It means to surrender or give up resistance. In most contexts, that sounds like defeat with people waving white flags. Armies capitulate when they’ve been overpowered. Negotiators capitulate when they’ve lost leverage. It’s rarely seen as a good thing.

But when we look at the Christian life, we see this concept woven into the Scriptures. Jesus himself said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) It’s only when we lay down our arms before God that He can begin His transforming work in us. That’s the paradox of faith: victory comes through surrender.

So maybe today, instead of trying harder, we need to surrender to the loving Savior. We are to surrender our will to God’s, acknowledging that our way has led us into sin and separation, and yielding to His forgiveness and lordship. We stop fighting against His truth and embrace it instead.

But capitulation isn’t a one-time event. Daily, we’re called to surrender our plans to His purposes, our desires to His wisdom, our fears to His faithfulness. So, today, what is God asking you to capitulate to? What battle are you still fighting that He’s calling you to surrender? True victory in the Christian life doesn’t come from resisting God, but rather it comes from yielding to Him.