If you are not able to take advice or accept others without demanding that they change, you may be in rebellion against God. Such rebellion is reflected in relations between husbands and wives, employees and employers, and children and parents.
Both Christians and non-Christians can be rebellious toward God and toward other people.
What Scripture Says
"Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? ...Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:1,7)."Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (1 Peter 5:5,6).
"Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband" (Ephesians 5:33).
"...submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is Head of the Church; and He is the Saviour of the Body. Therefore, just as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for it.... So husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself"
(Ephesians 5:21-25,28).
"Likewise you wives, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the Word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your beauty be that outward adorning of arranging the hair, of wearing gold, or of putting on fine apparel; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God" (1 Peter 3:1-4).
"Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him" (Ephesians 6:5-9).
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:1-4).
The Reward Of Submission
When the divine order of submission is followed, relationships improve and are set right. Rebellion ceases and harmony follows. You can learn God's will for your life and have your needs met as fellow Christians pray and seek God's counsel for you (James 5:14-16). You then judge their counsel, since you are still responsible for your actions before God.The Bible teaches that you must submit yourself to God unreservedly. It also says you should be in submission to those in authority over you, such as parents, employers, church leaders and the government (Deuteronomy 11:27; Jeremiah 42:6; Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20,22; 2 Thessalonians 3:14; Hebrews 13:17.)
Obviously, there is a point beyond which you cannot go when submitting to human beings and man-made laws. Anything or anyone making demands that are clearly against God's Word should not be obeyed (Acts 5:29); nor should you feel compelled to obey those who would set themselves up to be spiritual dictators, as did many of the Pharisees during Jesus' life on earth (Matthew 23). Everything must be judged by the Scriptures, but be aware of "crafty teachers" who are deceived themselves and either knowingly or unknowingly would deceive you (2 Peter 3:17; Jude 4,8,10,16,18,19).
Learn to submit to God and to others in authority. Search the Scriptures and memorize passages daily in order to wisely judge their counsel. Act upon the Scriptures, letting them affect your daily life.
Prayer, praise and submission to God show honour and respect to Him. If you show God honour and respect, you will receive honour and respect from Him. It is the same with honouring others. As you humble (submit) yourself and ask for wise counsel and help, others will honour you and your requests of them.
As You Pray
Praise and thank God, asking Him to reveal any area of pride in your life. Thank Him for His forgiveness as you repent of pride. Ask God for the fruit of the Spirit, "meekness," which basically means to be humbly submissive to God. The meek shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5) because they can be entrusted with it as they are submissive to God.Suggested Reading
Matthew 6:10; 26:39 Jesus was in submission to GodLuke 1:38 Jesus' mother submitted herself to God
Romans 12 (verse 10) Prefer one another
Romans 6:13 Submit your body to God
James 5:14-16 Submit to the prayers of others
Galatians 5:22,23 Fruit of the Spirit Crossroads is happy to help. In fact, that's the whole reason we exist as a ministry. The daily 100 Huntley Street telecast and the 24-hour-a-day Telephone Ministry line are here for the same reason. You may want to call us as you are reading this: 1-866-273-4444
God loves you and we love you! Please give us the privilege of doing our best to help more. For further ministry, you may contact the Crossroads Ministry Centre by writing to:
Crossroads Christian Communications Inc.
Attn: National Ministry Centre
PO Box 5100
Burlington, Ontario L7R 4M2
