Submit

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 ESV)

The enemy searches for the empty heart. The hardened heart that is easily swayed by the desires of the world. James reminds us that those in Christ have been delivered. And while we have died with Christ, and were reborn with Christ, the enemy will still attempt to lead us away from God or accuse us in our weakness. Job is a perfect example of this fact.

Submitting oneself to the Lord is not a one-time event, nor is it a mere verbal declaration. It is a conscious, continual release of our hearts, souls, minds, and lives to Christ, a journey of faith and surrender that unfolds over time.

The Oxford Dictionary defines Submission as:

1.      The action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or the will or authority of another person.

An AI definition of submission in a relationship is:

2.      The act of one partner voluntarily choosing to prioritize the other's needs, preferences, and desires, even when it requires sacrificing one's own.

Submission is not an easy task. It requires us to go against our natural inclinations, to surrender our intelligence, drive, and decision-making abilities to the Lord. This is a significant sacrifice, but one that aligns our desires with His.

Becoming a Christian takes an intentional act, the act of submission. It comes about through the grace of Christ, resulting in one's faith, followed by the recognition of one's sinful nature, their depravity, and the decision to repent, to change one's mind about their actions and turn from their sin, asking for forgiveness.

Submission means that as a Christian, all of the principles Christ taught in His ministry, at the Sermon on the Mount, in the temple, and everywhere He taught, become our principles. We must exhibit self-denial, giving up the worldly things that bring us pleasure, and find our fulfillment in Christ.

Jesus is a treasure to behold. He is worth more than every tangible thing, and more than our lives themselves. His worth is immeasurable, and our satisfaction in Christ glorifies Him to the utmost level. When we are completely satisfied in Christ, our lives are then aligned with Him. He is the center of our lives, and everything falls into place. Our happiness, peace, patience, and love are all reflections of the Lord. It shines from us like the sun.

In Proverbs, it is written, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”(3:5-6) Our submission to the Lord is exactly what Solomon meant by trust in the Lord. We cannot trust ourselves, for we are flawed. When we submit to Christ, we acknowledge Him in every single thing we do, every decision we make, and every action we take. In doing so, we are concerned with things that are holy and not of the world.

Have you fully surrendered to the will of the Lord? There is no room for ambiguity; we cannot straddle the line between the world and the Kingdom. When we give ourselves entirely to God, we experience a profound transformation and find true satisfaction in Christ.

Grace and Peace!