surrender

I think I could have been a good soldier. I’ve always imagined that if I hadn’t been called into pastoral ministry, I would have joined the military. I like the structure, the tradition, the honor. One of the hallmarks of our armed forces is to never give up, never give in, never surrender. We will fight on no matter the cost because we know it’s the right thing. To surrender would be an embarrassment; dishonoring to all that we are and what we believe.

To surrender is to give up, to yield, to submit. Maybe it’s because I’m a guy, but those words sound like poison to me! I know I’m not alone on this one! Most people detest the idea of submitting to anyone or anything. It’s painful to even think about relinquishing control, power or authority of any kind. I may not go out and intentionally pick any fights, but if I find myself in one, I’m not giving up or giving in for anything. Either win or die trying! What’s so ironic and difficult, though, is that Jesus asks us to surrender anyway.

We are at war. No, I’m not talking about Iraq or Afghanistan. I’m not referencing any current, physical war. I’m talking about something much more real. Yes, you did read that right. I’m talking about an invisible, spiritual war that is, in fact, much more real and much more significant that any visible, physical war.

This war saw its first casualty before the earth was even formed. It has plagued Adam and Eve, Jesus and Paul, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and you. You may not think about it a lot, but you feel it from time to time. There are some who have grown more accustomed to these unseen, spiritual forces and, therefore, recognize it more than others. But regardless of your level of involvement or your understanding of Truth, we all have one primary responsibility in this war: surrender.

See, the war is really not about us. We’ve just gotten caught in the middle of a firefight. This may sound a little far fetched to some, but this war is between two supernatural forces of good and evil. It began when Lucifer, a beautiful captain of the angels, rebelled against God Himself. Well, he should have known how that battle was going to turn out. He lost. He was crushed, in fact, and cast out of heaven—banished for all time. Now, he spends all his time and energy trying to get back at the One who so soundly defeated him. Unfortunately, we human beings are his best bet at retaliation.

There is a very real and yet very ignored battle going on right now for your heart. You feel it every time temptation peeks its head up and makes you wonder if you would get caught. You sense it whenever your pride is assaulted or your feelings overlooked. When we’re honest with ourselves, we recognize the battle. And, as expected, we want to fight back! To not fight back, to give up or give in just isn’t…well, natural. Our inclination is to win or die trying. So, most of us die…because we can’t win. We don’t stand a chance against these immortal forces of darkness. Even if all humanity were to unite together and fight as one, we would lose. We are utterly helpless in this battle. There is but one alternative: surrender.

Jesus is the only One who can help us. We are beyond assistance to anyone or anything else. We can’t win on our own. Certain death is on its way. But, if we surrender to Jesus, He will fight for us. He doesn’t join our cause, but we join His. We relinquish all our former (and false) rights, privileges and power. We freely submit all the control and yield to His will. We must forget the days that were all about us and acknowledge that it’s all about Him. It may sound odd from a visible, physical perspective, but the path to victory is through surrender. So…go ahead!