The BattleSample

Submission to God's Mission

By Amy Cook

When most people hear that someone is meek and submissive, they immediately think that person is weak and pitiful. Although weakness and meekness may sound the same, they aren’t at all alike. Weakness stems from negative character traits such as lack of strength or courage, whereas meekness is the result of a conscious choice. It is strength and courage under control in conjunction with kindness. It is absolutely vital for every soldier in God’s army to practice meekness and submission (2 Corinthians 10:1; Ephesians 4:1–2).

Jesus practiced meekness and submission to God in all that He did. In John 5:30b (KJV), He said, “I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me.” At the end of His earthly mission, Jesus told His disciples, “I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on Me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what My Father has commanded Me” (John 14:30–31, NIV). The devil had no hold on Jesus because nothing within Him was submitted to the devil. All of His thoughts, feelings and decisions were submitted in obedience to God. Jesus didn’t have any self-serving attitudes that Satan could use to drag Him down and pull Him away from His purpose. Because Jesus loved His Father, He did exactly what the Father commanded. As a result, His soul was protected.

In order to avoid the enemy’s hooks from dragging you away from your purpose and God’s protection, you must do as your Father commands. If you allow yourself to be deceived into pursuing your own way, you’ll end up dazed, riddled by enemy fire and tempted to blame God. Psalm 25:9 (KJV) says, “The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way.” Knowing your mission—your purpose in life—serves as a plumb line by which to measure your decisions and make sure that your path stays straight. It protects you from being deceived by the enemy and drawn off course by his decoys that waste your time, dilute your strength and are unrelated to your purpose. Don’t allow the enemy to sabotage your mission by luring you into self-reliance.

Think of the word “submission” as code for “submitted to His mission.” When you submit to God, you acknowledge that His plan will always be more successful than your own, and you cooperate with Him instead of pursuing your own way. By choosing to surrender to God, you won’t end up surrendering to the enemy.

In regular warfare, the foot soldiers take new ground, secure territory and ultimately win battles by executing orders from their central command. In spiritual warfare, obedience functions as the foot soldier. When you obey God’s commands, you establish His authority and drive out the enemy. Proverbs 16:7 says that when a man’s ways please the Lord, He will make even his enemies to be at peace with him. When you surrender all you have to God, you receive all that God has for you.

Memory Verse

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (KJV)