To be submissive means someone gives up their rights and their free will to be controlled by another. When you hear the word submissive, you often think in the term of marriage and of a wife being submissive to her husband. However, there is a variety of biblical teaching on being submissive. The biblical submissiveness is not servitude, but it does require a servant's attitude and a servant's heart.
Google's dictionary defines submission as "the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person." Submitting means putting others before yourself; it means not always doing what you want to do. It means putting God's desires above your desires.
For most of us to be submissive presents a real problem. However, we live in submission of the government everyday. But there is a greater authority which control everything, including the government, for all things were created by our Lord, and for Himself. The submissive person must be clothed in humility. To be submissive is to humble to a person or a thing. But today, we are specifically talking about being submissive to our Lord and Savior, who gives us grace enough to humble ourselves and withstand the temptation of Satan.
The Spirit of God identifies the attribute of the child of God. Your spirit will reflect your attitude. Your spirit will produce good works in Christ and for Christ. Although works have nothing to do with salvation, because salvation is a gift of God. Your works will highlight who you are and who you belong to. You are either under the Lordship of the risen Savior or the lordship of the devil. We should be willing for God to reign over us and for God to rule us, from within. We are of the spirit of God, we should allow Him to control us in body, mind, spirit, in intellect and conscience, in heart and will, in act and behavior.
The problem here, it is never with God, it is within the spirit of the person who refuses to be in subjection to God, and refuses to humble themselves to God. Paul said to the Philippians, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). The mind of Christ produces an attitude of Christ, which produces humility. The spirit that is distant, estranged, and from a life of communion with God, must become acquainted with Him.
The Bible gives many examples of men who were not humble, in that they lacked a submissive spirit. If the Jews had humbled themselves unto Jesus and accepted His message of repentance, things would have turned out differently for them. Scripture makes it clear, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John1:11). Naaman was a powerful figure in the Bible, although he was a leper. He came to the door of Elisha for healing, but the prophet sent him instructions by a messenger saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you shall be clean" (2 Kings 5:10). But Naaman was angry with the message and went away. His ego was bruised because he expected Elisha to wave his hand over the leprosy and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and heal him. Because the lack of a submissive spirit and full blown pride, Naaman was about to miss out on a very special moment.
Why is a submissive attitude such a hard walk in life of God's people? It is the failure to see others instead of ourselves. Most people think highly of themselves and that is not a sin of itself. The problem is when you become detached from reality. Submission is not like a piece of clothing that you put on and then take off. It is included in the whole armor of God. It is part of our Godly dress code.
A submissive attitude is that grace that comes when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We commit ourselves to His ways and not ours. Jesus is the One that leads and guides us, from hence forth. For those of us who desire an attitude of Christ, this is not a hard transition. Our fleshy walk becomes more spiritual as we grow in the grace of God. We take the blood of Jesus as our only plea and surrender our heart to the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit.
In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we see these words, "If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and heal their lands." The "if" here is a hypothesis that is filled with promises. The first thing the people must do is humble themselves before God, accordingly. Their humility will come by way of their submissive spirit, which will bring blessings upon blessings.
Case in point, in the epistle of James, the half-brother of Jesus, in his opening statement, he acknowledges in verse one of chapter one: "James, A servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." Although he was not a believer during the time of Jesus' ministry, he was a witness to His resurrection, and later became a leader of the church in Jerusalem. This epistle is not grounded in doctrine or theological rhetoric. It is an epistle which stresses practical Christian living based upon moral and ethical teaching of timeless relevance, even for the church today. He directs his message to the dispersed Jews throughout the Roman Empire.
The word humility does not define a special class of people, but encompasses all Believers. James uses it to describe a willing conscious to submit to God's authority as a sovereign ruler of the universe, giving his or her allegiance to God, obeying His commands, and following His leadership. The sinner must humble herself or himself and let the inward act of the soul be suitable to the outward expression. A thorough humiliation in everything, and let there be great humility in doing that which is good.
Throughout this devotional I have discussed a submissive spirit, attitude, and humility. In James, in the b-portion of 4:6, he reminds us that, "That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'" When we build our hope on being proud, God's grace is shut out. Pride puts us at a distance from God; pride defiles our heart.
James knows well the answer to gaining God's grace. He says, "Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). Resist literally means, take a stand against. But before you can resist, you must "submit yourselves to God." Then shut the devil out of your life and do not give him a place at the table at all, for he may speedily take possession of the entire area of your house. If we, on the contrary "stand up against Satan," he will flee from us. The design of all of Satan's assaults are to prevent us from the freedom God so richly provides for those who loves Him and are called according to His purpose, so the best way which to resist him is to be resolute.
Then we are told to, "Come near to God and he will come near to you" (James 4:8). The heart that rebelled must be brought to the foot of God. We "come near to God," when we go in worship. When we repent and submit to God, God's grace bring us more strength to walk closer to Him.
Confessing and making the step toward God will begin the process of producing a new you. Satan is a defeated foe, but we allow him in our lives because we do not "resist him" or "come near to God." Satan is a spirit who has been around for a very long time, and no matter what the song says, "we can't stump him out." Our desire is not to waste useless energy on the devil, when all we have to do is seek God as the Master of our lives.
James also reminds them to, "Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8). This is very important. We must "clean our hands" from the open sins of which our neighbors may be cognizant, and purify our hearts from those secret faults that are only known by God. By these steps of purification, we are to be sincere, and act upon this single aim and principle, to please God, whether than to seek after the things of this world.
It is important that we take note as to how we can overcome the diabolical schemes of Satan, and the answer is a submissive spirit to God. The first thing is, we as sinners that are saved by grace, and you must understand that our flesh wars against the spirit, and without God, we are defeated. Second, to fight this temptation, we must resist the devil and that begins with prayer. God then gives us the grace to resist the devil's schemes. Thirdly, you must "come near to God and he will come near to you." This is when we begin to listen and obey God. Lastly, we need to "wash your hands and purify you hearts." That means that we are to confess our sins. You know those evil acts we do, and we must show repentance with deep sorrow for our sins.
Don't forget and we oftentimes do forget, that when Jesus died on the cross for us, Satan was defeated. He has no power over us. He gains entry into your space when you yield to sin. Remember the words of the hymn, "Yield not to temptation for to yield is to sin." So humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.