The Incredible Power Behind Submission

The Incredible Power Behind Submission

by | Jan 15, 2014 | Christian Walk, Leadership

I was following my daily bible reading planner for 2014, when I stumbled upon a very important principle which will help you to grow in every area of your life.

I noticed that the word “Submit” was mentioned for the first time in the Bible in the story of Hagar and Ishmael. We all know the story of Hagar (Abraham’s wife’s maidservant) who was given to Abraham to bear him children since his wife Sarah was barren. However, Hagar began to despise her mistress once she knew she had conceived. Sarah ill-treated Hagar and she fled from her into the desert. God, however found Hagar and stated this “Go back to your mistress and submit to her” and then declared the future of this child in Genesis 16:12.

“He will be a wild donkey of a man; His hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him and he will live in hostility towards all his brothers”

I have never looked at this verse the way I have looked at this today. However, through my own experiences and from watching the life’s of others I have always seen the exact same outcome overshadow anyone who is in rebellion or who has not learnt the power of submission. The spiritual significance of this statement made by the angel of the Lord can be looked at in two ways:

(a) God was telling Hagar the future of this child and his destiny.

(b) God was spiritually speaking about the nature of the seed that one carries when there is no submission.

Dictionary meaning of submit

Webster’s revised unabridged dictionary has some really powerful meanings for the word “submit” which would help me make my point:

1) To yield, resign, or surrender to power, will, or authority

2) To yield one’s person to the power of another; to give up resistance; to surrender.

3) To yield one’s opinion to the opinion of authority of another; to be subject;

4) To be submissive or resigned, to yield without murmuring.

In true submission lies great strength

How many of us have been in a situation where you reasoned that running away from a problem was the best solution, yet you never had a peace in your heart about what you were going to do!!

The Bible teaches us that in true submission lies great strength. Jesus submitted to the father in reverent obedience and hence God exalted Him and gave Him the name above all names.

Five principles of submission

My dear friends, here are some lessons and blessings that can be yours if you will simply submit and seek God in your situation rather than run from it.

1.  If you are not seeing victory over specific strongholds, addictions, or bad habits in your life, you are not in submission to God and hence the devil has a foothold in your life or else he would have to flee. Submit yourselves to God and then resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

2. If you are having strife in your marriage then it could be because either one partner is not submissive or loving as Christ as it was meant to be (Ephesians 5:22, 25). Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. …….Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

3. If you are not prospering at your job then it could be very well that you have never submitted to the instruction of your superiors; or failed to walk with integrity of heart; or yield without murmuring to their instruction as you always found fault or had an opinion of your own!!

Colossians 3:22-24 says: Slaves, (employees) obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. This rule is paramount for success in every area of life even in the ministry that God has called you.

4.  If you are not pleasing God and growing in maturity in your walk and talk with God and man then it could be that you are still in control and have not surrendered to your life to the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:6-8 says: The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace….Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

5. Last but not the least, if your thoughts are always boring, sad, negative or give way to feelings of low self worth, then you are not submitting and practising the Word of God in your life. Isaiah 55:9: says “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Let’s begin this year with submitting to the things of God. You may have to submit with gritted teeth initially; however, I can bet you if you hang in there and have an attitude of submission God will raise you up!

Watch Out: 5 Signs of An Independent Spirit

Watch Out: 5 Signs of An Independent Spirit

by | Aug 17, 2013 | Leadership

 

An independent spirit is one that seeks self glory, operates in conceit and often is in rebellion to the authority established by God (and hence against the Word of God).  People with independent spirits are barriers to the works of the kingdom of God and can destroy marriages, churches, families and businesses. We need to constantly guard our hearts against it and ask the Holy Spirit to break the power of independent spirit within us, else it may drift us away from the purposes of God.

Here are five common signs of people with an independent spirit

1. They are never in complete obedience to the word of God and do only what they feel is right.
As a messenger of God, Samuel instructs king Saul to totally destroy the Amalekites and everything that belonged to them. (1 Samuel 15:3). However Saul spares the King of Amalekites and the best of the sheep, cattle, lambs etc and everything that was good. (1 Samuel 15:9). Saul was seeking the praise of his fellowmen than obeying God and allowed the independent spirit to take the better of him. Result? God rejects Saul as king.

 2. They are led by fleshly motives
Gehazi, the servant of prophet Elisha ran after Namaan to ‘get something from him’ , clearly in contrast to the nature of Elisha (2 Kings5:21-23). A man who walked so closely with God’s anointed allowed the flesh to lead. Gehazi’s end would have been very different, had he not allowed the independent spirit to take over.
Removing a Mask
3. They wear a mask of spirituality
People with independent spirits often base themselves on their partial knowledge of scripture and sometimes make erroneous doctrines out of it. What they do or say may seem spiritual, but often it is not. Because it is not based on the solid foundation of the Word of God, when they are tested they crumble and fall.

4.  They are in rebellion to the authority and will do a lot of things without telling them
Joab was one of Israel’s greatest warriors and the right hand of king David. However there were many occasions where  he displayed signs of an independent spirit. When David decided to make a peace treaty with Abner, Joab was not very happy about it for his personal reasons and kills Abner. (2Samuel 3). Again when David commanded his men to be gentle in the battle with his revolting son Absalom (2 Samuel 18:5), Joab shows no mercy and kills Absalom (2 Samuel 18: 14-15).

5. A hardened heart gives ground for the independent spirit to thrive
A hardened heart is one that lacks spiritual perception( Mark 8:17) and is not able to see and hear the things of God (Mark 8:18).  There may be various causes for this like continual living in sin, lack of word knowledge, bitterness, hurt etc. A hardened heart is the perfect breeding ground for an independent spirit. One way we can prevent our hearts from getting hardened is by always reminding ourselves of the works of God. Look at the psalms of David, he always found courage and strength when he reminded himself of the goodness of God.

Pray: Lord, break the independent spirit within me.