximus. In The Lord of the Rings, Samwise Gamgee tells Frodo, “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you,” and climbs Mount Doom with him on his back. In The Fast and the Furious, Brian O’Conner hands over the keys to the Supra so Dom Toretto can escape.

Behind every strong man is often a faithful one who refuses to leave.

Movies can stir us, but only the Word of God forms us. Scripture gives us a real example of brotherhood that is deeper than sentiment—the covenant friendship of David and Jonathan. It also reveals how Jonathan helped David become successful.

1 Samuel 18:1-5
As soon as he (David) had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

Accountability Requires Depth

Jonathan’s soul was “knit” to David’s. That language implies binding, fastening, tying together. This was not a surface-level connection. Accountability requires honesty about sin, fear, weakness, and temptation. Men often talk about sports, work, and politics. Few talk about pride, lust, anger, or insecurity. Biblical accountability demands depth. It’s being real with other men.

Accountability Requires Love

“Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” Accountability without love becomes harsh correction. Love without accountability becomes shallow tolerance. Scripture commands us to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). Loving a brother means wanting his holiness more than his comfort.

Accountability Equips

“Jonathan stripped himself of the robe…and gave it to David.” What a picture for us. Jonathan gives David everything he has. Not just his royal robes but also his armor, sword and bow. Jonathan was equipping David for battle. He knew David had just stepped into the arena as a warrior, and his battles were just beginning. David will be fighting for his life, but Jonathan is making sure David never goes to fight empty-handed. When you are accountable for another man, you will equip him. Ephesians 6 lists the armor and weapons we fight with. Make sure that you equip one another with the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, and “pray without ceasing” for one another. Real accountability asks: Are you in the Word? Are you praying? Are you guarding your eyes? Are you fighting with the armor God provides?

Accountability Brings Success

What was the result of Jonathan’s sacrificial loyalty, love, and accountability to David? The Bible says that, “David went out and was successful…” Success was not accidental. It was strengthened by brotherhood. God was with David, but God also used Jonathan. If you want to be successful in the battles you face, you will need a brother with you.

Applications:

1. Who are you a “Jonathan” to? Who is a brother that you love and are praying for? What resources can you provide to equip them for the fight they are in?
2. Who are you a “David” to? Have you been honest about your struggles? Are you opening up or keeping things at just a surface level?
3. What practical resources or steps do you need to take in order to walk in victory? Are you using the equipment and weapons of warfare to fight? Do you have a plan to move forward? Have you and your accountability partner discussed these?