The power of submission

We have looked at submission now for a few days and we probably could for several more weeks, but for today let's talk about the power of submission. You are probably thinking..."Power? I don't see how submitting to my husband equals power." Well it does. When we submit to the God-ordained order for our marriages God does miraculous things through us and in us!

First: as 1 Peter 3:1 states "Likewise, wives be subject to your own husbands, so that if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives."
Here is a beautiful illustration of the power of submission. When we submit to our husband's leadership we are helping them fulfill the role that God has purposed for them. I don't know how many times I have heard women say "I wish my husband was the spiritual leader of the home" ; "He does not lead our family as he ought to" ; "I can't get him to lead so I have to make the decisions" As my husband David often says when he hears these comments "He IS the leader of your home, you just have to get out of the way and LET HIM LEAD" How true that is. Women desire for their husbands to lead but the problem is that they don't like where he is leading them, he is not doing it fast enough or that simply we want it our way. Part of the problem is that our desire to usurp their authority is part of the Fall of Adam and Eve. Do you remember, submission was part of God's design way back in the garden? After Adam sinned, God judged both Adam and Eve. Carolyn writes : "...One of the consequences of the Fall for women, it says in Genesis 3:16, is that their 'desire shall be for their husband'. The form and context of the word desire actually has a negative connotation--an urge to manipulate, control or have mastery over. Because of the curse, we now have a sinful tendency to want our own way and to resist our husband's authority."
To overcome this temptation to "rule over" our husbands we must by God's grace, subdue this desire and lean fully on God's Word, strength and power. We must "get out of the way" and control ourselves. As Carolyn points out "We see that the submissive wife--far from being the weak-willed woman our culture portrays--is actually a model of inner strength....it is actually weakness on display when a wife is NOT submissive, she is only caving into her natural inclination to usurp authority and demand her own way."

Second: What does Godly submission look like? First God is very clear that submission does not mean our husbands have the authority to cause us to sin. God alone is our authority, We submit to our husbands because God says to. It is by God's grace that we place ourselves under our husband's headship. So if our husbands should ask us to lie, fiddle with receipts for taxes or even not go to Church, we must humbly and gently let them know that we love them but can not do that because it is against God's clear Word. So with that said, how does submission look like everyday? To answer that, take time to answer these questions:
Do you turn to him and ask his opinion BEFORE you make a decision?
Do you wait on him to make the decision or are you impatient and move to do as you think?
Do you respect him?
Do you admire him?
Do you ask him first before you ask girlfriends?
Do you speak highly of him before your children, friends, co-workers?
And of course, when he gives direction do you obey?
All these questions cause us to look at everyday situations. If your answer is "Yes" then you know how to submit...if you answered "No" there is room to pray and ask God to give you the humility, patience and desire to let your husband lead.
Just as a side-note...when our husbands make a decision our attitude should be one of agreement and NOT of anger and resentment because they expressed something different. So many times our husbands make a decision and we come right behind grumbling and manipulating his emotions. If we do this often enough, they will never want to make a decision because of how unbearable we have made it for them. Let's be careful to respond to their leading with gentleness and without judgement. With God's power we can!
Have questions or comments on Submission...let me know
Girlschat@gmail.com
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Just for fun,
tomorrow on our "Smile it is Friday" post I would love to share pictures of you, your kids dressed up or family snapshots. Send them and I'll post them.
Thanks