Return Soldier: How to Surrender the War Part 3-Efforts

In Part 1, we concluded that before embarking on a soul searching mission to fix problems, one must 1) have a motive 2) make sure it’s a positive motive and finally 3) make sure the one you are asking has the answers. In Part 2 , it became apparent that we must surrender by putting the 3 dynamics of surrender in place viz; the soul, the spirit and the body. Conflict in these is the root of all the problems. Enforcement of law and order in the tripatite being means the return of peace in one’s life and ‘neighbourhood’! One needs to realise that it takes a lifetime to create an ugly space they find themself in and breaking free is not going to take a day. Confessing and professing freedom adds to the manifestation of this freedom over time but that’s not all. Declaring that you have comeout should now be partnered with corresponding spiritual and active physical steps forward. Once that is done, WALK and never look back. This process is consistent with a lot of undoing, starting new thought and action habits. These have to be literally forced on self by forcing a new mindset (renewed) against the background of a persistant old and vicious mindset that has been used to its means. According to Romans 12:2, “… be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The more newness is established the further away from bondage one moves. The more one surrenders to the one to whom we have to do, the more meaningful answers and strategies can be obtained for peaceful and successful living (Joshua 1:8: Psalm 1). Accepting that you have failed makes way for Humility which becomes the core of recovering one’s freedom by surrendering all to the disperser of all good- God Almighty. It also goes without mention that the process of mindset renewal & uprooting of stubborn roots of all that negative baggage built up over time is going to be a messy affair. Make peace with your past, present or perceived future. Bad things happen but they should not direct the course of our lives. They will occur at some point in an individuals life. They are what i would call ‘growing pains’ and one cannot escape them if every condition possible to activate them is present. They are nothing new to life and you are certainly not the only person to be e.g

• Poor/ jobless/ broke
• Unmarried/divorced/separated/widowed
• Unlucky/ unfortunate
• Orphan or abandoned by parents or relatives
• violated in all kinds of crimes e.g sexual/physical/verbal/emotional abuse, robbery, assault etc
• Betrayed by lover(s), friend(s) or family
• Bereaved or sorrowful
• Heartbroken or emotionally wounded
• Hurt or frustrated or confused
• Sad, bitter, angry, frustrated, anxious
• Rejected, fearful, confused, stressed, depressed
• Accused/ unfairly judged/misunderstood, misinterpreted/ misquoted

The point i’m getting at is yes you may be a victim of circumstances and did not play a part in the crafting of your bondage. Yes, life would have been different if other people didn’t do what they did or you didn’t make the wrong choices. So what if it will never be the same? Yet it can still be fruitful if you humble yourself into accepting a different view. A God-view against all else. Fortunately, God in his love, wisdom and faithfulness has already designed a way out as in 1 Corithians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” If it is in your plate, you are made for it and will come out if you believe it! He knew the plans and schemes of the enemy before hand. For someone who believes in God, this should count for something! One can definitely master the art of managing negative forces so that they do not fall victim to their imprisonment. In this unpure world, we have to thrive amongst giants and make it through wiles and evils (Ephesians 6:12). How do we know the world is unpure already? Well, the devil inhabited it before we came into existence! When a child is born, they are not taught to lie or steal but are generally inclined to these negatives when it suits them. They have an entitlement that they must get what they want and when they want it. Parents have to guide the child into unlearning impurity i.e the negative actions such as lies or taking what is not theirs. They have to learn to live positively with others in a not so positive world…that is called training and moulding. However most of our childhood training doesn’t nail it. What with absence of parents or parents who also did not get the best of training! In any case, although training is a noble thing bondage respects no training at all and defies it. Moreover a door can just open up from anywere else in life without the knowledge of the co-trainer (society, teachers, church, elders etc). Cycles of bondage are linked to the origins of all the negative emotions and feelings harboured in the innerman overtime. Well they got saved in that space because one decided they had enough of being good. The world wasn’t good to them so why bother? They had to learn self protection and that meant retaliation. Undoing all known negatives by adhering to the standard of scripture concerning each one is the journey to freedom. Jesus called it love- the summary of God’s instruction to mankind (Matthew 22:36-40). So what do we do then?

The Right Efforts

Armed with a vision to experience fruitfulness in life and step out of negative energy (right motive), an understanding of surrender dynamics (order in the tripatite being), one can move into the right efforts below:

1. Face it, face the horrible past eyeball to eyeball
2. Accept that it happened (List the changeables vs the unchangeables. Matthew 6:25)
3. Accept the negative emotions, the hurt & pain and then (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) ask for wisdom to change what you can and grace to accept what you can’t change.
4. Recognise that you can’t stop the pain, have no power or control BUT trust God to do so in his All Mighty power (Psalm 62:11 Psalm 147:3; Psalm 59:19)
5. Surrender the pain-events, people, time, emotions, feelings and personal plan (wrath/vengeance) to God (Romans 12:19).
6. Cry out the surrender and release it to him (psalm 51)
7. Forgive all those that you attribute the events and pain to…make the list and tick off as you go (Matthew 6:9-13)
8. Understand that forgiveness in itself is a spiritiual rule and does not erase the pain (1 Samuel 15:22). Workout your salvation through obedience (Phillipians 2:13-14)
9. Submit the pain to God still and ask him for a fair trial (vindication for accusation or unfair judgement; forgiveness for your own negative actions; peace for conflict or unrest; restoration for all loss percieved and blessing for curse.
10. Wait on the Lord. Accept the virtue of patience and feed it with the word of hope, faith and above all love as of the Lord himself (1 Peter 5:9-10).

So, we accept our horrible situation all the way from the past, present to perceived future. We face it headstrong with the superior partnership of Christ we now surrender to. God is the author of our lives and he goes before us in this war. We ask for his will and stop pushing our own will as if we have the power to change anything. Well we don’t so far that is why it has taken all this time to create this mess and confusion we see whether or not we were participants! 1 Samuel 15:23 reads, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.” Failure to surrender to God is Stubborness at this point and will inhibit you from total surrender and then you just become your own witch in worshipping your own self/unfortunate events or offenders in the place of God Almighty, who reigns forevermore!In conclusion, your circumstances are not your enemy but how you view them can be your downfall. If being unmarried, being an orphan, being poor or sick was the end of the world for one, God in all his wisdom would not have permitted it. Now that he has a way of making life worth the while in these circumstances, why should we despair? Life then is about unlearning negatives and replacing them with positives so as to create good ground for blessings.

Till then, happy surrendering and taking cover under the wings of the Almighty Warrior…God Himself!!!!!

Signing out,

Ester H.

riseUPconqueror!!!!!!

---

falling is not the problem, failing to riseUP is!!!!!!