Sarah Jakes Roberts is calling Black women to slow down, let go, and trust God in her new devotional, The Power in Surrender: 100 Ways to Tap into the Courage to Trust God’s Plan Over Fear, Worry, and Doubt. The 100-day book offers daily reflections designed to help readers release fear, set boundaries, and move with intention instead of pressure.
Set to be released on March 3 through HarperCollins, the devotional blends spiritual wisdom with practical life advice. Rather than pushing readers to hustle harder, Roberts focuses on obedience, alignment, and personal growth at a healthy pace.
The Power in Surrender Offers a Blueprint for Faith Over Fear
At its core, The Power in Surrender challenges the idea that success must be forced. Roberts makes it clear that being raised in church is not required to benefit from the book. Instead, she presents surrender as a universal principle — one that helps women reclaim their power from expectations, social pressure, and self-doubt.
She explains that many people lose their sense of direction when they prioritize opinions over purpose. Therefore, the devotional encourages readers to examine the root of their struggles before trying to fix the surface. According to Roberts, real change begins with honest self-reflection.
“If we aren’t careful, we will reduce ourselves down to trying to beat an algorithm when in actuality our first responsibility is, the first function is, obedience,” she says. In other words, she urges women to stop chasing validation and start choosing alignment.
Surrendering to Purpose in a Digital Age
In a world driven by likes, views, and numbers, Roberts believes surrender requires discipline. Social media can make it easy to measure impact by visibility. However, she reminds readers that purpose is not defined by performance.
“We have to trust that when we’re speaking from a place of hope, that when we’re speaking from a place of inspiration, that it is going to find the people who need it the most,” she explains. When habits and thought patterns are shaped with intention, she says, outcomes follow naturally.
Additionally, Roberts encourages women to slow down and observe their daily routines. Writing down how time is spent can reveal whether actions align with calling. “Take that time to examine and dissect the way that we are showing up in the world and whether or not it aligns with who we feel we are called to be,” she says. Without that assessment, she warns, stagnation becomes inevitable.
Radical Authenticity, Boundaries, and Healthy Relationships
Growth often changes relationships. Yet Roberts advises against announcing personal transformation in ways that shame others. Instead of using growth as a weapon, she suggests letting change speak for itself.
“Them staying the same doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to walk away from them,” she says. Rather than dramatic exits, she promotes what she calls radical authenticity — honest communication without judgment.
Over time, consistent healthy choices naturally create boundaries. As she explains, when you maintain your standards, others will either rise to meet them or step back. “You control how you show up, nothing else,” Roberts emphasizes. That mindset keeps the focus on personal responsibility rather than controlling others.
Embracing Capacity and the Truth That ‘Slow Is Still Progress’
Roberts also speaks openly about capacity. Although she planned to begin 2026 at full speed, she admits that reality required a slower pace. “I tried to do 75 hard this year, and 75 hard did me,” she says candidly.
Her message is simple but powerful: “Slow is still progress.” For many Black women who carry multiple roles — leader, mother, friend, entrepreneur — that reminder feels necessary. Ambition does not have to cancel rest.
At the same time, Roberts is pursuing a degree in human development and family studies to bring practical tools to the thousands who attend her annual Women Evolve Conference. She wants to pair inspiration with strategy. “I felt like we were doing a good job inspiring women and spreading hope, but then they needed practical tools and help,” she explains.
Ultimately, she understands she cannot control how the book is received. “I can’t force it to meet the people who need it the most,” she says. “All I can do is be responsible for making sure that it gets out there.”
With The Power in Surrender, Roberts offers Black women permission to release pressure, trust God’s timing, and grow at a pace that honors both faith and capacity.
