Find joy and freedom in surrender

Letting go is hard.

To surrender is to let go of what we tightly grip, the good and the bad. It's a relinquishing of control, a recognition that God alone can meet our deepest needs. It's a holy pause that entrusts each hope, each worry, and each pressing concern to the One whose love for us is beyond measure. And in this surrender, we enter into freedom. But, even so, letting go often feels easier said than done.

In TheFreedom of Surrender, author Mary DeMuth invites you to journey through forty days of entrusting specific areas of your life to God—your inner struggles, your family, your expectations, your regrets, your ministry, your grief, your relationships, your job, your health, your finances, your future, and more. Every daily devotion includes Scripture, prayer, and Mary's original art that help you cast each care on the One who cares for you.

On this forty-day journey, you'll learn:



- How to trust that God is in control, even in moments of chaos and stress.

- True joy and freedom can happen when we release what we're holding too tightly.

- God's plan is to see you thrive and grow.

- Prayer opens thedoor to freedom and peace.

- Even in your struggles, you are never alone.

When we entrust our stresses and worries to God, we embrace the reality that's always been true: Our "control" is an illusion. God alone can meet our needs,heal our wounds, and guide our steps. From this place of total reliance on God, we can experience deep joy and the peace that passes understanding.

What are you holding too tightly? Experience freedom as you invite Jesus to help you surrender all.



Mary DeMuth has written over fifty books, including The Most Overwhelmed Women of the Bible and 90-Day Bible Reading Challenge. Through her podcast Pray Every Day and her speaking events around the globe, Mary seeks to helppeople heal from past trauma and live re-storied lives as followers of Jesus. Mary is married to Patrick and has three adult children.



Introduction: Why Surrendering Is a Necessary Spiritual Practice

Part 1: Surrender My Inner Life



Day 1. I Surrender My Sin



Day 2. I Surrender My Stubbornness



Day 3. I Surrender My Security



Day 4. I Surrender My Cynicism



Day 5. I Surrender My Apathy



Day 6. I Surrender My Inner Bully



Day 7. I Surrender My Impatience



Day 8. I Surrender My Anger

Part 2: Surrender My Past



Day 9. I Surrender My Bitterness



Day 10. I Surrender My Past Struggles



Day 11. I Surrender the Words Spoken Over Me



Day 12. I Surrender My Difficult Memories



Day 13. I Surrender My Trauma



Day 14. I Surrender My Healing Journey



Day 15. I Surrender My Grief



Day 16. I Surrender My Regrets

Part 3: Surrender My Relationships



Day 17. I Surrender That Broken Relationship



Day 18. I Surrender My Relational Failure



Day 19. I Surrender When I Disappointed Someone



Day 20. I Surrender My Desire for that Person to Change



Day 21. I Surrender My Friendships



Day 22. I Surrender My Need to Be Right



Day 23. I Surrender My Relational Hopes



Day 24. I Surrender My Current Family

Part 4: Surrender MyDaily Life



Day 25. I Surrender My Habits



Day 26. I Surrender My Appearance



Day 27. I Surrender that Particular Outcome



Day 28. I Surrender My Finances



Day 29. I Surrender the World's Wisdom



Day 30. I Surrender My Job



Day 31. I Surrender My Gifts



Day 32. I Surrender My Way of Doing Things

Part 5: Surrender My Worries



Day 33. I Surrender My Reputation



Day 34. I Surrender My Expectations



Day 35. I Surrender Growing Older



Day 36. I Surrender My Health



Day 37. I Surrender My Agenda



Day 38. I Surrender My Burnout



Day 39. I Surrender My Ministry



Day 40. I Surrender My Future



"When your grip on life begins to slip, The Freedom of Surrender is the hand that steadies you. Mary DeMuth leads us through forty days of deep, honest, and transformative reflections that gently guide us toward letting go and leaning into God's sovereignty."



"In The Freedom of Surrender, Mary DeMuth reveals the paradox of liberation through letting go. Her vulnerable, raw, and insightful writing reminds the reader that letting go and finding freedom in the love of Christ is a journey we are called to daily. The prayer at the end of the daily devotion reminds us to let go of our need to control and hold onto situations out of our feeble power. She encourages readers to surrender every aspect of their lives, significant or insignificant, and rest in Christ."



"In The Freedom of Surrender, you have the opportunity to walk through the intricacies of your heart, mind, body, and soul to surrender things you didn't even know you were holding onto. Mary DeMuth's vulnerable use of art, Scripture, and relatable story guides you to a place where you can finally let go of the things that are standing in the way of deep intimacy with the Lord. Whether your past or present, your inner life or relationships with others, every corner of your heart will be touched with a chance to relinquish these things into the hands of the Father in very tangible ways, and you will grow closer and closer to the heart of God. As I strolled through each day of surrender, I experienced an opening of tightly gripped hurts, renewal deep in my heart, and true freedom in Christ. Prepare to breathe more fully!"



"With vulnerability and faithfulness, Mary DeMuth reminds readers that biblical surrender is the opposite of weakness or defeat. In each of the forty days of reflection, she encourages us to do the slow, hard but holy work of surrender so that we, too, can walk the path toward authentic freedom."



"The Freedom of Surrender is confession, devotion, and contemplation all in one. With a focus on letting go and trusting God, this beautifully crafted devotional hits all the marks. You will find yourself pausing, reflecting, and releasing burdens you didn't realize you were holding. I'll be returning to these pages often."



"Reading through this book exposes how we spend so much of our lives chasing control. Mary DeMuth writes like a close friend inviting you on the journey of surrender, while so lovingly sharing her own. She points you to a Jesus who is there in all your hurt, worry, sorrow, and grief, asking you to let go and lay hold of him. Pray these prayers."



"A word of Jesus stands alongside these daily reflections, and that word is 'self-denial.' It was the word, along with the image of a looming cross, that Jesus gave to his close followers immediately after Peter astounded them all when he named Jesus as 'Messiah.' Self-denial is a beautiful Christian term until it is something we need to deny to ourselves, and forty of such things are named by Mary DeMuth in this book. In The Freedom of Surrender we experience the joys of freely surrendering to God what God wants us to give up, while we also experience the hazards to our propensities to hang on to them. A deeply formative book. A voice for our day."



"Yes and amen! The Freedom of Surrender is a must-read for every believer. Each devotional invites us to experience the joy that comes from surrendering every area, aspect, and moment of our lives to Christ. Mary DeMuth's words not only encourage us but also teach and gently nudge us to lean more deeply into the spiritual discipline of surrender. She artfully presents surrender and trust in Christ as the antidote to life's struggles, pains, and grief, ultimately leading us to greater joy, day by day."



"Perhaps, like me, you can be slow to surrender your ways for God's ways. And while we know we need to surrender our lives to the Lord, how does one take that spiritual truth and make it a concrete reality in our lives? Enter this beautiful book by Mary DeMuth that's helpfully divided into sections about surrendering your inner life, your past, your relationships, your daily life, and your worries. In The Freedom to Surrender, Mary's daily readings come together as a megaphone for themessage our hearts need: when we surrender every aspect of our lives to God, we also surrender our fears when aspects of our lives don't go as we hoped. If you're looking for a spiritually meaty and personally relevant devotional that can be digested quickly, you've found it. As a bonus, this book will feed your creative loving soul in a way that adds color and connection to your devotional practice."