Submission...a beautiful thing?

Struggling with submission? You are not alone, although it wasn't really an issue just a few generations ago. It's just that the culture around us is causing us to question the order that God has set in place, as well as questioning His entire Word! Even the popular books of our day can lead us astray.... Let's take a look at what God says on the matter.

“What? Do you expect me to be a doormat”
“What me, obey him?

Paul reminds me in the book of I Corinthians…why do you not suffer the wrong
The book of Peter reminds me…be subject one to another, clothed in humility
The book of James reminds me…Submit to God, resist the devil
The book of Hebrews reminds me…to submit to those in authority above me
The book of Colossians and Ephesians reminds me… to submit to my husband as unto the Lord
The book of Ephesians reminds me…that we are all to submit one to another.
Jesus reminds me…Nevertheless, thy will be done Father.

Submission should be based on Mutual Surrender to the Lord.

Now I am speaking to those who have husbands that are not asking them to do anything directly against God’s word. We will all stand before God to give an account of what we have done with our lives and our works will be judged by fire to see whether they be wood, hay or stubble, or gold, silver and precious jewels. That does not mean that we will always agree with each other, but we will be in the unity of the Spirit. Our husbands will be held accountable for what they do, but so will we. Only in Christ are we saved, not by our church, not by our husbands.

We cannot submit in our own power. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, which means we cannot be walking in the flesh.
I have seen book, after book, that leads women astray in this matter of submission.
It is not gold and silver, hairdo’s, make-up and outfits that fix these matters, but the heart of a women that matters. To quote a Pastor... if the barn needs painting ladies, by all means paint it (not to attract other men, but to please your own)
But remember... favor is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall praised. Proverbs 31:30

We can be taught by “books” to be charming, and alluring, even deceitful, but it is the heart of a submissive women, a women whose heart is SURRENDERED completely to the Lord that can say…nevertheless, THY WILL BE DONE LORD.
It is a matter of surrendering our will to our Father’s.
Submission/Surrender comes hard to those who do not TRUST God with all that concerns them.
Submission/Surrender is hard when SELF wants it’s own way. We are to die to self, take up our cross and follow JESUS. Jesus gave up everything, and died to self for me.
We know there is sin in the world so it will not be perfect but, as a wife, and husband surrender/submit to Jesus, their wills will align with the will of God.

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Ephesians 5:17-24

God has set this order up to be a testimony to the world, and even to the angels! As you obey you bring glory and honor to God. You have been bought with a price..the precious blood of Jesus! That salvation is free to us, but it came at a very high price! We are expensive ladies! It cost Jesus everything. So why do we live as we belong to ourselves? Jesus has every right to pound and chip away at what is not right in our lives. Some times he uses our husbands, or situations to do that. By refusing to surrender and taking matters into our own hands we are telling God that we do not trust HIM. Not to worry we are to mutually surrender to Jesus and serve one another. God took care of it all!

By trying to wriggle out from under the circumstances of our lives we may loose the benefit of the refining fire for the sake of our own will.
God will work out the details with a surrendered heart attitude.
Submission… total heart surrender… really is a beautiful thing!

Originally published by Lady in 2005

© Monika Hardy