Imagine...
Hoof beats. Horses snorting. Knights in metal armor. Swords clashing, cannon balls exploding, smoke rising.
It's been this way all your life. You have known no different. You fight - you don't know of anything else. Sometimes it has felt like you might be winning - for a moment - but the other side keeps gaining ground. You know you will never win.
Your commander promises you rewards - love, money, every kind of earthly pleasure - but they never last. You feel empty. But, you keep fighting. You don't know how you could live without those things - even if they are empty - and you don't see a way out.
Suddenly, through the smoke, you see the outline of a Man mounted on a horse from the other side. He has a crown on his head. Slowly, the breeze clears the smoke away. You can see Him clearly now. He is mounted on a white horse, and seems to be glowing. He guides his horse bravely and valiantly towards your side.
Everything seems to be frozen. The war stops. Everyone stares, and bows down in honor. Even some on your side bow. Others flee, for they cannot bear to be in His presence.
He stops, and dismounts his horse. You look up from your kneeling position for a moment. He looks right at you. You feel like He is looking at your heart.
He walks towards you. You are still kneeling, with your head down. You are trembling. You imagine He is going to crush you with His powerful hand, or command for you to be hauled off to the slaughter. But, instead, you hear Him gently say,
"Come, follow me. Surrender. I will set you free."
You look up. His kind eyes invite you. His hand extends towards you. You notice that His hand is scarred. You think: Surrender? Freedom?
Then He says it again, "Come, follow me. Surrender. I will set you free."
I've been thinking about surrender lately. When we take things into our own hands, things don't normally go so well. We need to stop fighting for our own way, and surrender.
The Passion conference (a conference mainly for university-aged students, with concerts by Christian music artists such as Chris Tomlin, and Matt Redman, and speakers such as Louie Giglio and John Piper) this year was about freedom and
surrender. I'm sadly not old enough to go yet, but I was able to watch some of it online during the conference. (Click here to find out how you can watch some of the talks today!
Passion 2012 Digital All Access.)
John Piper (at the Passion conference) talked about how we have to choose what side we are going to be on - Jesus' or the Devil's. He said you cannot be in the middle. You must be on one side or the other. Yes, you will be a slave on either side, but when you are on God's side it will be different - you will be free. It is a strange concept, but it is true. When you
surrender, you will be free.
The lyrics of the song "You Can Have Me" by Sidewalk Prophets talk about if I saw Jesus, and he asked me to follow Him and give up everything, would I? It makes you wonder. Are we really willing to give up everything for Jesus? Are we willing to surrender?
On Twitter a few weeks ago, Passion Conferences posted this, "Don't be afraid to raise your flag for Jesus. Some won't like it, but others will come out of the shadows and raise theirs."
C.S. Lewis talks about how earth is a battlefield between Heaven and Hell. You are born onto the battlefield, and you must choose a side.
The King speaks again, "Dear child. I love you. I died, and rose from the grave so you could be free. You saw the scars on my hands. I've paid the price in full. Believe. I will give you all you need and more! Come, follow me. Stop fighting for your own way. Trust me with your life. Surrender."
Everything seems to tell you no. You think: "Surrender? Just give up everything?" Doubts that you will never be happy, or never truly be free fill your mind. But, your heart says yes. You know the truth. You can hear it in His voice. You see it in His eyes. You know there is no other way. You must surrender.
You slowly stand up, pulling out a tattered piece of white cloth. You hold it out. You whisper, "I surrender." Then you say it louder, "I surrender." You finally yell it with all your heart and might raising the cloth in the air, "I surrender!!"
King Jesus opens up His arms to you. You run to them. Tears of relief and joy are streaming down your face. You. Are. Free.
The King's side is rejoicing! You are rejoicing! Victory! Victory.
You fall to your knees, thanking Jesus, praising Him, the tears running swiftly down your face.
Others watch from the side you once fought for. Slowly, one by one, they come out of the shadows, raising their white flags.
A shout of victory fills the air. Tears of joy soak the earth. Love has won.
*******************
Jesus has the victory! Run to Jesus! His arms are open to you. It doesn't matter what you have done. He will forgive you. You just have to accept Him. Acts 16:31 says, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." Also, Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Maybe you are already a Christian. We still must surrender to Jesus. He must be the center of our lives. I know sometimes that is so hard, but Jesus will help you. He is there every step of the way.
Are you ready to surrender, and raise your white flag? Are you ready to give the victory cry?
"This is how Love wins, every single time
Climbing high upon a tree where someone else should die
This is how Love heals, the deepest part of you
Letting Himself bleed into the middle of your wounds
This is what Love says, standing at the door
You don’t have to be who you’ve been before
Silenced by His voice, death can’t speak again
This is how Love wins"
~"How Love Wins" by Steven Curtis Chapman
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