Tuesday, October 31, 2017
When Submission Isn’t Right: The Discipline of Submission,
Part 4 (Inspired by Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)
Scripture:
Acts 5: 29
We must obey God rather than men…
Devotional:
There is no doubt that we are called by the Lord to live a
life of mutual submission one to another. However, as many wise men and women
of God have reminded me over the years, we are at times expected to stand firm.
We have the Bible to show us when submission is not right. When another
God-created human is expecting us to walk against God’s plans, His Word, and
His character, we are expected and called just like the believers in the early
church to choose to lovingly resist. There is no witness in capitulating to the
works of the flesh of others; there is no profit to the Kingdom in being a
party to sin or willful disobedience to the Lord. There are going to be times
when we need to resist even those closest to us—perhaps a spouse who is off
base or off track and asking us to make choices which are contrary to God’s
Word, or an authority who wants to require us to be unscrupulous. These are
important examples of when we must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us, and
prayerfully choose to refuse to submit. This is not to say we must be combative
when we choose not to follow the guidance of the misguided. There are ways of
resisting that do not require that we be angry or confrontational nor stand in
judgment of the other. God has handled that judgment; it is set in stone, and
we need only to choose to set a clear and firm but loving boundary. There may
be intensity in the setting, but we do not have to enter in to that. The peace
of God can surely rule as we stand. The passage on submission in Ephesians 5
and 6 beautifully ties in to the teaching on the armor of God. We are surely
called to war…..but what are we called to after donning our armor? He does not
then call us to start swinging our sword. On the contrary, He calls us to stand.
Stand firm. There certainly are times when we will need to fight, but remember:
The battle is not ours, sisters and brothers. It is the Lord’s (2 Chronicles
20:15, 1 Samuel 17:47). Always stay in the center of the will of God, and
surrender to Him. Know what His Word says. Have a spirit of humility, but
remember to cling to the plumb line of His truth so that He can have a place to
whisper to you when it is time to resist. God is good, and He is there to lead
and guide us! Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Prayer:
Thanksgiving:
Gracious Heavenly Father, You are worthy of honor and praise!
I lift You up and magnify You this day. Take Your rightful place in my heart. I
give you permission to vanquish anything that is vying for Your position in my
heart and home.
Confession:
I stand before You today, open-hearted and ready to
relinquish anything I might be holding back from You. (Take time to confess
sin, struggles, or heart issues. Mine today: Father, I confess that I am too
easily offended when I perceive injustice. I ask You to remove this from me,
and I choose to allow You to handle righting wrongs. Give me joy, grace, mercy
and peace in the place of this anxiety and frustration.)
Supplication:
Thank You that You hear me when I call to You. I love You,
Lord. (Take time to journal personal needs. Take note of victories and
progress, and give God thanks for His work in your life. Mine today: I have a small
business, and I need Your help to complete some projects. I am increasingly
uncertain of my abilities, and struggling to know if this is Your will. I trust
You to lead me. Help me to walk out Your will in this area. I love you and give
it to You.)
Intercession:
I lift my children to You today. I thank You for this
privilege. Help me to see this job as a privilege. You have gifted me with children
with unique challenges. You must have done this fully aware. You are all
knowing. So help me! I ask You for Your guidance. I ask You for Your peace.
Show me creative ways of handling their challenging behaviors and needs. Parent
these amazing creatures through me in Your way. (Journal needs, concerns, victories
and progress for each child. For Chloe today: Lord, I thank You that I can see
Chloe’s progress in social situations. I
also thank you from the bottom of my heart that she is growing in obedience. I
thank You for this precious daughter of mine. I am concerned of her intense response
to others not playing with her the way se wants them to. Her reaction is very strong,
and intense, and in the least off-putting. I need Your help and guidance to
train her and help her. I sincerely feel at a loss when this happens. I give it
to You. For Christian today: He continues to have so many problems with
bathrooming. Again, I feel at a loss. I do not know how to help him. I feel sad
and disappointed and like I am failing here. I never saw this as part of my
parenting journey and I just have no place to draw from. Help us, God. Help
him, God. This is very hard to walk out. I pray that he will choose to initiate
bathrooming so that we do not have to keep a schedule for him. I pray that he
will choose to find the toilet for both urine and feces and not hide. If he is
afraid remove fear. Give him a desire to properly use the bathroom. Heal his
body of the ongoing issues that keep him from being fully regular. Help us to
be on the same page as his school. Thank You for an amazing program that just
WORKS WITH US instead of blaming us or judging us.)
Thanksgiving and Consecration:
I just love You so much, God. I can’t do this life without
You. I need You and I lean on You. I bless You and ask that You will seal this
time. Protect my heart and go before my family today, surrounding us with Your protective
army. I love You and give You praise! In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.
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