On this day in 1781, the American Revolutionary War ended.

A war ending is a big deal. One side has to admit defeat and then surrender. Imagine how humbling that must be for the king, generals, or other losing leaders! Then the defeated armies and people must submit to the power and authority of the conquerors.

Wars are ugly. Combatants and innocent civilians get hurt and killed, and cities and villages get destroyed. Even the victorious army suffers great losses. No wonder we want to avoid war if at all possible.

Regardless of how you feel about fighting and war, you’re in one. The Bible explains that spiritual warfare is going on all around us. It’s a war between God and Satan for control of the universe and for people’s hearts.

The Bible also says God will win. Check out the book of Revelation for all the details. But every day brings battles. Satan works hard at trying to prevent people from hearing God’s truth and joining him. He also tries to keep Christ’s followers from living right and joining the battle. So God tells us about armor to wear and weapons to use (see Ephesians 6:10-18).

What God wants is total surrender. That’s right. The first step to winning in life is to give up, stop resisting God, and give ourselves totally to him—no strings attached.

This is tough because we don’t like the idea of giving up control of our lives. We think we know best and that we need to be strong and do things ourselves. Wrong. Remember, Jesus said that the person who seeks to save his life will lose it (Matthew 16:25).

So if you want to win the battle and the war, give up and surrender totally to God.

Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry,
and you will be destroyed in the midst of your pursuits—
for his anger can flare up in an instant.
But what joy for all who find protection in him! (Psalm 2:12).

To Do

In what areas of life have you been resisting God? Take time, right now, to talk with him about those things. Surrender fully to your king.

Also on this day

1849—Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree.

1914—The U.S. Post Office first used an automobile to collect and deliver mail.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.