Three Ways To Stay Submitted
I have written a blog about submission to the spiritual authority of the Holy Spirit and how that can lead to great spiritual victories. It involved an account in the life of David. And the men of David said to him, here is the day of which the LORD has said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’ Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. And afterwards David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. He said to his men, ‘The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD anointed, to put out my hand against him seeing he is the LORD’s anointed.’ So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went his way.” 1 Samuel 24:4-7.
If we can stay focused on the Holy Spirit to guide us through His Word, Prayer, and His Presence, we will be led to spiritual victories. The struggle is to discern where the Spirit is as work and where He is not. To help you develop a discerning ability, I want to provide three points of guidance.
First, don’t be distracted by the appearance of the situation. The scenario in the cave gave David a chance to quickly kill Saul without any opposition. It seemed to be an easy fix to the problem that had pursued him. However, the easy and quick is not always the way the Holy Spirit. In sermon preparation, I focus on exegesis, which is a fancy term for discovering what the text meant when it was written. The term literally means out of the genesis. The enemy of exegesis is eisegesis. This is to read into the text what you want to be there. Many times we read our will into a situation and call it the will of God. We rationalize that it must be the will of God because it seems so clear to us. But before assuming the appearance of the situation is the will of God, take some time to examine scripture and seek God’s will through prayer. This is a great place to invite someone to join you in prayer. Jointly examine the situation and seek God’s will together through prayer and Bible study.
Second, don’t be deluded by the appeals of others. All of David’s men encourage him to slay Saul. They too argue that this must be the will of God. Why else would it be so easy? This may be harder than the first point. Here not only does the situation lend itself to be misread, the voices of others chime in and encourage a misreading of the situation. Others may mislead you because their motivations point in a different direction. Sometimes they are honest and sincere in the advice, they just honestly and sincerely have missed the will of God in the situation. Sometimes people put their “Jr. Holy Spirit” badge on and try to tell you what God’s will is for you in your situation. If they are presenting scripture that applies to your situation, then listen to them. If they are pressing their agenda, politely thank them and continue to seek the Holy Spirit.
Paul battled with this issue toward the end of his life. In Acts 20 and 21 Paul is making it clear that the will of God for him involves a journey of pain and imprisonment to Rome. The situation Paul embraces causes others to question how this could be the will of God. In Acts 20 he tells the elders at Ephesus, “And now, Behold, I am going to Jerusalem constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me, in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.” Acts 20:22-23. In Acts 21:10-12 a prophet tells Paul of the type of imprisonment he is facing. This prophecy upsets others in the church and Paul responds by saying, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready to not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Acts. 21: 13. The next verse is powerful for it indicates that even Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, was one who was trying to persuade Paul to not pursue this path. “And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, ‘Let the will of the Lord be done.’” Acts 21:14.
Finally, don’t be derailed from honoring Jesus. Remember that one of David’s great titles is “a man after God’s own heart”. David wanted to do what God wanted him to do. Did he fail? Yes, sometimes David failed and his encounter with Bathsheba would be a prime example. However, David did not loose a heart that desired to honor and obey God. If your goal is to honor Jesus in every situation, then you will ask how a situation honors Jesus and not how the situation benefits you.
In Matthew’s gospel there is an encounter between a Roman soldier and Jesus that is an amazing picture of submission to authority. The situation involves a sick servant in the house of a Roman Centurion. This officer in the Roman army asks Jesus to heal a servant in his house. When Jesus says He will come to the officer’s house, the soldier replies, that it is not necessary. This military commander says he understands how authority works. He receives orders from Rome and he gives orders to the men under his command. He obeys the orders above him and his men obey his orders because he is over them. He sees Jesus at the top of spiritual authority. If Jesus just gives an order, it will be done. The presence of the Savior is not necessary, just the command. “When Jesus heard this, He marveled, and said to those who followed Him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.’” Matthew 8:10.
Here is a great test for your faith. Does is cause Jesus to marvel? What amazes an all powerful and all knowing Savior? Apparently, a strong submission to spiritual authority and a faith that knows a command from Jesus can changes everything. When was the last time you did something that could make Jesus marvel? How are you respond to your situation right now? Seek to honor Jesus, don’t be distracted by how things appear, and don’t be deluded by what others say. Submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit and take a step of faith that honors Jesus.