By Clint Patterson
“Never surrender”
is a phrase that has been around for many years. It
has been screamed out by men of war; it has been
used to motivate sports teams
to victory. It can be found in entertainment, and
it also has been used by many boys pretending to hold
off a fierce attack of world-dominating creatures.
This phrase has been a part of almost every person’s
life at one point or another. I can relate to this
phrase, for I grew up being one of those boys who had
a wild imagination. Nevertheless, while the world
shades this phrase with honor and respect, the truth
is that there is more to life than the physical
battles we face. There is a spiritual warfare
that is taking place as well, and in order to win,
we must surrender to God and fight no more.
2 Kings 21 is an account of Manasseh’s reign over
the southern portion of the divided kingdom
of Israel . Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, who was a
devoted man of God, was nothing like his father.
Instead, Manasseh spent his days in absolute
rebellion against God and His Law, and if one reads
only 2 Kings 21, he would think this is where the
story ended. However, 2 Chronicles 33 fills us in on
what 2 Kings leaves out, and there we find a
wonderful example of someone surrendering to win.
Due to Manasseh’s sinful ways, God allowed him to be
carried away by the hooks of his enemies. When he
arrived in an enemy territory, instead of looking to
heaven with a high hand
toward God, Manasseh humbled himself and prayed to
God. God heard Manasseh’s prayer and brought him
back to his country, where he spent the rest of his
life serving God (2 Chronicles 33:10, 17).
If Manasseh would have lived by the
phrase, “Never surrender” with regards to God, he
would have died a captive
in a foreign land. Because he surrendered, he was
delivered. In our life we will face battles where we
need not surrender, but with God, we must surrender
to win!
- Clint Patterson, Youth and Family
Minister for the Main Street Church of Christ in
Milan, TN. Chad Ezelle serves as the congregation's
pulpit minister and may be contacted via the church's
website: http://www.mscoc.us
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