Submit To God

“Submit to God and be at peace with Him; in this way prosperity will come to you.” (Job 22:21)

The Bible says that God has placed authority over us on earth.  The principle is that we have to submit to authority as authority is ordained by God.  Submission to authority will bring about blessings and the highest authority is God.

We are also told to submit ourselves to God (James 4:7).  In Ephesians we read that wife is to submit to her husband as unto the Lord and the husband is to "love" his wife (Ephesians 5:22-25).   The Apostle Peter writes, “Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5).   The theme here is one of humility. One cannot submit to God without humility. Obedience requires us to humble ourselves to surrender to the authority of another, and we are told that God resists the proud.

God does not require us to submit because He is a tyrant, but because He is a loving Father and He knows what is best for us. The blessings and peace that we gain from humbly surrendering and submitting ourselves to Him daily are a gift of grace that nothing in this world can compare to.

We can submit ourselves to God because God is completely trustworthy and always has only our best interests at heart. We have nothing to fear from God. Submission to God is necessary for us to enjoy our Christian walk and life.  The more fully we’re submitted to his will, the more cheerfully we can carry it out, and the sweeter and richer will be the joy of doing it.

Other scripture references:

James 4:7 – “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Proversbs 3:5-6 – “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.”

1 Peter 5:5 – “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Ephesians 6:5-8 –” Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.”

 “Obedience is the fruit of faith: patience the bloom of the fruit.” (Christina Rossetti)

Every Promise Has Been Fulfilled

“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” (Joshua 23:14)

Are we standing on the promises of God?  Notice that the verse above says that every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.  How wonderful is our God!  Do we know what are these promises and how to appropriate them.  God has given us promises that we can rely on when we are in need of comfort and assurance.  These promises were made by a loving Heavenly father and it is very comforting to know that God loves us and He Always Keeps his promises.

What is a promise? A promise may be defined as follows: "Words said or written, binding a person to do or not to do something." When a person makes a promise he is giving his word that he will do something or not do something. People make promises and people sometimes break promises. A promise from God is something God will do.  There are conditional and un-conditional promises.

Can we count on God to keep his promises? Thousands of years ago God promised Abraham, “I will make you a great nation’’ (Gen_12:2).  “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates’’ (Gen_15:18). These same promises were renewed with each generation of Abraham’s descendants,

but hundreds of years passed and his children still had no land to call their own. Even worse, they lived as slaves for four hundred years and wandered in the desert forty years after that. They hardly qualified as a great nation!

The book of Joshua is the story of God making good on his promises. It tells how Israel entered and conquered the land God had promised them. In fact, God’s faithfulness is so complete that at the end of the book we hear this proclamation: “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed’’ (Joshua_23:14). Can we count on God to keep his promises? The answer from Joshua is a resounding “Yes!’’ God is utterly dependable, and we can trust him completely. Joshua is a book for those whose prayers seem to go unanswered, for those who wonder if God is really alive and active, and for those who desire fresh assurance of God’s dependability.

Other scripture reference on God’s promises:

2 Peter 1:4  And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Matthew 11:28-29  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

Philippians 4:19  And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:37-39 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 14:27  “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Romans 10:9   If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 “The glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God.” (St Irenaeus)

 

Be Strong And Courageous

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

God has commanded us to be strong and courageous.  It is necessary and worthy.  We cannot allow fear to grip our heart and influence our decision making.  We must obey the Lord and stay strong and courageous. We know Joshua was courageous because he wanted to go into the promised land the first time they spied it out. He was confident they could take it, even if there were giants in the land. Joshua's confidence was not in his own ability, but in God's ability.

God promised that He would be with Joshua as He had been with Moses. He would not leave nor forsake him. The result would be that no one would be able to stand before him throughout his whole life – i.e., no one could withstand or successfully oppose him in the work he did for the Lord. Because of God’s protection and provision, Joshua would succeed in bringing Israel into the promised land. God gave him this task and assured him it could be done. This would fulfill the promise to Abraham and the fathers to give this land to them (see notes above).

However, the promise was conditional. There were things Joshua would need to do to be successful. Remember, Israel had attempted to do this once before but failed because of fear [Num. 13:31,33; 14:6-9]. So three times God told Joshua to “be strong and of good courage.

 
We too have our fair share of problems.  The many challenges in life, the trying circumstances, the heavy responsibilities have made us discouraged and fearful.  But fear not, nothing is of greater encouragement than having the assurance that God will help us to accomplish them.

 “Often the test of courage is not to die but to live.” (Alfieri Orestes)