“Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.” 

~1 Samuel 15:23 (NLT)

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”  ~Ephesians 5:21

God’s Word reminds us that being a “rebel” is as offensive to God as dealing in witchcraft!  Wow!  Somehow, our American culture seems to idealize bring a rebel; we sometimes even see it as a badge of honor!  But it is ALWAYS God’s will for us to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ”.  Submission requires humility, which is another character quality that Christ requires of us. We all have authority we must submit to!  It’s simply a fact of life. Even Jesus submitted to His Father’s authority despite the fact that Jesus IS God!  We can grow in our ability to embrace proper submission to Godly authority by humbly embracing who we are in Christ:  valuable, loved, and chosen AND part of a greater whole. What peace and freedom there is when we do! 

It can really help to walk through this process with another person who can help us evaluate the degree to which we are humbly embracing Christ-like submission.  Great freedom can come as we leave rebellion in the dust.  Feel free to email Wendy Wilkins if you would like to explore this more! wendy.thegreatexchange@gmail.com

Monthly Prayer Focus:  Pray that we will be people who first and foremost submit ourselves to God (James 4:7).  Pray also that we seek to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ”.  Pray that we would be quick to listen to the Holy Spirit when we get anywhere close to rebellious thoughts, attitudes or actions.  And pray that if we recognize rebellion in ourselves, we would see it for what it is:  offensive to our loving Heavenly Father, The Almighty One, to whom we ALL bow in humble submission.