Surrender in an age of power politics

 Following and Obedience Doesn’t Wait for Clarity

In an age of division, anger, and uncertainty, I am confused about who to trust. As I listen to slander, manipulation of words without discernment of fact, pitting one group against another, I’m afraid of falling into an echo chamber. Some say they they want peace and harmony, yet do everything they can to incite fear and scarcity thinking. 

We say we’re praying about it. But if we’re honest, most of the time, we either hide, build walls and remain silent  

we’re simply resisting the discomfort of moving forward in the Lord without a full plan because our brains are trained to avoid uncertainty. The prefrontal cortex, which handles risk and prediction, equates “unknown” with “unsafe.” And so, what’s typically our next move? We stall. Not because we’re lacking peace, but because we’re lacking control. But this is where obedience reorients the soul.

When we choose to act on what God has said (even when the next ten steps aren’t visible), we begin to rewire our nervous systems. Eventually, our brains learn that uncertainty is not danger and that obedience is not a gamble. This is a very important step of development for the believer who is called to maturity as a son of God. In so doing, we stop waiting to feel safe before moving, and we start letting the Word define what safety means: that our words, thoughts, and actions are seated in the center of the presence of the Lord.

Obedience is the antidote to paralysis. It isn’t reckless, but rather, responsive. And the more we obey without demanding guarantees of outcomes from the Lord, the more our hearts are trained to walk by faith, and not by sight. That’s spiritual maturity. You see, the lamp doesn’t flicker because we don’t see far enough. It burns steadily, revealing the step the Lord is asking us to take today.

Now, this brings us to the counterfeit. In Isaiah 50:11, God confronts His people with a terrifying indictment. Here’s what the Scripture says: “Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches you have kindled! This you have from My hand: you shall lie down in torment.”

This is not a metaphor. It is a covenant judgment. And while the verse speaks directly to Israel’s rebellion, the principle carries forward, and it is this: when we refuse to walk by His Word, we will invent our own light. And whatever we invent will eventually consume us.

We light torches of emotional certainty. We craft lamps of cultural affirmation. We walk by the fires of self-justification and baptize them in spiritual language. We elevate preference over truth and call it discernment. We reject surrender and call it wisdom. But Isaiah’s warning is clear: the fire you make apart from Him will not guide you. It will consume you, because artificial light cannot sustain a soul. It burns bright for a moment, then turns to smoke. It offers comfort until it demands control. And by the time you realize it’s counterfeit, you’re already lost in the weeds of your own making.