Liberated Through Submission

I have had the book Liberated Through Submission by P.B.Wilson on my shelf for quite a long time. I have finally decided to take it and read it a couple of weeks ago. And since the book was a blessing to me and she shared some very deep and revolutionary things, I decided to share a few ideas and quotes. So I most likely share more of her words since I find them so powerful and inspiring. 

"Submission is for all" says Bunny Wilson. It is for men and women all together. "When we defy people in authority, we are really saying that the situation cannot be solved unless we take action. We are, in fact, playing God... It takes a child-like faith to believe that God can handle any person, debate or circumstances. When we choose to submit, we can easily see why God says that unless we become as little children we cannot enter the kingdom of God... We can believe that God can heal someone of cancer, free someone of a drug addiction, or place a child in a barren womb. But do we have faith to believe that God can speak to another person's heart and tell him what to do? Do we believe that God can make the best of a situation, even when an authority figure blindly opposes God's directions?"

"Submission without faith is slavery. Submission with faith is power. It takes faith to believe that God is correcting a relationship, situation or circumstance when all outward signs show the opposite. "For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor. 5:7)"

"Woman was created to be a man's helpmate. That means she should be an integral part of her husband's life, enabling him to fully develop into the kind of man God wants him to be. This automatically makes her the kind of woman God wants her to be. Even in our fallen state, that plan remains intact. However, without some specific guidelines - husbands lead, wives submit - our sinful nature will cause us to make adjustments to God's sovereign plan. The result is the same as from the beginning: self-destruction."'

"God has given men some very specific leadership assignments which, when accomplished, glorify His kingdom. But it takes a man surrendered to God's Word to carry out God's orders."

"Many men greatly oppose the statement that they don't want to lead. They immediately cite their roles of the leadership at work, in sports and in many other areas. There are a few men who will admit that they are under God's leadership and even fewer who act that leadership out in the home. Why? Based on Adam's decision in the garden, a man does not want to govern his wife or home. His rebellion in this area is often justified and overshadowed by his outstanding achievements in other areas."

"1 Peter 3:7... All that wives are called to do is to submit to their husbands. Meanwhile, their husbands are expected to yield to God's plan by being the head of the house, by loving their wives, by being the spiritual leader in the home and by living with a wife in an understanding way."

"Being the head of a woman can require bulldog tenacity, along with gentle love and understanding. A man has to be humble enough to listen to the opinions of his wife, yet strong enough to go in the direction he feels God is leading him."

"Christian marriages start off on the right foot when the wife comes into marriage with the understanding of God's pattern for marital submission and intends to operate according to His established order. However, if she doesn't, it is the husband's responsibility to exemplify submission to her....The husband must examine and accept submission to God's word, to his pastor, to his employer and to the authorities in the land."

"Husbands should ask themselves one very relevant question: "If your wife were a required subject at a local university, would you pass the course?" Many man refuse to submit to God's Word and invest time in getting to know their wives. Even fewer men know how to communicate with them."

"Why is submission so dangerous to Satan? Why is it so powerful? Because we exercise it in blind faith, and faith defeats him every time. When we go against our feelings, thoughts and opinions (i.e., our Lord, God's Word, our husband, pastor or employer), and when we turn the results over to God, we step out in faith. We are making a statement that we believe God knows every details of our circumstances and that He cares. We are avowing that He is a just God, and that by being obedient to His will, we enable Him to handle all obstacles. Now that is faith! Does biblical submission mean that we do not express how we feel? No, it means we do. It means when there is a difference of opinion with someone in authority, we share how we feel with due respect and love. Than, if the other person continues to disagree, we turn the whole issue over to God in faith. Submission gives God space to show us who is right."

"We may sometimes ask: "What if the people I submit to make mistakes? I am the one who is going to suffer the consequences of their actions." The answer to that is once again, faith."

"As a matter of fact, God's spiritual vision for us can be summed up in one word: faith. It takes faith to see our husbands as they can be and not as they are. It takes faith to submit when we think they are wrong. It takes faith to wait for God to show us which one of us is right while having no murmurings or grumblings between us. It takes faith to believe that God can give our husbands the wisdom they need to make decisions that affect us and our children."

Well, there are many more interesting and deep things in the book. I highly recommend it, not only for the married couples or for those considering marriage, but for the singles, as well. 

Everything...

Sometimes I wonder how would our lives look like if we gave Him everything?

What if we gave Him all our gifts?

What if we give Him all our words and actions?

What if we gave Him our worst fears?

What if we gave Him those things we have been holding on and fighting for?

What if we give them the things that we want the most in this world?

What if we asked Him to take full control of our lives?

What if we allowed Him to do anything He wants with our lives?

What if we gave Him the things that we love the most?

What if we gave Him our singleness or marriages?

What if we allowed Him to be glorified through everything we are and have?

We all know that He is LOVE. He would never do anything to hurt us.

He loves us more than we love ourselves.

And He is wiser than us.

Than, why is it that we find so hard to give Him everything?

Is it because we do not know Him? Or we do not trust Him?

Or because we do not believe that He is real?

You see, God has a plan for our lives that is part of a bigger plan.

A plan that is not of this world, that is much bigger than us. A plan that is part of eternity.

And when we give Him all that we have, our lives become part of this bigger plan. A part of a plan more wonderful than our wildest dreams. A part of eternity.

Oh, when we will realize that by holding on to our lives we are missing a fuller and richer life?

We are actually missing the best parts.

God, You have my life. You have my everything. I give You my joys and my worst fears.

I give You the things that I want the most. I give You my singleness. I give You my plans. I give You my desires. I give You my dreams. I give You my words and actions.

I give You my all...

You can do anything You want with my life.

It is all Yours.

Have You Seen Jesus?

Have you seen Jesus? I am not asking if you have seen what He has done for you. I believe that most Christian get to see that sooner or later in their Christian life. And sadly many of us reduce God to what He has done for us. I am asking if you have seen Him, if you have seen who He is, if you have beheld His glory, His character. When is the last time that you intentionally took time to see Him, asked Him to reveal Himself to you, asked the Holy Spirit to open your eyes that you may see Him as He is?

Though it is important to see what God has done for you, it is not enough. Seeing what He has done is only one of the initial steps in discovering who Jesus really is. And we should not stop there. We need to go deeper than that.

I believe the reason most of us are weak and have no power to change is that we are so content with seeing what He has done for us and too busy with working for Him. It is such a nice feeling to know that we are cared for and to have the satisfaction of a well-done job (at least of what we think it is a well-done job). And we stop there.

Ellen White says in The Colporteur Evangelist: "The value of the human agent is estimated according to the capacity of the heart to know and understand God.... The highest possible good is obtained through a knowledge of God. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” John 17:3. This knowledge is the secret spring from which flows all power.... The great need of the soul is to know God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent." p. 60

Just think of the disciples. They had been with Jesus for three and a half years, they witnessed so many miracles, they even performed some, but they denied Jesus when He was arrested. Peter sank in the see of Galilee even though he had a good start on the water. Philip asked to see the Father. The disciples complained that they cannot feed the multitudes because they had only five breads and two fishes. They had told the stranger on the way to Emmaus all about Jesus and how disappointed they were that He died and that He did not save the nation. They tried to heal a demon-possessed child but failed. Later on they cast out demons when Jesus sent them (Luke 9). The disciples had seen what Jesus had done for three and a half years, they worked with Him and performed some miracle in His name, but they failed to see who He really was while He was with them. How do I know this? I know it because they have run away when He was arrested, they have failed to understand what kingdom He came to establish, they did not understand why He had to die and they did not expect that He will rise again. So, it is possible to be with Jesus, to walk with Him, to witness His miracles, to be one of the recipients of His miracles and even to perform miracles but to fail to know Him and see Him as He is.

"If you see only what He has done for you, your God is not big enough. But if you have had a vision, seeing Jesus as He really is, experiences can come and go, yet you will endure “as seeing Him who is invisible”. O. Chambers.

If you have seen Him you will never be the same again. The worldly things that might have been appealing are not anymore. 

As you draw closer to God and start to realize who He is, you will stop asking for things and will ask God to reveal Himself to you. You will ask to see Jesus as He is so that you are changed more and more into His likeness, so that you have His mindset, so that you can see people and things through His eyes.

For so many years I thought that I knew Him, I witnessed His miracles, I worked for Him. Yet, I now realize that I only saw what He had done for me and through me. And I was content with that.

I think that I have just started to see a glimpse of Him... and no words could describe this experience and what it has done to me.

A Call to Prayer

I had just started to get comfortable - a job, a decent salary, a social life, friends and fun - when God tapped me on the shoulder. I can't remember very well how it all started even though it has been less than a month ago, but I have felt Him tapping on my shoulder harder and harder. And when He taps, one cannot simply ignore Him.

It was enough to see an example of someone who trusts Him and is led by Him, so, I told the Lord: "Lord, I want that!" "You can have it," He told me. It was as if scales fell off my eyes one more time and I understood again that His plans for me are big, bigger than I can imagine. It was as if His sweet soft voice wishpered in my ears: "What you are doing now is only temporarily. It is just a transition. I have bigger plans for you." I didn't argue with Him because I have suddenly started to feel tired of sitting in an office, but I have to admit that I thought in my mind: Bigger? What can be bigger than working for a christian television network and reaching millions of people?

"I have bigger plans for you!"
"Ok, I am fine with that! Just tell me what that is!"
"Tust Me!" that's all He told me.
"Lord, I have to admit that I am so afraid to step again on waters. I have been there for 5 years. I am also afraid that you will take me to places that I do not want to go to and ask me to do what I do not like to do. Just show me what you have for me and I will trust You!"
"Tust Me!" That is all He kept telling me.
And I kept telling Him of my fears until I decided it is of no use to go on and on like that.
"OK, Lord, I give in. I want to trust You, but fear keeps creeping in my heart. You have to take it away!"
It was all He was waiting for.

So, He started to show me a little of those bigger plans. First, He started to work again on my prayer life. Between hours spent on my knees and on prayer calls, listening to powerful sermons and studying the Word, I have realized once again that there are many things He needs to change in me. So, fear has crept in again in my heart. I started bargaining again with God:
"Lord, I want to be changed but I am afaid of the radical changes You might do in my heart."
"Will you trust Me?" was His question.
"Lord, I want to trust You, but You have to understand that I am already odd. I am already different. I already have different values. I already cannot find my place among young people of my age because we do not have too many things in common. I am simply afraid that these changes will make me be even more odd."
"Will you trust Me?" He asked again.
"I want to but I can't! I am afaid!"
So He kept asking for an answer until I gave in again: "Lord, I know I cannot trust You but I want to. Take away my fear!"
That is all He was waiting for. And then, peace and joy flooded my heart.

So, this is what I believe, the beginning of a new chapter of my life. I do not know where He is leading me, I do not know what the future holds. I just know that, for now, I am called to rededicate my life to Him, to stay on my knees and hold on to Him until He blesses me and those I am praying for, and to do my best as translator. I just know that prayer, the exemple of strangers who are men of prayer and the friendship of godly people who are prayer warriors has changed my life and have challenged me to become a woman of prayer. No wonder why I lately felt the need to spend a lot of time alone with the Lord and why I am not looking anymore to my friends and my social life for fulfilment.

So, I believe that I would never be the same again! I know that He is faithful and will finished the work that He has started in me.

The Price of My Faith

I went with my youth group to a country-side church to hold the church services there. Just seeing how happy they were to see so many young people in their church was enough for me to make me happy that I went. Though I was not planning on it, I was happy that I decided to go as soon as I got there.

At noon, before the AY program, I started to talk to one of the ladies from the church. And she shared with me some things that made me realize one more time that I am so blessed.

She became an Adventist two years ago. Once she started to attend the church, she encountered problems in her own home. Her husband, mother and father-in-law started beating her. To make things worse, she became pregnant though she was in her early forties. Many times she was beaten so hard that she had to leave the house. One time she went to an Adventist shelter, but couldn’t live without her two other kids who were at home, so she decided to go back. Another time, she told me that she was heading to the church when her mother-in-law came with a basin full of dirty water and splashed it on her. She used to work , but, since she has a one-year old son, she cannot work anymore. Many times, she didn’t have anything to put on the table, but God provided for her so far.

So, while she was telling me about her hardships, instead of being sorry for herself , I felt happiness that she found the Lord in her voice. “I don’t want to go back in the world” she told me. “I am so happy that I have found the Lord.” How could she, when she has so many problems at home? some would ask.

Yes, some of us have to pay a price for following the Lord. In fact, all those who truly want to follow the Lord have to pay a price. For some the price is smaller, for some bigger. I have a family of friends who lost their four year old son to malaria while serving God as missionaries in Chad (you can listen to their testimony here). Do you think that this made them give up to the mission work? No, it didn’t. They are still there.

Yes, some of us are asked to leave family and friends behind, some of us are asked to leave the comfort, or maybe some other thing we hold dear to our hearts. How much are we willing to give up, just to be able to be close to the Lord?

I believe that God is sending a “wilderness experience” in the life of each one of us to prepare us to follow and serve Him. I am so encouraged by the story of Joseph, and Daniel, and Ruth and Esther. They are people who faced trials, who passed through wilderness where they learnt to follow the Lord. When God is sending us in the wilderness, it is because he wants to prepare us for something great, for the big plans that He has for us.

So, how much are we willing to pay just to be able to be with the Lord?