GOD wants us to sumbit ourselves.. .

September 13, 2009

Submission to God

  

There are times when we feel like we need to do something important. Something that we know will please a loved one, will bring joy to a friend or will benefit the people around us. Oftentimes we do things without asking ourselves the consequences of our actions apart from what it would cause to the person whom we laid our efforts for. And yes, more often than not, those things are so earthly that we can be condemned by our own conscience. This is the root of the problems leading to failures and perhaps backsliding. In James 4:4-9, it says there:

 

4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.

 

 

 

 

Admitting that we are sinners and that we believe in the power of the cross is never enough to fulfill our mission as christians and to enjoy life as a disciple. Believing in the word means doing what it teaches. In verse 7, it is clear of the commandment the bible tells us . to do. We must submit ourselves and resist the devil. This applies to each and every decision that we make every day. There are only two choices , either to please GOD or to please men. To hate world or to hate GOD.

 

Submission. It is the act of accepting or yielding to the will or authority of someone. It simply means putting our lives in the Lordship of Christ by obedience and commitment. These two words are heavy and entails in depth study and exhortation.

 

If we use the symbolism of a chair which represents authority, it can be noted that the one who sits on it calls the shots. The right question to ask ourselves is: who sits on the chair of our life? Do we yield it to God voluntarily, or do we still try to put space for us and inject our will in our decisions? Submission requires complete obedience. Partial obedience is simply disobedience glorified. When our faith is genuine, we submit to God 100% without the attempt of strangling with Him for the acquisition of that seat.

 

Now , how do we submit ?  

 

First, we must have an attitude of humility. In verse 6, it says there God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Once we humble ourselves in front of the Lord, He will the grace in order to direct us to the light, to the right path we must take. Before this could happen, we must get rid of our Pride. Pride is defined as the deep pleasure from our own achievement. It is that sort of thing which makes us feel we are ‘cut apart form the rest’. This we must give up which may require hurting our own ego and perhaps lowering our heads every time we speak of ourselves. If we fail to do this, God will oppose us (v.6).

 

Secondly, we must have the devotion to draw near to God. By devotion means having the effort to get close to Him. This can be done through the establishment of our ‘quiet time’ with GOD. When we read the bible, we are opening doors to knowing Him more. When we do, God will draw near to us (v.8).

Lastly, we must repent. It has been said a lot of times that repentance is a 180 degree turn and not 360. It is shutting doors to the evil fighting against temptations. In verse 8 and 9 it says there,  “….wash your hands, purify your hearts you double-minded.” We might ask, why do we need to do this aside from the fact that this is an act of repentance? We must remember, God rewards those who obey Him. In verse 10:

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

 

 

Submission to GOD is not one-time big time. It means thinking of GOD every day of our lives, in every endeavor that we have, in every situation that we are facing.  It is the choice and the decision to follow GOD and be His disciple. It is something that has to be done sincerely out of our own will which comes from our love for Him. Giving up all the worldly pleasures and choosing God over all of these requries complete obedience. This might hurt us, might cause changes in our relationships and decisions in life but we must never ever fear. For once we submit every thing to Him, there are no drawbacks. God makes the best decisions in life. He can give you more than you can imagine. If you are doubting about the consequences of this decision, just think of Jesus. He is the perfect example of submission. He just obeyed and at the end , he was glorified. Life in deed is a matter of choice, and the choices we make each day become meaningful only if we let GOD work during the process of the decision-making.

 

Bottom line is, Genuine faith is submitting yourself 100% to GOD.