God asks you to submit to Him as Lord and Savior. What will I have to give up? Is there a downside?

You will end up losing your sinful nature; the inner nature that drives you toward self-conscious thoughts and emotions: (shame, pride, envy, hate, revenge, etc); the inner nature that drives you toward self-centered agendas:  Obsession with pleasing your fleshly desires (Drugs/Addiction, Food/Gluttony, Sex/Immorality, Pleasure/Hedonism), Obsession with self image/Ego (Looks/Physical body, Power, Money, Social Status, Seeking Recognition, Taking Credit). Worshiping self above God (Idolatry), Using/abusing others for your benefit (Lie, Steal, Manipulation, Adultery, Murder)  

God put you here to manifest His love. He gave you skills/talents so you could be productive. He put a passion in your heart so you had a direction to pursue. What you choose to do with your life is important, but How choose to live it is even more important. You are creating a ripple as you live your life; Every action and interaction has an impact on others and that impact can have eternal consequences. If negative, it can adversely impact that person’s subsequent interactions with others, and can contribute to a downward spiral in their life.  If positive, it can help them overcome something negative, and can even draw them towards God’s kingdom for eternity.

You have a sphere of influence: Family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, school-mates, church-mates, play-mates, and all the other folks you interact with as you live your life. Waiters, Cashiers, Other Drivers, Pedestrians, Teachers, Doctors, Mechanics, Salesman, Politicians, Administrators, etc. God expects you to represent Him to the world around you: First in modeling the desired behavior as you live your life, then being a source of love and compassion as you interact with each person, and then glorifying God with your words and testimony so folks can connect the dots to the source of it all.

He doesn’t want you to give up your life, He just wants to transform how you live it.

He has invested heavily in you and He wants you to be able to shine as a bright beacon for His kingdom.

The only things you will be giving up are the things you were never designed to have: Self-conscious emotions and self-centered agendas.

Acting in love from a pure heart brings more joy than you can even imagine. 

Give it a try.

Supporting scriptures

Your fleshly self and your spiritual self are at war, and you must choose which to serve

“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” Galatians 5:17

The agendas of your fleshly oriented inner nature puts your eternal soul at risk

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:25-26

You can not serve two masters – the earthly flesh or the eternal spirit

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (Money).” Matthew 6:19-28

You must focus – what you set your sights on determines who you become

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23

You are called to Deny your fleshly self and Follow Jesus

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.'”Matthew 16:24

He has a purpose for your life and will help you accomplish it once you align yourself to it

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” John 15:16

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28

He wants you to set a positive example

“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16

“You are the light of the world….” Matthew 5:14

He wants you to be a bright beacon for Him and His Kingdom

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16