Choose for yourselves today
whom you will serve.
– Joshua 24:15

Do you know the meaning of acquiesce? I looked it up this morning. It wasn’t lengthy or difficult to understand. In fact, the definition was given in four words:

to consent without protest.

So I’m not meeting every day smelling of the fragrance of triumph (II Cor. 2:14), but I can explain — I have good reasons! I can write paragraphs (pages) detailing the circumstances; I can formulate a lot of valid excuses that sound very legitimate to my way of thinking; I can play the role of victim beautifully; I can place blame and others will sympathize and understand; I can defend my defeats. But none of those things take the defeats out of the “losses” column and I’m still living “under the circumstances”, controlled by them! There is a bottom line: I can acquiesce or I can fight.

Fight? Well, I don’t don a uniform and jump in my jeep and head for the battlefield. I don’t have a first aid kit handy or bandages or tourniquets to stop the flow of blood. No. This battle has definite boundaries. The war is waged from my neck up! It is a battle fought with “thought” bullets — but this is no “mock” exercise. The battle is real! The wounds are deep! And the enemy it determined to take over the territory and plunder ruthlessly! It is the battle for the control of my mind!

Many times we acquiesce — we surrender ground to him and never think twice about it. He requires just a tiny foothold to wreak destruction! He’s sneaky and slips up on you when your guard is down and he has one very successful battle plan that he gives to his troops:

“Talk to him, tell him lies, plant seeds of doubt about God and His integrity, His power, His sincerity when He’s spouting those outrageous promises and when He passionately proclaims His love! And don’t give up. Don’t ever, ever give up! Fly those lies! We will persevere and we will win!”

We don’t have to go along with that miserable slander! Christ is our Champion! We defend Him! We say, “NO! I know my Jesus.You’re lying! NO! Get away from me! I believe what Jesus tells me! Go to hell where you belong and drag all of your slimy demons with you!” We don’t have to acquiesce! We’re not plunged into this battle without training or weapons. We’re not incapable of refusing the thoughts that he sends so fast and ferociously. We can fight! How? We stand back and let our Champion take charge of the battles! (If this is a new concept for you please read Lifetime Guarantee, Bill Gillham)

I guess the most powerful weapon we have in our arsenal is this one: Do you really know Jesus? Can you trust Him? Then, erase “acquiesce” as even an option and stand firm in the power that Jesus died and rose again to give us. Don’t let His dying for us be in vain!

How many choices a day do I make? Well, there’s one very important one: I choose my perfume. I can let the fragrance of Jesus surround me or I can smell like garbage! I can stop being a wimp and a whiner and become a fearless soldier with Christ fighting for me and through me. The choice really is mine — and I refuse to acquiesce!

Do you think I’ll make a soldier? You bet! You and me together!