jbenjesus
10-08-2003, 10:34 AM
I don't ever post here, but I thought it was a nice article to post, and because it seemed written to mom's and women, I thought I would post in the Ladies Discussions thread.
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The "S" Word
Submission. There is nothing ugly about this word. There is nothing in this word that should make you cringe. There is nothing in this word that should conjure up images of weakness. In fact, submission is a form of power. The truth is you can’t force someone to submit. A husband can’t force a wife to submit, a parent can’t force a child to submit, a pastor can’t force a saint to submit. You can force obedience. But not submission.
This is why God told the wife to submit to her husband and didn’t tell the husband to make her submit. There is not husband on earth who can make a wife submit to his authority. Submission is a matter of the heart. If a person’s heart is right with God they will submit themselves one to another.
It turns my stomach for a woman to say she “hates submission”. The definition of this statement is that she hates the plan of God for her life. I’ve also heard women say, “I know I should be more submitted but… blah, blah, blah…” Don’t think that you are in tune with God if this is your normal feeling about yours and your husband’s positions! You simply do not understand that your spirit is not right with God if you hate to submit.
Jesus Christ submitted himself to those who had the rightful authority in his life, and for you to not submit to your husband is a slap in Jesus’ face! If he had to submit, so do you! Again, let me reiterate, submission is not a weakness! It is a power! And when you truly submit you gain more power!
Some of the mothers reading this are currently having problems with their children fighting all day. It drives you crazy! Do you know why they fight each other? Because none of the children are submitted to each other! It is the proper and natural order for someone to be submitted to the other if life is to progress peacefully. If you are not submitted to your husband, yet you do not fight all the time amongst yourselves… watch out! This probably means that your husband is submitted to you! You and your husband are a team, but every team must have a captain, every village must have a chief, etc. Somebody in your marriage has to be the boss and God decided it would be your husband.
Now I’m sorry if you did not know this before you got married, but it still applies to your life (and to that man) today and forever more. If your husband is smart, or not so smart, fast, or slow, loves to make decisions or hates to make them, it is your place to be submitted to him. Now if he, in his position of authority decides that decisions are yours, than they are your decisions to make. But if he makes them … You’d better pray thru and deal with it! God will bless you and “work all things out for the good” if you are living in His will. God will protect you. But if you are hating every day, hating your man for “what he’s done”, hating the decisions he’s made… You’ll constantly, day in and day out, “kick against the pricks”. (Like Paul was doing trying to avoid the will of God for him.) But if you will submit to God by submitting to your husband you will find joy in the journey and see the Lord’s hand give you strength and intervention on your behalf.
Now there’s always the question of the unsaved spouse. Does she need to submit to her unsaved husband? Yes! More than ever! If you do not submit to him then you are not submitted to God, and how can you be a witness to the lost if you’re not in God’s will? So, to the wife of the unsaved, submit to those things that are not contrary to the Word of God. And remember, that man will be won by your “chaste conversation”.
Now, the Bible doesn’t give any instruction teaching that a woman can’t speak her mind. (So long as speaking your mind does not involve berating the man!) God gave you a brain to say what you’re thinking, to give another view-point. God saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so he created woman. Was this woman created only to fulfill his sexual needs? No. I don’t think that was his only need. I believe that he had things in his brain that needed to come out of his mouth and he found it was not fulfilling to speak to the air, and more specifically to creatures who did not speak back. God made a woman to listen to and respond to his words. I can just picture the woman reading this thinking, “My husband won’t speak so that I can respond to him!” You’ll need to create an atmosphere he enjoys conversing in. For instance, you’re going to need to discuss his disgusting hobby of fishing. (Or whatever his interests may be.) You may say, “I hate fishing! I don’t care to know a thing about it!” Well, no wonder he doesn’t want to talk to you! You don’t have to love fishing, but if you want to enjoy a conversation with him you’re going to have to cultivate the habit. Start off by discussing what he likes for a few days, or weeks, or months, depending on how long you’ve allowed him to go feeling like you enjoy his words.
You’re going to have to make changes ON PURPOSE. You can’t expect that things will change to be in harmony with God’s plan just because you wish it. You’ve go to do something about it! Here’s your game plan: 1. – Get a prayer life that involves praying past your flesh and it’s desires. Just like Jesus we’ve got to get the place that says, “Not my will but thine be done. Not my kingdom, but your kingdom come.” 2. – Start saying “OK” to everything your husband says. Don’t only say it to things that make sense to you, but to EVERYTHING. When your husband realizes the burden of the authority that you’ve given him. (Yes, YOU give him the authority to have authority.) he will desperately want your opinion. 3. – Cultivate conversation with him. (According to the instructions afore mentioned.)
Now if you don’t know me personally you have no idea as to how important this is to me. I am a happy, loud, get-it-done lady. I’ve been bossy from birth. My mother effectively spanked stubbornness right out of me. (Well, almost…) So I know the frustration of feeling very strongly that my husband was simply not doing it right, but understanding submission yielding to his way and… voila! Nobody died! The earth didn’t disintegrate! And I LOVE that he lets me say what I think and then letting him bare the brunt, or the glory, of the decisions!
So, you have the authority to give him the authority. And it is an act of your will to submit. So go ahead and live the power-filled life.
by Denee' Richardson
___________________________
The "S" Word
Submission. There is nothing ugly about this word. There is nothing in this word that should make you cringe. There is nothing in this word that should conjure up images of weakness. In fact, submission is a form of power. The truth is you can’t force someone to submit. A husband can’t force a wife to submit, a parent can’t force a child to submit, a pastor can’t force a saint to submit. You can force obedience. But not submission.
This is why God told the wife to submit to her husband and didn’t tell the husband to make her submit. There is not husband on earth who can make a wife submit to his authority. Submission is a matter of the heart. If a person’s heart is right with God they will submit themselves one to another.
It turns my stomach for a woman to say she “hates submission”. The definition of this statement is that she hates the plan of God for her life. I’ve also heard women say, “I know I should be more submitted but… blah, blah, blah…” Don’t think that you are in tune with God if this is your normal feeling about yours and your husband’s positions! You simply do not understand that your spirit is not right with God if you hate to submit.
Jesus Christ submitted himself to those who had the rightful authority in his life, and for you to not submit to your husband is a slap in Jesus’ face! If he had to submit, so do you! Again, let me reiterate, submission is not a weakness! It is a power! And when you truly submit you gain more power!
Some of the mothers reading this are currently having problems with their children fighting all day. It drives you crazy! Do you know why they fight each other? Because none of the children are submitted to each other! It is the proper and natural order for someone to be submitted to the other if life is to progress peacefully. If you are not submitted to your husband, yet you do not fight all the time amongst yourselves… watch out! This probably means that your husband is submitted to you! You and your husband are a team, but every team must have a captain, every village must have a chief, etc. Somebody in your marriage has to be the boss and God decided it would be your husband.
Now I’m sorry if you did not know this before you got married, but it still applies to your life (and to that man) today and forever more. If your husband is smart, or not so smart, fast, or slow, loves to make decisions or hates to make them, it is your place to be submitted to him. Now if he, in his position of authority decides that decisions are yours, than they are your decisions to make. But if he makes them … You’d better pray thru and deal with it! God will bless you and “work all things out for the good” if you are living in His will. God will protect you. But if you are hating every day, hating your man for “what he’s done”, hating the decisions he’s made… You’ll constantly, day in and day out, “kick against the pricks”. (Like Paul was doing trying to avoid the will of God for him.) But if you will submit to God by submitting to your husband you will find joy in the journey and see the Lord’s hand give you strength and intervention on your behalf.
Now there’s always the question of the unsaved spouse. Does she need to submit to her unsaved husband? Yes! More than ever! If you do not submit to him then you are not submitted to God, and how can you be a witness to the lost if you’re not in God’s will? So, to the wife of the unsaved, submit to those things that are not contrary to the Word of God. And remember, that man will be won by your “chaste conversation”.
Now, the Bible doesn’t give any instruction teaching that a woman can’t speak her mind. (So long as speaking your mind does not involve berating the man!) God gave you a brain to say what you’re thinking, to give another view-point. God saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so he created woman. Was this woman created only to fulfill his sexual needs? No. I don’t think that was his only need. I believe that he had things in his brain that needed to come out of his mouth and he found it was not fulfilling to speak to the air, and more specifically to creatures who did not speak back. God made a woman to listen to and respond to his words. I can just picture the woman reading this thinking, “My husband won’t speak so that I can respond to him!” You’ll need to create an atmosphere he enjoys conversing in. For instance, you’re going to need to discuss his disgusting hobby of fishing. (Or whatever his interests may be.) You may say, “I hate fishing! I don’t care to know a thing about it!” Well, no wonder he doesn’t want to talk to you! You don’t have to love fishing, but if you want to enjoy a conversation with him you’re going to have to cultivate the habit. Start off by discussing what he likes for a few days, or weeks, or months, depending on how long you’ve allowed him to go feeling like you enjoy his words.
You’re going to have to make changes ON PURPOSE. You can’t expect that things will change to be in harmony with God’s plan just because you wish it. You’ve go to do something about it! Here’s your game plan: 1. – Get a prayer life that involves praying past your flesh and it’s desires. Just like Jesus we’ve got to get the place that says, “Not my will but thine be done. Not my kingdom, but your kingdom come.” 2. – Start saying “OK” to everything your husband says. Don’t only say it to things that make sense to you, but to EVERYTHING. When your husband realizes the burden of the authority that you’ve given him. (Yes, YOU give him the authority to have authority.) he will desperately want your opinion. 3. – Cultivate conversation with him. (According to the instructions afore mentioned.)
Now if you don’t know me personally you have no idea as to how important this is to me. I am a happy, loud, get-it-done lady. I’ve been bossy from birth. My mother effectively spanked stubbornness right out of me. (Well, almost…) So I know the frustration of feeling very strongly that my husband was simply not doing it right, but understanding submission yielding to his way and… voila! Nobody died! The earth didn’t disintegrate! And I LOVE that he lets me say what I think and then letting him bare the brunt, or the glory, of the decisions!
So, you have the authority to give him the authority. And it is an act of your will to submit. So go ahead and live the power-filled life.
by Denee' Richardson