Submission Not Slavery

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Christianity, Hope, maturity, men, Revelation, Submission, women

2 Peter 2:19 “They promise them liberty, when they themselves are the

      the slaves of depravity and defilement – for by whatever

      anyone is made is made inferior or worse or is overcome, to

      that he is enslaved.”

Women are constantly bombarded with the scriptures that remind them they are to submit. Submission has become such a swear word to most women, because whenever they rise up to their rightful place as a woman of God, she is reminded by someone that she is supposed to submit. Submission has been misunderstood for many years and despite all the advances in knowledge, science and the internet, we still are unclear of what submission really is. Men know women are supposed to submit, other women know women are to submit, but very few understand what submission looks like.

Submission is a choice, just like every other command in the bible, it is a choice. God does not force us to submit, any more than He forces us to give, love or honor. Submission has been misunderstood because many believe submission means someone is less than the other, but that is not submission, that is slavery. Slavery is the devaluing of humanity in a hierarchal fashion. Submission does not devalue, it actually shows how much value someone really has. For someone to submit to another person, means they know who they are and are willing to submit themselves to who someone else is. Knowing full well, they are equal in their humanity, dignity and value as people, they choose to lay down their rights, in order to let another’s rights have preeminence in their life.

People who believe they are inferior to another are slaves of the one to whom they feel inferior to. In addition, anyone who seeks to make others inferior to themselves, is acting as a slave owner and is seeking those who will be their slaves. We are not commanded to obey anyone other than God. That is why submission is not slavery. Submission is a choice; it is a Philippians 2 attitude; it is a John 13 expression; it is showing that you are created in the image of God.

If you don’t know who you are, submission will become a stumbling block, for your inferiority and insecurities will tell you they want to make you their slave. But the truth is, God is not looking for slaves, He is wanting servants that have the same character qualities of His son, Jesus. Genesis 1:26-27 says, both male and female are created in the image of God, we are not inferior, nor superior to anyone, we are co-heirs with Christ. This is why we can choose to submit without fear of being a slave to anyone.

Comfortable with Contradictions

Tags

bible, Christianity, contradictions, Growth, Spiritual Maturity

Two weeks ago, I was invited to vote for some friends who are in a band competition and while I was watching the videos of the other bands in the competition, just out of curiosity of the talent, or lack thereof, that they were up against, I came across something that has been disturbing me for 2 weeks now. I have tried to shake what I saw and thought, but as I was reading my bible this morning, the same issue arose, and I just can’t seem to shake it, so decided to speak about it.

While watching those music videos, I came across a band that was singing about trusting in God for whatever comes their way, not living in fear or anxiety about the future. The message of the song, was really powerful, but I was distracted by the chickens running around the video and the band members that were trying to catch these chickens. I know I am of a completely different generation, so take this with a grain of salt, but what I see is that people have become comfortable with contradictions. We are saying, or in this case, singing about one thing, yet our actions, the videos people are seeing are not lining up with what we are saying. The message we are speaking is different than the life we are living and we are comfortable with this.

John 18:28-31 says, 28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. 29 Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.” 31 Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”

The Jews would not kill Jesus because it was not lawful for them to put anyone to death, but they were okay with someone else killing him, as long as they would not break the Mosaic law. Comfortable with contradictions.

This is very disturbing to me on many levels, because when we get comfortable with contradictions, 1)we are confusing those who are listening; 2)we are more powerless than we realize; and 3)we are deceived and we do not even realize it. The bible never affirmed the idea of being comfortable with contradictions, it actually warned against it. James 3:10-12 “10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”

I realize generations come and generations go, I know culture changes, and that we live in a day and age where these things are accepted as normal, but the Bible does not change, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, and despite what the spirit of the world is saying, the spirit of God is saying that He is not comfortable with contradictions and neither should we be. If we do not speak, sing, shout, show the same thing in our lives, we are living with a contradiction. The problem is not that we have contradictions we have become comfortable with, the problem is that we don’t care. We like saying one thing on facebook and another in church; we like dating unbelievers and are looking for others to say it is okay, we want others to affirm our contradictions and if they don’t we declare they are judging us. I may be from the old school, but one thing I know, is that God is not comfortable with contradictions and neither should we be.

I heard someone say the other day, that he is not concerned with the sins that people struggle with in the church, what concerns him is the lack of alarms that are being sounded in the church about these sins. I guess you could say, I am sounding an alarm, it is time to wake up to the reality that we all live with contradictions, but if you have become comfortable with them and have become comfortable with other people’s contradictions who claim the same name you claim (Christian, disciple of Christ), then we have a problem. It is time to stand up to this spirit that has told us to be comfortable with contradictions.

The Failure of Jesus by Dave Roberts (Guest Blogger)

Strange topic for Good Friday and Easter but I believe it is very relevant.  It is really not about Jesus failing, but rather people’s perception of Jesus failing them and there agenda, so there for He failed.

Passages are from Luke 19:28-47

As Jesus entered into Jerusalem on Sunday of Holy week, what we call palm Sunday, the crowds of people were praising him and crying out ‘Hosanna’ and ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.!’  They believed their new king, their deliverer was coming to overthrow the Roman oppression, to rule and reign in a earthly kingdom. But Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. Because they did not understand who he was, they did not recognize the time of God’s coming to them.  Soon after is where Jesus failed them the first time.  Jesus did not go to the seat of the government to overthrow Pontius Pilot, the Roman governor over Jerusalem, no, he went to the temple.  In their eyes surely Jesus made a wrong turn. Instead he entered the temple.  Jesus did not come to overthrow the ways of the world, but to overthrow the ways that His Fathers house had been corrupted with and misused to their glory, not Gods.

 

The religious leaders were so angry they wanted to kill him.

 

John 13:1-17

Jesus failed once again when he ate the last supper with his disciples.  He was their leader, their Rabbi, their teacher, the one to be looked up to and served. After they finished their meal Jesus got up and began to wash the feet of his disciples.  This was a job that was to be done by the most lowly of servants whenever people would enter the house.  None of the disciples did this because they were busy arguing about who would be the greatest in the new kingdom Jesus would establish.  James and John even sent their mother to petition Jesus to have them sit at his right and left side in his kingdom. But Jesus being fully confident in who he was in the Father became their servant and washed all of their feet. Peter was adoment that Jesus, his leader, would not do such a thing for him but Jesus convinced him to allow him to do so. Jesus had told them before he did not come to be served but to serve.  He also told them that this was an example for them to follow.  They wanted to be served as leaders, not be servant leaders.

 

Matthew 26:36-56

After the last supper Jesus and the disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.  Imagine the shock and horror of the disciples at the events that occurred. Jesus told them “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” A leader can not be weak and vulnerable, he has to be strong and lead the charge. How about when Judas comes leading the Roman soldiers to come and arrest Jesus and he puts up no struggle or fight but just surrenders to them.  What fate is in store for them if their leader so easily gives up.  They all fled for fear of their own safety and left Jesus alone.

 

Matthew 27:32ff

The greatest failure or disappointment truly had to come as Jesus was sentenced to be put to death, death on a cross, crucifixion.  This was not just a temporary set back, a slight deviation from their plans and purpose for what Jesus was to do and what he was to be for them, this was an end to their dream, their hope for deliverance.  The candidate who they had backed, who they gave up everything for, who they spent the last three years of their life following and learning from and fully believing was going to be the next ruler, was now going to be crucified.  How could this happen, where had this all gone wrong.  How could this Jesus so let them down?  They had to have so many questions.  It wasn’t that they were not told told time and again by Jesus that this had to happen to him, and that it was all God’s plan and doing and man was only fulfilling what had been prophesied centuries earlier. But they never heard, never understood or comprehended what was said because they were so focused on what they wanted him to be for them.

 

Often times we can think that God has failed us because he does not do things according to our ways and plans.  We can believe he has let us down or doesn’t care about us because things do not go our way.There is nothing further from the truth.

 

God loves us so much that he allowed his one and only son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins so that our relationship with him could be restored.  There is no greater love.  God will never fail us, he will never forsake us or leave us.  But it may very well at times appear that God is not working things out, because he is not doing it our way.

 

Always remember, God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts and God’s ways are greater than our ways. And most of all remember that Jesus Christ rose on the third day and paid the price for all of our sins and he conquered death. He is the victor and  he died so we can live in victory by him  And as he rose from the dead all that put their faith in him will rise again to live eternally with him and rule and reign.

 

Just A Thought,

Dave Roberts 

Disappointment: A Destiny Battle

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Christianity, Christians, Disappointment, grace, Growth, life, maturity, spiritual growth, Truth

Have you ever gotten your hopes up for something and then it didn’t happen the way you thought it would? Have you ever believed you heard God say something, but it ended not turning out the way you believed it would? Have you ever been fully convinced of something, promised something, confident about something, to only have it not happen? Yeah, me too.

Disappointment is a hard pill to swallow, because you hope, you believe, you are truly convinced of something good happening, then that very thing you were so sure of does not happen and disappointment sets in. I was living in Malaysia and working as a permanent substitute teacher at an International School. I was in good standing with the administration and other teachers, in addition, my relationship and effectiveness with the students was evident to all. Three positions in my department came open, this is unusual, since I am in Guidance and Counseling, but all three counseling positions in our school came open. My principal spoke to me and asked which position I wanted, so I told him and he said your name is penciled in, but we have to go to some job fairs and find the other two positions before we can give you a contract for your position. I was elated by this, now my son could attend this school, which was one of my hearts desires, I would have a full time job and this would add income to our family and help fulfill some of our dreams as a family. Everywhere I turned this looked the like blessing of the Lord and to say the least, I was very excited. I believed this was an answer to my prayers, I sensed the Lord say this job was for me, I mean I knew that I knew this was the job, I had went to school for.

Have you ever been in that place where everything lined up according to what you were praying for? Have you ever been fully convinced in your spirit, then it all was in agreement in the natural? Have you ever had so many confirmations about what you heard God say, that you were already spending the money and decorating your office, so to speak, in what you knew was going to happen? This is faith right, being confident of what we do not see and acting as though we already have it. Faith is what pleases God, so I was to say the least, fully engaged by faith in this answer to my prayer. Then one day, my principal comes into my office and says, I don’t  know how to say this, but while we were out on a job fair, we found a husband and wife team, whom of which both are school counselors and we needed the one position and her husband wanted your position, so we gave it to them. I am so sorry, this is such a rare thing that happened, but it is our policy to hire husband and wife teams. He then walked out of my office. Selah!

I sat there in my office, stunned. Really, is this really happening right now, I so convinced that this is what the Lord told me, how did I miss this one? You can only imagine the thoughts running through my head, the questions I had, the temptation to be mad at God. But, I heard a sermon by Bill Johnson on dealing with disappointment and he said how we handle disappointment determines our destiny. I did not understand the relevance of this message, until this very moment. I had to decide was God still good, even though I didn’t get what I want, or was I going to stop believing in God? It was a very real question and whether you hear it in your head or your heart, you are asking the same thing when you experience disappointment.

Bishop Raphael Green says, we go through destiny battles. I was in a destiny battle and did not even realize it. I was disappointed, to say the very least, but one thing I knew, is that God is good and that He works out all things for the good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. The disappointment did not go away, but the battle was won, because I decided that even though He slay me, still I would follow. I was not going to let the loss of a job destroy my destiny in God.

Every one of us faces disappointments, some are more hard to handle than others, but disappointment is no respecter of persons. However, it is a destiny battle and how you handle disappointment determines your destiny. The enemy will mock God, He will try and tell you God lied to you, God is not for you, God doesn’t want you blessed, and on and on the mocking goes. But, if you can push past the pain of disappointment, you will hear a whisper that says, it was for my glory. God does not break His promises, He does not lie, He is faithful, He is good, He is our Father, and what you believe about Him comes out when you are facing a destiny battle. Don’t doubt the goodness of God, for in due time, you will reap a harvest for all the seeds you have sown, whether financially or in tears. They are all seeds and He is faithful, even when we are going through disappointment. Win the destiny battle my friend! I did and I know you can and you will.

People Are Not Disposable

Tags

Christianity, faith, relationships, valuable

Psalm 55:12-13 “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend”

People are your greatest asset and people are your greatest liability. The kingdom of God and its advancement is designed to use people. God does nothing on the earth without the use of His people. We are co-heirs with Christ, created in the image of God, filled with the power and presence of God, we have been given authority. Our words create, our words heal, our words, are containers of power. The Lord has entrusted us with the privilege of being His representative on earth. This is why people are our greatest asset.

People also have a free will and they can choose to use all their God given authority and power to tear down, to destroy, to hurt, to hinder others. People can resist God, resist authority, resist the very ones God put in their lives to bless them. People can say no to God’s will for their life, they can choose destructive behaviors, attitudes and actions. People have been given the ability to choose, and sometimes those choices do not benefit humanity and the advancing kingdom, sometimes those choices actually defeat the purposes of God.

As Christians, we have the power to be both of the aboveforementioned people, however, we have the word of God to guide us, lead us and reveal to us the truth about who we are called to be. The challenge is, many Christians are unaware of how they treat others. We can get so consumed in our own lives, that we miss the response of those around us. People are constantly giving us clues to who they are, what they are feeling and what they are experiencing when they are around us. Yet, many of us, believers, do things to other believers that is very painful and unlike God, and we are either unaware or we don’t care.

People are going to hurt other people, but when a Christian hurts another Christian or treats a fellow believer as less than they deserve to be treated as a child of God, it is possibly one of the most painful things we can experience. If unbelievers do unbelieving things, there is an understanding that they don’t know any better. But when a Christian treats people like unbelievers do, there is sting that happens, which is hard to describe, because we expect them to know better. Jesus never threw anyone away and as believers we are to follow the example of Christ. We are called to treat people as valuable, for that is how Christ treats us. People are not disposable, to God they are valuable and they should be just as valuable to us.

Money: Your Servant, Not Your Savior by Lisa Great

Tags

life, maturity, Money, power, prosperity, Savior, Servants

  

Money is the talk of every town around the world. Some people are complaining that they don’t have enough; others are declaring and demanding they want and need more; still others are worried about money; and some are arguing over money. Possibly one of the most discussed subjects around the world, in the church, in companies, in cities and in countries, is the subject of money. Some are saying we spend too much, other are upset we save too much, some move for money, others suffer unduly for it, really there is no escaping the discussion of money. With all this focus on money, it is no wonder, whether known or unknown to many people, money has become their savior.

A savior is someone or something we look to in order to get us out of a mess, to bring us satisfaction, to meet our needs. People are asking for money every day, they are praying for money continually, and they are in need of money all the time. Whether it is to buy this or buy that. Everyone needs more money. If you were new to this planet, we call earth, you might wonder if this is our god, based on the amount of time and energy we spend on this very subject, we call money. However, this should not be for those who are in Christ. Money is not to be our savior, it is to be our servant. The only reason we should be discussing money is because we need to tell it where to go.

Matthew 25:14-46 is a portion of scripture known as the Parable of the Talents. In this story, servants are given a promotion by their master. The master gives the servants ownership of some talents, which more often than not has been translated money. One servant is given 5 talents of money, another is given 2 talents of money, and 1 is given one talent of money. In the story, 2 of the 3 servants put the money to work for them and by doing so they produce more talents. 1 servant hides the money, out of fear, and upon the masters return, he gives back the one talent of money he was given. This story is a great example of the call for us to make money our servants not our savior. Servants go to work for you, they do what you say. If servants are sent to proper places, they will produce, for they by design were created to work for you.

Every person that makes any amount of money is a master of that money. By design, we were given the authority to rule over everything on the earth (Genesis 1). Each month every person is given a certain number or servants to rule over. For me I am given 1700 servants a month, how I use these servants will determine whether or not I am given more servants. These servants are my money. I send some servants to the mortgage company; I send other servants to the grocery store; I send some servants to the gas and energy company; and some servants are sent to church. But each servant is sent in a direction to work for me. I do not work for my 1700 servants, they work for me. How I put them to work, will either produce more servants for me, or I may lose the servants I already have, if I do not use them wisely.

We have been given the ability to rule as masters over servants (money). We are more powerful than we realize, if you see your monthly income as a number of servants, you will see that God is using those servants to test your faithfulness. Some people are given more servants to start than you are, but everyone is being tested to see how they use those servants. Then based on what we do with them, will determine if we are given more servants to dispatch.

Money is our servant, not our savior. We are rulers over more than we ever realized. It is time we start using our servants to produce more servants in our lives, so we can do more with our lives. Money is your servant, not your savior. You don’t look to money to get you out of trouble, you look to the Lord. You don’t worry about, fight about, lose sleep over, stress over, money. It is not your savior, it cannot get you where you need to be. Put your money to work, it is your servant and you are in a position of power, authority, and rulership, so, steward well, rule well, and you will be given more servants.