How to Live in Loving Submission to God
To submit to the will of God is difficult as it’s outside our comfort zone. Many want to follow their dreams, have a successful career, a loving marriage, and be financially viable. This is the perfect dream. However, not everyone meets these expectations and if they do, it’s accomplished through diligence, practice, and determination. Like an athlete, in order to compete you need to practice. The same applies to living a life of comfort. It’s about the plan, and discipline to make it happen.
But when you give your life to Jesus, how do you submit to what He calls you to do, as what He asks isn’t natural. Jesus wants you to love your enemy. To put this in perspective, think of a close friend betraying your trust, being let go without cause from your dream job, as the boss prefers someone else for your position, or worse, being physically attacked or treated unjustly. Yet in scripture Jesus states if your enemy strikes the left side of your cheek, allow him to strike the other side. This isn’t natural. Our first reaction is anger, revenge, bitterness, followed by a lack of trust in humanity.
When I was released from my position where I worked for 13 years without cause and escorted out of the office by a Bylaw Officer from a job I absolutely loved, I wanted revenge. Thoughts of slashing tires of the person who had me released entered my mind, or destroying her yard with planting weeds, or painting her car with the word “monster”, gave me great satisfaction. So, when I heard she was fired with cause a year after she let me go, I gathered friends, and we celebrated. This was before I gave my life to Jesus.
I write this as when we’re hurt, no matter our position, you want the other person to pay. In the above scenario, and as a follower of Jesus, His way would be to forgive her and pray for her salvation.
This brings me to Erica Kirk. Publicly, through tears, she forgave the person who murdered who husband, Charlie Kirk, as this is the way of Jesus. He forgives everyone, no matter how grave the sin. If you repent and invite Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you’re forgiven by His grace. It’s in and through His grace you have the ability to forgive your enemies.
Pastor Adam at the First Assembly Church I attend, said:
“Jesus isn’t expecting perfection. He’s expecting practice.”
He also said...
“Awkward obedience is more solid than coordinated compromises.”
It’s easy to fall into the trap of compromise where you try to negotiate with God. However, this isn’t being submissive to His will. It leads you away from His purpose, as you skirt around His intentions.
Jesus is clear in His words, however, what’s important to remember is you’re a work in progress. Thankfully, God is extremely patient, as He molds you to be the person He foresees. I won’t lie, this life isn’t without chaos, tumultuous events occur.
John 16:33
In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; “I have overcome the world.”
It’s in obedience to Jesus you build a life that chaos doesn’t break down. Jesus places you in the storm, so He can meet you in it and walk you out of the storm. Through His grace you can overcome anything, one step at a time. You’ll falter, but you will not fall if you lean on His strength and seek His face always.
1 Chronicles 16:11
Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.
Pastor Adam further said that if we rely on what is uncertain to give us certainty, your efforts will sink, fade away like dust, as you need to practice through God’s grace, as opposed to leaning on your own understanding.
Everyone has desires and longings...
A Longing to be United with God
In the Garden of Eden, we were meant to walk beside God, to experience His peace and be surrounded by His love. This intention was broken by sin. This act separated you from God. Without Him in your life you continuously seek Him. Sadly, many look in the wrong places; however, God knows your heart, and His goal is to create a path that leads you to Him.
Long to be with Community
We were born to be social. To interact with others as through connection, you grow and learn. And God loves to interact with His people. To hear your voice in prayer and worship, as melody, harmony, is His language. It’s where you can meet Him, in quiet solitude, praying with others, and in song.
To Have a Life with Purpose
As you progress through life, you encounter twists and turns and the question, I believe asked the most, is why am I here, what is my purpose? In my devotion time with the Lord, He said:
“My path is to lead you to prosperity, abundance, and hope you have a future. To remove yourself from worldly temptations and fill your heart with the food I provide. Fill your heart, enlighten your spirit, so you can soar like an Eagle, free of the chains of this world.”
In other words, to submit to the will of God is to walk away from worldly obsessions and desires. To rely on God to be your provider.
Romans 8:32 states, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
God understands and promises to give you what you need. However, don’t mistake this as God giving you things you desire. God will give you what you need to build a solid foundation. He wants you to be yourself and let Him guide you. To follow His commandments, study the word, as it’s not your decisions, desires or way, it’s Jesus’.
There will be times your faith will feel shaky, but don’t give up, keep going.
When Jesus walked on water, He said to His disciples, who were terrified:
Matthew 14:27
"Take courage! It is I; do not be afraid".
All you need to weather the storms of life is Jesus. He is there to calm the waters, silence the fear, and replace it with His peace.
It’s this realization that helps you to trust in Him and allow Him into every aspect of your life. Even the mundane moments.
By inviting Jesus into your daily affairs, submitting to God’s will becomes natural as Jesus becomes your best friend. Your confidant. Provider. Comforter and Teacher. It’s in seeking His face, strength, that gives you freedom to submit lovingly to a God who loves you.
One of the most precious statements God said to me is:
“I shower you with blessings from living water. I surround you with myrrh and fresh oils. Bathe in its sweetness, knowing my love endures forever.”
I know without a doubt, God loves me. I am so grateful for His patience as I weather the storms of life. What I’ve learned is when I spend time with Him, I have no worries. It’s when I decide to take control of my life, things unravel quickly, and I find myself spiralling into darkness. God has recognized these moments and said:
“I bless you with grace. Do not be bitter for bitterness poisons the soul. My grace I give you. Drink the cup of grace and toss away the cup of bitter herbs.”
This is the intimacy of being in a relationship with God, the creator of all. You receive His guidance with truth, as He knows you better than you know yourself. Nothing replaces His love. And His love never fades. God is with you through everything, call out to Him as He awaits in earnest to hear your voice.
To be in loving submission to God is to break away from the world, repetitive habits, like scrolling social media on your phone, or spending hours watching Netflix. To help, I created a Prayer Journal based on John 3:30 where John the Baptist said:
“He must increase, I must decrease.”
To allow Jesus to increase in your life, you need to decrease habits, negative thoughts and increase positive behaviours, like studying scripture, inviting God into everything you do each day, trusting His guidance and leaning on His strength. This journal includes a section where you pray through the Holy Spirit for guidance on what behaviours you need to decrease. It’s a practice, where you identify the behaviour, match it with supporting scripture and then pray to our Heavenly Father to heal and guide you to surrender these behaviours and increase His presence in your life.
I pray as you grow in your relationship with Jesus, learn to live in loving submission to the Heavenly Father, this Prayer Journal will develop a close relationship with the Holy Trinity. It’s in building this relationship that doing the unnatural becomes natural, through daily practice of prayer, opening your heart to the Lord, and allow Him to guide your every step.
This journal is a digital download which allows you to print the pages as you need them.
The Prayer Journals are available as a digital download at my ETSY Store, Archway Designs by CFC Studios.
Get your copy today.
God Bless,
Hi, I’m Cathy.
A blogger, photographer, author, passionately driven to pointing people away from new age indoctrination to find redemption in Jesus Christ.
I’m a mixed blend, excited to share all I offer...
Blog-Twisted Roots
Do you find yourself asking questions about new age, whether the practices and beliefs are leading your soul to redemption?
As a reformed new ager, I was saturated in the belief I could co-create with the universe and manifest a life of abundance. But I was deceived. This blog is to point you to the truth of God’s words and how He perceives the new age indoctrination. It also highlights other areas to inspire and encourage Christians in their walk of faith.
Prayer Journals
To help you in your journey, I created Prayer Journals, to build a closer bond with Christ Jesus.
As you grow in your faith, it’s important to dedicate time to be with God in prayer, a quiet space to meet with Him, and invite Him into your daily thoughts. In doing so, you will experience His peace and presence in every aspect of your life.
Fine Art Photography
I always dreamed of being a professional photographer when I grew up. It was a journey to reach this goal. When the opportunity presented itself, I knew it was time to fulfill my dream.
I owned a home-based studio for over a decade but have been shooting images for two decades. Now, semi-retired, I have a collection of my most cherished images of landscape or fine art available for wall décor.
