I Surrender All

I recall hearing a lot about “surrendering” to Jesus growing up. The whole premise of surrendering brings with it the idea of a battle. When you are in war the whole idea is to either bring the enemy to surrender or totally destroy them.

In the spiritual realm you have two sides at war. The prize? The lives of the people who dwell on the earth. There are spiritual forces battling over the ability to have your life, to gain your allegiance. They are continually recruiting new members to their side. And it is up to those people to make the decision as to whom they will join forces with.

We tend not to think of what goes on in the spiritual realm as violent or as a war or a battle, but it is. It is a violent battle that goes on between the forces of good and evil. We are instructed to put on our spiritual armor…the only reason armor is needed is for protection from the shots that are directed towards us from the enemy.

What’s the importance of this? A few things…
· We must realize that this is not a passive battle. This is a real war…one that has been going on longer than the existence of our world…yet the end has already been written. And the enemy knows this, so his only prize…the only victory he will ever gain is in those that he is able to bring over to his side. In a normal war the prize isn’t in the prisoners of war, but rather in the possession of a land…or in the ability to gain their way or ideals. But in this war the end has already been written. It is different. The only victory for the enemy is in our lives.
· We must also realize that the ending has already been written. We know who has already won. So why would somebody want to join with a losing team? Because they either will not surrender to Christ or they want to go with what they feel is more instant gratification by embracing the ideals of this world, or they just have not heard the message of Christ presented in its true form. They may have a distorted understanding or knowledge of Christ.

The enemy has attempted to claim ownership of this world. And from many appearances it may seem he has done a good job of it. But…that isn’t how it really is. When God gave the command for us to take dominion over this earth, he wasn’t talking to those who were serving the enemy. He is talking to his own. To his people. We are to have total dominion over this earth. So all that this world has to offer is ours…as long as it doesn’t go against the morals and standards written in God’s Word. This is an area that many people have a misunderstanding. They feel that we are to live with less now so we can have more later. But when we do that we are giving up our dominion on this earth to the enemy…because if we don’t take it he surely will.

Think of it this way…if we as Christians owned the majority of all real estate on this earth how difficult would it be for businesses that have the motive of destroying the minds and morals of people to exist? The Lord desires for his people to be blessed…not just for the sake of being blessed but also for the sake of dominating this world.

Today…realize that while yes…there is a war going on…we are on the winning side. Enter every situation you face with an attitude of dominion. You are there to win and to have dominion and to bring glory to God through it.

Ephesians 6:10-18 – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved