Unshackled Moments ~ December 8 ~ Mery Christmas, War Is Over

The search for peace takes on many different forms. There are so varied approaches to to the hunt, and it somewhat depends on what you're hunting for, how you are at the moment of the search defining peace. For some it's an end to fighting, whether that be between nations or spouses or children or strangers at Wal-Mart. For some it's more about not being anxious or stressed or worried. For some it's all about not being afraid of the future. So depending on what variation of peace is desired the way we look often changes.

But what if we want them all? Every variation and category, if it's peace it's wanted. Then it gets so much easier, because it becomes so obviously impossible that we know we have to look to the miraculous for it to happen. We know absolute peace of every kind and in every situation can only come from God. We could never pull that off. So what do we need to do to access that peace of God that passes all our understanding and ability to attain?

Surrender. Surrender is the key to peace. We were at war with God, determined to run a successful rebellion against the Master of All in order to be the ruler of our own life. Once we surrender to Him we not only become His children but citizens of His kingdom. The war is over. But how over depends on how much we surrender. When Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant, the U. S. Civil War officially came to an end. But for some of the individuals involved it didn't end until a later date. Some because they did not receive the good news that the war had ended, and for others because they themselves refused to surrender and held onto their anger and hate. If you are a Christian, then you have surrendered enough to have the war declared over. But we lived as rebels for so long, we have to adjust our lives and attitudes to being in a state of surrender rather than rebellion. Sometimes that means our actions are too much like the old rebellion than the new surrendered and pardoned citizen.

The more completely, and unconditionally we are able to surrender to the King who came and made a way for us to make peace with our Creator and His will for our lives, the more peace we will have. The less fighting we'll have to endure, whether that be fighting with others, fighting and struggling with and within ourselves, or fighting for security. If we simply lay down our arms and stop fighting, if we surrender, we can have peace. But there can be no lasting or true peace as long as we maintain our right to rise up and fight. For the spirit of peace to reign in our hearts, the spirit of rebellion must be dethroned so that a baby born in a barn, killed on a cross and raised from the dead can have His rightful place as King in our hearts and lives.

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