Question: What happens when one ceases running from Christ and humbly surrenders to Him instead? Answer: One discovers Christ is their Friend, not an enemy. He or she discovers self is the enemy, not Christ. One discovers self-centeredness is death, Christ-centeredness is life. One discovers the love Christ grants him or her replaces all fear of Him which in turn delivers him or her from all fear of anyone else. For God has not given us a spirit of fear (timorous, servile, cowardly), but of power and of love and a sound mind 2 Timothy 1:7. One discovers the spirit of fear rules all where the fear of God does not rule.
So what would happen then, if more politicians, both in power and in opposition ceased running from Christ and humbly surrendered to Him instead? Differences in policy might remain, but the insults, abuses, disrespect, lies, hatred, bitterness and treacherous behavior would all be out the door – gone! Love for Christ, being the primary motivator, would ensure one’s love for his and her fellow man was clearly demonstrated in spite of their differences. Why? Because each would be made very aware by the Spirit of God that the way they treat one another is the way they treat Christ. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 1 John 4:20.
What would happen if more business people ceased running from Christ and humbly surrendered to Him instead? They would be open and transparent in their business operations. They would develop a strong, disciplined service mentality. Trickery, falsity, craftiness, dishonesty, deceitfulness and deception would be out the door – gone! People in their employ who failed to live up to the standard of openness and transparency would be fired. Again, the way they live their lives and operate their businesses is the way they live and operate for Christ. And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress (wrong, take advantage of) one another Leviticus 25:14. A false balance is an abomination to the LORD…… Proverbs 11:1.
What would happen if more of our nation’s key University, Secondary and Primary School educators ceased running from Christ and surrendered to Him instead? They would become obedient to the Lord, restoring the Bible’s teaching on Creation. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Genesis 1:1. You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You Nehemiah 9:6. Creation would be taught as a fact, evolution would be taught as a theory. All things Communist, Socialist and Marxist would be accurately taught for the death and destructive ideologies they are, with millions of people being slaughtered by them to date.
More: Students would be taught that as individuals, they too have God-given creative gifts and talents within and much encouragement would be given to search those out. The best educators are those who recognize such gifts in the early stages of a person’s life. I know a dear young 4-year old who loves numbers; she paints them, writes them, displays them, looks at them, thinks of them – what’s the career she’s headed for? Who knows? As a high school dropout (because of all things mathematical!) I would be the last to know, but a discerning, mentoring educator would pick up on it. Each student needs to believe without doubt that he or she is a unique person and not simply a number in man’s godless, Christ-despising education indoctrination system!
More: Universal Law would become a primary teaching. That is, violate it and it comes back to violate you. Take a look at society’s attitude towards the God-given gift of sex, for example. The more it is perverted, the more deviant, depraved, debauched, debased and degenerate its practitioners become with it, the greater the heartache, destruction and death to those same people. That’s the outcome of it all; it’s no different than the violation of the laws of gravity and physics. The higher you fall and the harder you hit, the greater the pain and the suffering. The primary lesson Universal Law teaches: every choice has a consequence; wrong choices will never produce right outcomes. He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses reproof goes astray Proverbs 10:17.
What would happen if more church leaders ceased running from Christ and humbly surrendered to Him instead? How many of us know there is no greater place for a religious person to hide from God, than to run into a church? That’s right! How can that be? Easy. Dress the part, act the part, speak the part – do it all with a Bible in hand and most people would say he or she is the part! Any man or woman who stands in a pulpit and advocates than man is the cause of climate change, that homosexual marriage is blessed by Christ, that transgenderism is blessed by Christ, that abortion and euthanasia are blessed by Christ, does not know Christ. So what would happen then? Christ would strip them down to their spiritual and mental bones, then “re-clothe” them His way.
More: Such leaders would now bow to God and no more to the godless. In other words, their books, studies and papers on Marx, Darwin, Lenin and the rest of that crowd would be thrown to the flames where they belong. They would sever all relationships with those hell-bent on turning them back to them. Like the Colossian Christians of old, they would respond humbly to the command, Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ Colossians 2:8. Obeying that command under the power of the Holy Spirit would set them free to now become everything Jesus Christ has purposed them to become.
More: These now Christ-centered leaders would cease being manipulated by their church members. The wealthy business man or woman who had been calling the shots for years would be told the church would now do things Christ’s way and anyone objecting to that would be free to hit the highway. And make no mistake, Christ would see to it that that’s what would happen. He doesn’t need the wealthy man’s money; if He can get it from a fish’s mouth He can get it from anywhere! Part of doing things Christ’s way would mean throwing out the culture of the world that successfully infiltrated the majority of churches many years ago and has now overtaken them. If that was to mean the majority of the congregation became offended and left, then so be it. Let them go; start again!
What would happen if more church attenders ceased running from Christ and humbly surrendered to Him instead? Multitudes of these too find the church a safe place to run and hide from God. Armed with a few Scriptures, skilled in their application of them with “appropriate” Christian-speak over the years, they too have everyone believing they are the real deal. What would happen to them? Exactly the same as what happened to their leaders – stripped down, then re-clothed. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new 2 Corinthians 5:17. New life, new senses, new faculties, new affections, new appetites, new ideas, new conceptions, new actions, new reactions, new speech, plus, a new world!
What would happen if more people in general ceased running from Christ and humbly surrendered to Him instead? Refer back to the opening paragraph of this post. That’s what would happen! No more a slave to fear. No more a slave to the opinions and expectations of others no matter how well intentioned some might be. No more dependence on others for survival, for employment, for finances, for material needs, for safety, for protection, for advice, for happiness. True, Christ will use other people to assist in bringing these things our way, but our dependency is always upon the Lord, not people. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man Psalm 118:8. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory Philippians 4:19.
More: Through the ministry of God the Holy Spirit dwelling within, desires develop for one to live according to the ways of Christ as revealed in Scripture, and no longer the ways of the world with it’s phony, insecure, sordid little rackets and playthings. The eternal life is what one now possesses; that’s God’s life and it wouldn’t be traded for all the material riches the world might hold. Is it a life of ease? Trouble free? No and no again. For many of us, our troubles have just begun! Why so? All who desire to live a godly life will suffer persecution 2 Timothy 3:12. But it is certainly a life of triumph. Quote: “To triumph, implies not only victory, but an open manifestation of it.” – John Wesley. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place 2 Corinthians 2:14.