What Submission Really Means

You can’t have submission without obedience.

So what is obedience? To be submissive to the restraint or command of authority. The word of God says in Ephesians 5:22-27

“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

Obedience and Sacrifice are the themes of submission.

To be obedient is to comply with the direction one sets forth. Sacrifice is to serve a purpose greater than yourself through the act of love nurture and protection.

So if we comply with the Lord’s direction of our life and we serve a purpose greater than ourselves—through love and nurture—we are in submission and the goal should become Kingdom work.

If you struggle with the word submission then you may revisit the definition you have in mind. It is not to be controlled, it is the willingness to align with God’s sovereignty over your life. It is to accept and invite the Lord into your heart to guide you and to humble yourself. In return, God nurtures, loves, and protects you.

Now—-for marriage, what if you took the same vantage point, understanding that you allow into your heart a husband who guides and counsels you and the family. While at the same time, he is demonstrating love, nurture, and protection. Headship is not a dictatorship. It is a duty (responsibility), to set forth, a direction instructed by God, this—through submitting to the Father. Ultimately, both husband and wife in the posture of submission to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Are you demonstrating submission in your life? Why not? Submission means you are no longer living life on your own and you have love, nurture, and protection. This means you've opened your heart to accept this kind of headship. Do you believe your heart is truly in service or is it in the business of self-service?

Prayer Heavenly Father thank you for your sacrifice and laying down your life for me, to give me a hope and a future. Thank you for saving me from myself. Thank you for your love, nurture, and protection—guiding me through life. Without you Father I wither away but through you I have eternal life. Help me when I fall short of obedience and remind me that a covenant with you is far better than a life without your headship.