Throughout our world Armistice Day was celebrated this week. Although all those killed in the wars of the last century were remembered and honoured, it was the centenary of Armistice Day of World War 1, (1914-1918). A cease fire was agreed by all parties to end the war and Germany signed the document to agree the terms of the cease fire. Sadly, in future years, Hitler fanned the flames of revenge in Germany and World War 2 (1939-1945) erupted. At the end of this war the Allies demanded unconditional surrender from Germany, they would not permit, or agree, to any “terms” in Germany’s favour this time.

Consider this: Do I try to get the Lord to agree to my “terms”, my ideas of how my circumstances should pan out. Do I forget that God’s ways and thoughts are much higher than mine? (Isaiah 55:8). I cannot negotiate at the foot of the Cross. God demands unconditional surrender. My heart and my flesh life scream for its own “terms“, but surrender to the Lord must be unconditional.

The sacrifice on the altar cannot negotiate with the flames.

A surrendered life is a daily practice. Surrender is always in the “now”. When I stop holding out for my own way/terms, I discover the sweetness of my Father’s will and am amazed at my stupidity and pride for resisting. My Heavenly Father knows what is best for me and will permit, engineer or use circumstances in my life to bring me on to another level of maturity in the character of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. God is not my adversary to oppose. I need to “stop fighting” and start “inviting” Him into my circumstances. Stop “wrestling” and start “nestling” into His “everlasting arms”.

The life of Jesus will not abide with selfish ambition, personal interest in one’s own character, craving recognition or self pity. These traits are anti-Christ. They all serve to clog up the channel where the life of Christ should flow in, through and out to the world around me.

The words of the song, “All to Jesus I surrender” are heartily sung under the anointing. When the Spirit is moving we thought we wanted unconditional surrender. We put it on our lips and God sees our heart. Then the Lord seals our choice we made in the light and He begins the process of working that choice into our daily lives. This is where the revelation becomes truth to me, not when I see something in the light, but when I apply it into my daily relationships, choices and circumstances….”…bringing many sons to glory…”, Hebrews 2:10. This is Philippians 2:12-14 in action: “….work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings.”

When I try “to do” in my own strength, by my own resolve, I fail. I fail because if I succeeded I would glory in my own achievements and judge others for failing. However, when I surrender to the Lord and invite Him to work with me unconditionally, the life of Christ in me comes forth and does what my flesh life and strength could never do, and the credit/glory is all His. Here I find the truth of Jesus’ words regarding the life of Another in Him, now manifesting in me: John 14:10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works.”

One of the greatest fallacies in Christendom is that we are waiting for God to move, when the truth is that He is waiting for us to apply to our lives what He has shown us. If I do not apply what I see in the light, the light becomes darkness to me. What a tragedy not to fulfil our divine destiny and become the “castaway” that Paul warns about in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Do I settle for second best? The good is the enemy of the best! Today, let us make that choice before our Saviour for change. May the word APPLICATION be emblazoned in our hearts and minds as we take the baton of God’s revealed truths to us, and run our race with fresh resolve and vigour to allow the Holy Spirit to direct our paths. Humility and surrender to Him are the keys to the life of Jesus manifesting His resurrected life through us.

APPLICATION will bring another measure of the fullness of the stature of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Ephesians 4:13 “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”