It is a vibrant living relationship with Jesus that will transform and empower our lives.
The surrendered life is the doorway into the deeper life in God. Total submission to Jesus is the place where we find the grace to live the supernaturally empowered life. This is the doorway enabling us to live out of who we truly are in God. As we step in through surrender we move into him. We separate away from all self preserving and fear driven, powerless living, into abiding in the vine and producing fruit because the life of God is flowing unhindered through us. It is his invitation to us as he prepares a generation to live immersed in love, empowered to manifest his presence and extend his kingdom.
As we choose to yield, surrendering to his word and trusting his nature, we align ourselves with his wisdom. Prioritizing him in this way allows us to peel off the old nature and escorts us into the victorious life where we become increasingly filled with his presence.
When I studied the word submit in Hebrew, I found that it literally means aligning oneself or arranging oneself under the command of a divine viewpoint. In other words we choose to come away from the philosophies and opinions of this world, line ourselves up with truth, and do it. We take Jesus literally at his word, choosing to trust him and then step out in obedience following his instruction to us.
As we do this the power of Christ moves on our behalf. As we align with him, yielding to the authority of his word, it will incarnate through our life because the power of the spirit of God is over his word to bring it forth. The enemy attempts to resist us to prevent us from being able to enter into this truth. He tries to stop us because he is terrified of the life that is empowered through full submission.
This is not weakness; it is the doorway into all truth and power in Christ. It is the way to overcome all sin and all activity of the evil one. The more we yield, arranging ourselves under the command of a divine viewpoint, the more his spirit is able to gain expression through us. As Christ was so are we in this world.
Whatever the situation, as we submit ourselves to him, resisting the devil and intentionally breaking agreement with all the lies he may be bringing against us, we continue to remain under Jesus’s headship and his covering as king and Lord. By agreeing with his perspective of reality, the devil has to leave our life.
James 4:7 – so be subject to God. Resist the devil – stand firm against him, and he will flee from you.
Madame Guyon’s book on the song of Solomon is an amazing resource for us as we embrace this deeper level of relationship with Jesus. In it she extracts out of Scripture the process of our maturing as the bride of Christ until ultimately, through complete submission, we come out of the wilderness leaning on our beloved. Song of songs 8:5. In absolute humble dependency, we fully discover the wisdom and the power of a totally surrendered life.
One of the greatest definitions of the word humility I have ever come across was from Mike Bickel, senior pastor at the international House of prayer in Kansas City. He states that true humility is agreeing with who God says we are. As we reflect back through Scripture we step into a place of true humility, as we accept the truth of our real identity. We are the bride of Christ, the chosen possession of God. Just meditate on this astounding fact for a moment and our subsequent matchless worth in Christ.
We are forever the inheritance of the living God, made in his image. We have massive authority within us and the capacity to love and transform the earth, bringing the glory of God everywhere we go. We are literally a gateway; the doorway through which God can step in others life’s and into any given situation.
The more consciously we abide in him the more powerful we become, because we bring an increasing measure of the presence of God everywhere we go. We begin to see the blood of Jesus working on our behalf and to live the life that overcomes all opposition. We discover that nothing is impossible for God. His arm is never too short to save and completely transform any situation given to him. We see that his whole heart is to restore a lost and broken planet, in partnership with those he has already brought home into the safety of his care.
As mentioned earlier in the book, it is his desire to fulfill our needs through his riches in glory, increasing the testimony of his great love and faithfulness as he becomes our source. Over the years Jesus has given me this incredible promise many times. He has wanted it to become a part of my inheritance so I can then also release it as a legacy to the body through the testimony of my life. I now know it to be the truth, and that the key to accessing his provision is in the glory.
He has taught me that everything is found and accessed in his presence. This is why worship is the most powerful form of warfare, because as we worship we connect with the living God. He rests inside of us. He rests upon us. He begins to meet all of our needs through his riches given to us in Christ. Whatever it is we have need of, as we turn into him, as we connect on the inside, as we become more and more conscious of his presence within us and surrounding us, faith ignites and we begin to receive all we need. Jesus, resident within us, wants to release his redeeming transforming power into every part of our life.
The more we step into the conscious awareness of his presence and we turn into who he is, the more we begin also to experience a deepening friendship with the Holy Spirit. A really effective way to do this is to study the names of God. Each name provides us with an understanding of the attributes of his nature. Another way is to study the life of Jesus, the father’s perfect revelation of himself. As we do this, the Scriptures become not only a source of language we can use to communicate with God but a doorway through which we can encounter him.
As we build our history with Jesus, it is important to remember with thankfulness every moment he has touched us with his presence, healed us, shown us more of who he is, provided for us and delivered us. As we connect with him in this way, meditating on and remembering who he is, we re-engage with those aspects of his nature.
The true Christian life is intended to be lived as a vibrant oneness on the inside. Christ in us the hope of glory. The evidence will then be visible on the outside.
Our powerful, all-knowing, faithful father whose love for us is relentless, passionately desires for us to know him and to share every day of our life with him. This is the reason why we are alive and then excel in all we do as we become filled with his wisdom. He wants us to be fully alive. This is the way we were created to live as vibrant and powerful people, yielded and secure, wrapped in the arms of our father’s presence. This then enables us to move in both realms simultaneously, bringing heaven on earth to restore all that remains in darkness.
It has been my experience that we speed the process of sanctification and maturing up as we abide in him. The more we turn into him, the more we rest and have our being in him, the more quickly we become whole. The more we get filled with the glory, like ink through water; his presence permeates into every aspect of who we are.
We find ourselves meditating on his word day and night. It becomes a joy. In this place, filled more fully now with the mind of Christ, he releases us from striving. Striving to get it right; striving to make things happen. This does not mean we do away with excellence or a life of dedication and responsibility. These are fruits of a mature person and are necessary for us to steward well our destiny and the things of the kingdom, in order to see it established on earth. There is a difference though between being responsible and striving. Striving is fear driven; responsibility and excellence are expressions of worship flowing from a life responding to the tangible love of our father. It is the fruit of our true nature as our hearts come alive in him.
The book of James also provides us with powerful keys for obtaining more grace. One of the most amazing definitions of grace I have come across and have found to be true is that grace is the supernatural empowerment to live a holy life. It is not a divine cover-up, enabling us to live any way we want. There are consequences of course for the choices we make. Grace is a person and his presence enables us to live a supernaturally empowered godly life. It is like the life breath of the new creation and the more we step into him the more grace we obtain. The more empowerment there is to live out of who we are, the less we are able to remain in the old Adamic nature.
Romans 6:6 – 4 we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who is died has been set free from sin.
Our life is now in Christ and who we really are eternally is fully alive. The key as I have previously shared, is to choose to step into him and draw from the life-giving river of his powerful Spirit inside of us.
Let us submit ourselves then to God and his powerful word. Resist the devil in whatever form he presents himself, refusing all lies and opposition, releasing from our soul every form of darkness and turning our whole attention back onto the solution, Jesus. Whatever the enemy is bringing against us, we are to bring the word against him. Just as Jesus overcame him in the wilderness this way, with it is written – Luke 4, so we must yield to God and resist likewise; trusting in our father’s nature, in his presence with us and in the absolute authority of his word.
Come near to God, and engage with him through worship, praise and thanksgiving in prayer and fasting, allowing him to cleanse your inner life and thoughts through his gentle conviction; removing any desensitizing behaviors.
As we posture ourselves in this way it will enable us to experience a greater measure of his glory and grace, resulting in a life of full victory over the sinful nature and the enemy’s activity.
We will find ourselves becoming increasingly fruitful as his life incarnates through us. The virtue of his nature increasing in us as we become more completely submitted and trusting in his perfect leadership.
There is such a growing hunger in the body of Christ and in society as a whole, for truth, authentic spiritual encounter and for wisdom to truly know where we came from, why we are alive, the purpose each of us have for our lives. A hunger for the true values we each should live by which empower us to do life well, to excel in every area through the strength of our intended design. There is a growing anticipation as we begin to sense the change heaven is about the birth.
I believe hunger is the currency of heaven and attracts the presence of God. This growing hunger is his incredible invitation and gift to us which will result in greater encounters with him than we ever thought possible. In the end it is those that know, or as this word means in the original language fully experience their God, that we will do great exploits. It is a vibrant, intimate, living relationship with Jesus that will transform and empower our lives, enabling us to do the greater works than he did.
There is a growing dissatisfaction with religion. We really do not want a set of beliefs that present a form of godliness but lacks power. People are desperate and hurting all around us and we need answers to impossible situations in our own lives. We have to know Jesus in such a way where we can present him as the answer. Where we know as we reach out our hands, the power of Christ is present to heal. Where we can truly testify to the gospel of Jesus Christ as the path of life and freedom.
For the church, this I believe is where hunger will take us, into the fullness of authentic intimate friendship and a life fully filled with the power and presence of God. For those in society still searching for truth, I believe this hunger is a divine set up, drawing the spirit of God into their lives in a life-changing way.
During the last several years, Jesus has been visiting me and talking to me very specifically about the emerging church, the ecclesia. As I have shared earlier in this book, during many of these encounters Jesus has enabled me to experience how it moves his heart when we say yes to his invitation to enter into a relationship with him. It allows him to pour his love in and through us, and to be on the earth again with his people.
Jesus had me taste what is coming for all of us, his spirit fully filling us, where we become so consumed by him and so one with him, there remains no separation no distance. In this place no fear or unbelief remains. As we reach out our hands to touch the lepers, it is Christ in us reaching out through our physical form, only now as his body, fully filled with God.
This is what Jesus has done for us, this is the gospel of the kingdom and the doorway in is surrender. As we lose our old life, choosing to relinquish control and letting go of the right to remain independent, we allow our Creator to lead us into his highest and best for us, and we discover our life hidden in Christ.
Our father’s perfect plan to prosper us, is a life that is perfectly suited to who we always have been in God. We may have felt or seen glimpses of our destiny and calling, but as we hand over the reins of our life fully to him, we step into the life we were created for. We say yes to being prepared and led into our true eternal destiny.
Every one of us, wherever we are at in our life, at whatever stage, as we turn our hearts fully to know him and make him Lord through the doorway of surrender, we enter into the reason why we are alive.
In this place, all things in Christ become available to us. We find we are no longer on our own. His Spirit is leading us and guiding us, filling us and flowing increasingly through us, reproducing the fruit of the nature of Jesus. Our thoughts and the intents of our hearts become more aligned with his. Our lives attract goodness in favor as we begin to rule over the realm of darkness with a greater inner freedom and growing security and trust in our father’s authority and love for us. We see our lives having impact and even our enemies and the difficult circumstances surrounding us, begin to settle and live at peace with us. We begin to see that his ways are the highest and that to live any other way is an inferior reality. He really is the answer and his presence is where we will find our healing and deliverance, in it there really is fullness of joy.
The moment we surrender, relinquishing control to God, we begin to experience a growing freedom from self preserving, self-centered, fear driven living. We begin to know a more complete union with him. Grace, his supernatural empowerment to live a holy life, begins to increase and produce its incredible work within us; crafting and forming us into the likeness of his son. We find ourselves living in greater levels of fulfillment, empowered to yield further. His love and peace shields our emotions, and loving others becomes the normal expression of our heart. We find previously unresolved challenges moving out of our lives, as keys of wisdom are released into our consciousness. We begin to discover the truth that as we seek first his kingdom, his presence and ways, then everything we need will be added to our life.
In this place, the garden of our heart, our unique intimate relationship with Jesus is cultivated. Our history with him, every moment he has revealed himself to us, imparts his own nature and allows his life to be our predominant influence. This is also the power of who we are in the spirit realm, overcoming the enemy through the blood of Jesus, his finished work on the cross and the word of our testimony.
Our history in God becomes our authority over every work of darkness. When we know the truth, experience him and trust him, then we are free and can lead others into that place of liberty. Our power over the enemy flows from the presence of God within us as our life is lived out in the secret place with him. When satan no longer has any agreement in us he cannot remain.
In the song of Solomon we gain an insight into this world- changing form of warfare.
Song of Solomon 6:3 – you are beautiful my love: sweet and lovely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army prepared for war.
Living this lifestyle is transformational on every level. As we yield everything to the supremacy of Jesus we become a powerhouse of authority. We connect into the security of his love and the power of who our God is. We connect to the office of authority he has entrusted to each of us and so from this internal disposition of strength, rest and faith, the revelation that flows is then lived and spoken out with certainty. This is the place of effective governance and the result is transformation.
Jesus sees as we enter into the deeper life in him through the doorway of surrender, that we are becoming free from our self-seeking nature. He knows that we have chosen him above all other loves. In this place as madame guyon so eloquently puts it in her incredible book:
He has now adorned us with all that is his and has made us co-heirs of his own inheritance. We have become a worthy dwelling place for him and our desire is for him to dwell in us. As beautiful as we are to Christ we are now frightening to the devil. Sin is threatened by our presence. Our enemies flee from us though we do not even strike one blow. The enemies of God fear us because we are united with him. Pity those who fight their entire lives and achieve no victory. If we give ourselves to God, abandoning ourselves to him we will become more formidable an opponent then an army ready for war.
Ephesians 4:24 provides us with a glimpse of our destiny. It simply says that we were created to be like God in all righteousness and holiness. So as we prioritize the one in whose image we are made, we understand ourselves more fully. We quicken the process of sanctification to become a more complete reflection of Christ in the earth. The more we behold him the more we know him, the more we trust him, the more we receive him and the more we become like him.
The intimate walk we cultivate and prioritize, not only becomes our greatest joy and source of strength and authority, but it is the treasure we leave this life with. As we stand in the power and dignity of our relationship with God, we will see all things beginning to come into conformity with the counsel of his will.
In Luke 4, Jesus revealed the purpose of his coming to earth as he stood up and introduced himself to mankind. His ministry continues on through his yielded vessels; to bind up the brokenhearted, to give sight to the blind, to release all who are oppressed, to restore broken humanity, revealing our father’s great love, mercy and power. Whatever vehicle of life your functional destiny may be, whether it be a full-time parent, teacher, cleaner, Global CEO or celebrity, it is ultimately the platform through which his life will flow, bringing with it the solution to life’s every problem. Your gifts and abilities, passions and experiences, will all ultimately find their highest purpose, providing you with your greatest sense of fulfillment, as you employ all in the service of God and man.
This is our destiny. The realm of darkness knows who we are; they know where we are going. They know their destiny is the lake of fire and they know ours is the wedding supper of the Lamb. They know that we are the living image of God and so their whole work is to disconnect us from the presence of our father; preventing the source of life and truth from flowing. Connected to love, we increasingly operate in dominion authority and so the kingdom of darkness diminishes in effectiveness as the true sons of the kingdom begin to take up their positions. Jesus is teaching us how to abide and so access the power necessary for all we are called to do. He is moving now with remnants of hungry, desperate people who are willing to lay everything down for the sake of knowing God. And increasing within us is a desire for only that which is authentic.
Every true encounter changes us as his presence permeates our being and we are not the same. He expands us; increases our capacity to walk with, understand, receive and release him. In this place of knowing our true worth we begin to see our brothers and sisters, and whoever has been difficult to deal with, through the eyes of his heart. Instead of living out of a reactionary and self preserving place, we find we keep our love moving towards them in the spirit, through our prayers and concern, wanting only the best for them.
We find we are able to treat them with honor, no longer responding internally with criticism and unkindness, because we understand that they too are made in the image of God. The more we spend time with Jesus the more we absorb his love for other people. Of course we do not affirm broken behavior and need to maintain healthy boundaries where appropriate, but we have power now to help others come higher in their behavior. Exhibiting brokenness is not the fruit of their true nature but is pain manifesting, a condition common to all of us! In our own increasing freedom we inherit a greater depth of ability to encourage others to walk as a new creation.
Through the life-changing key of surrender we will come forth victorious. As we learn to live in the power of God and the power of rest, where we voluntarily respond to Holy Spirit’s help, we will be transfigured as we make ourselves ready for the return of Christ.
That is what this is really about. The Scriptures recorded in the book of Revelation are almost upon us. In our heart of hearts we want our whole life to flow from intimacy with God. We want to know who we are, we want to release his love and miracle working power. There is no other way of life that is worth anything. So let us accept his invitation, take hold of his hand and enter through this doorway into all that he has for us.