What total submission to God looks like

Deep in every human heart is a desire to have an enriched and meaningful life. The answer to that lies with the One who created us. God created us for a specific time and purpose and it is only when we submit fully to His original plans that we will flourish exceedingly more than we can humanly imagine.

Ephesians 3:20 NKJV  Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Here are some basic truths:

• Every person belongs to God (Psalm 24:1)
• It is God’s Spirit who gave us life (Job 33:4)
• God planned good things for each one of us to before we were even born (Ephesians 2:10)
• We have been made for God’s glory (Isaiah 43:7)
• God will ensure that blessings will flow our way when we diligently obey His voice and His Word (Deuteronomy 28:1-12)

1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV  But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Total submission brings victory

Total submission to God, however, can feel painful when we discover that we have to relinquish preconceived notions about our lives or give up the things or people we have found meaningful.

But if we lose our focus on the answer to “What am I really here for?”, we will end up living a life that is counterfeit to the real purpose of our lives. No matter how fulfilling or altruistic our personal desires and goals may be, they cannot compare with God’s supreme master plan for our lives. Only God knows the answer to the best outcome for all things for all time, for now and for eternity. Shouldn’t we trust Him?

Matthew 25:21 NKJV  His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Some reasons we resist submitting fully to God

One reason we struggle with submitting to God is because we often make the mistake of thinking that He is just like one of us. We don’t really understand that God is nothing like us. God’s ways are unimaginably higher than ours, so much so that the Bible compares the disparity as between heaven and earth – two completely different dimensions.

Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV  “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

We resist submitting to and giving God all the good and bad in our lives because:

• We are afraid He may take away our joy when we give Him the good things in our life
• We feel ashamed about the bad outcomes we have created and feel we need to sort things out first before we can approach Him

Both are based on our earthly experiences and are not from a heavenly perspective of who God truly is. The truth is that the Lord will take the good things in our lives and make them perfect through His love and take the bad things and make them good. The Lord intends to give us victory in all areas of our lives because we are His children. We do not need to work for this right. It is already ours. We simply need to step into it by faith in God’s Word and God’s voice.

With this in mind, it seems logical to want to follow God wholeheartedly. Yet we may still feel torn and conflicted, because of the many “lessons” that this world teaches us on why we should not submit to anyone. These mental strongholds are destructive to having an abundant life with God. Here are a few examples.

• Control | “Decide your own destiny. (Ignore God)”
• Fear | “Seize the opportunity now. It may not come around again. (Don’t wait for God’s perfect plan)”
• Distrust | “Don’t trust anyone. (Don’t trust God)”
• Insecurity | “Take measures to protect or secure yourself. (Don’t rely on God)”

It is easy to fall for worldly doctrines and ways of thinking that sound like the truth, because they appeal to our human instincts. That may be the way the world around us thinks, but as God’s children, our thinking was never meant to follow the masses who are on ‘the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it’ (Matthew 7:13). It is only when we follow the Holy Spirit that we find true joy, peace and hope in life (John 6:63). Also, see Experiencing God’s love and Surrendering our will to God

Ephesians 4:14 NKJV  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

Full submission is a lifestyle, not circumstantial 

Submitting to the Lord is a lifestyle. If we wait until a critical juncture in our life to submit to God, we will invariably face an internal conflict. Full submission is not motivated by external circumstances but our love and reverence for our good and all knowing God. It is a lifestyle that submits our hearts, souls, and minds to God.

• Submit our heart | Psalm 86:11-12 NKJV  Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
• Submit our soul | Psalm 143:8 NKJV  Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.
• Submit our mind | 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Submit the heart

The heart is our moral conscience, it steers our values and choices. In order to be transformed to have “a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5) , we need to submit their current condition to God for renewal. He promises to give us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26).

The Bible describes those who harden their hearts and refuse to submit to God as lacking reverence (fear) for Him. We are warned that this will cause problems for us later. In addition, those who harbour immoral desires in their hearts will be rejected by God altogether (Psalm 101:4). Let us ensure that we do not fall into either of these categories and submit our hearts to our Heavenly Father fully.

Proverbs 28:14 NKJV  Happy is the man who is always reverent, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

1. Submit all evil intentions 

The Bible tells us that our hearts can harbour evil intentions; hatred, envy, lust etc. (Matthew 15:19) We may be able to hide our intentions from other people or even deceive ourselves into thinking that we are good, but God sees through all such disguises (Jeremiah 17:9-10). He will evaluate our hearts and reward or punish us accordingly. In order to be relieved of our evil conscience and our tendencies to sin, we need to submit our hearts to God and allow the Holy Spirit to bring His conviction of our ‘blind spots’ so we have the faith to make a hard u-turn from our sinful tendencies (Hebrews 10:22).

Acts 8:22 NKJV  Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

2. Submit our selfish motives

Every human being has an ego. We enjoy being admired and may even serve others to look and feel good. Where we have been driven by self-centred motives in the past, we now need to put those down before Jesus and decide to glorify Him only. Let us, therefore, follow Jesus’ example and submit to God by dying to our selfish nature and pride.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV  Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

3. Submit our personal standards

Many of our standards about what is acceptable have been dictated by the world. With Jesus as our Saviour, all old standards need to expire as we adopt God’s Law. True submission to God means that we do not compromise His standards, even if they contrast with our loved ones’.

Romans 6:17 NKJV  But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

Submit the soul

The soul is the part of us that is eternal and defines who we are as individuals. It embodies our mind, emotions and will. The Bible calls us to purify our souls from sin through obedience to the Word of God (1 Peter 1:22-23) and be “born again” (John 3:3) through the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. Otherwise, our souls will die an eternal death (Ezekiel 18:20-22).  See Cleansing ourselves to qualify for heaven.

John 3:3 NKJV  Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

1. Submit our desires

When God created us individually, He chose our desires for us. These desires were meant to bring His glory on earth and spread His goodness to those around us. When we are ignorant of God’s will in our lives, worldly influences can corrupt these God-sized desires by pandering to our own carnal, self-gratification. The Bible describes this as “fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).

We cannot overcome ungodly desires through our own strength. Thank God that He is faithful and will help us conquer them when we confess and submit them for Him. This is how we can become more godly – not by trying harder or doing more good things. It is God who transforms us and makes us new (Philippians 1:6). He is the Source of our new life, not our own flesh – which the Bible says will only lead to our spiritual death (Romans 8:6-9).

2. Submit our shame and pain

Our souls can be weighed down, worn out and infected by unresolved negative emotions. Instead of rejecting us, God will restore us if we submit our sorrows, grievances, and shame to Him. Jesus endured great humiliation hanging naked on the cross on our behalf. He understands every indignity that humanity has ever suffered (Matthew 26:38, Hebrews 12:2) and is, therefore, our perfect Comforter and Redeemer (Hebrews 12:2). We submit our past painful experiences by confessing them to Jesus and asking Him to heal and restore our souls. While doing so, we also need to repent of judging or cursing our offenders. See Emotional suppression is ungodly and harmful and Please vent to God.

3. Submit our loyalties and personal commandments

God breathed life into every soul and living thing. Every single soul belongs to Him (Ezekiel 18:4). We can, however, unknowingly pledge our loyalties to people and organisations and become disloyal to God Almighty. God reminds us to swear allegiance to Him alone. All past earthly promises, personal commandments, pledges, and loyalties should be revoked in Jesus’ name, so our souls can be fully loyal to our Creator.

Isaiah 45:23 NKJV  I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.

Submit the mind

The mind is the processor and depository of our beliefs and ideas. It is where we form our reasoning, imagination, and rationale. Satan tempts us to focus our minds on carnal, worldly things, and bombards our minds with temptations, lies, accusations, and hatred (Romans 8:6-7). Our enemy knows that if he can corrupt the direction of our thoughts, we will struggle to submit to God (Romans 7:23). We all need to submit our minds to God’s Word and Holy Spirit before we can truly become His disciples. See Renewing the spirit of our minds and Reading the Bible with God’s Spirit.

Romans 8:6-7 NKJV  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

1. Submit our judgments

We pass judgment all day long. We decide when, what, how and with whom we do life with. When we use it to be critical of others or elevate our opinions, we obstruct other people from experiencing God’s grace through us. In judging the souls that Jesus died to purchase and redeem, we misrepresent Jesus’ hope for all mankind. Our patterns of thinking need to be submitted to God so we can exercise His wisdom. See Judgment and the abuse of wisdom. 

Romans 14:13 NKJV  Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

2. Submit our expectations

Impatience, frustration, and distress can be signs of misplaced expectations. We focus on our own will and plans, instead of laying down our assumptions to God. If we cannot predict what will happen across the world in two hours’ time, then we certainly cannot out-plan God. When we realise that our wisdom will never compare with God’s, we will have the peace to release our expectations and trust in Him alone.

Proverbs 3:5-8 NKJV  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.

3. Submit our anxieties

Fear and anxiety begin in the mind. When we do not submit our minds to God, Satan will subject our minds to mental torture and agony through unnecessary worry (Philippians 4:6-8). Our minds and imaginations are tossed around like a kite in the sky, as the enemy blinds our minds to God’s perfect will. Fear is not from God. See Fear, an ungodly use of imagination.

A prayer to submit to God each day

True submission starts from the minute we wake up each morning until the moment we fall asleep. It is, therefore, helpful to start each day with a prayer, such as the one below.

“Dear faithful and good Father, I start this day by humbly submitting my heart, soul, and mind to You alone. Please teach me how to walk according to Your good and perfect will today. I know I can do nothing of lasting significance without You. Let me see what are Your desires for me and the people around me today. I merely need to follow Your Spirit. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Testimony: Submission leads to wisdom, comfort, correction, love and reassurance

“I have been following Jesus for nearly 30 years. Initially, it was very hard for me to understand why God wanted all of me. I grew up in a family where my biological father was abusive and mostly absent. Therefore, it was hard for me to relate to my Heavenly Father because I had no idea of what a good father looked like. I didn’t trust Him. After my baptism and a guided prayer to renounce idols and sexual sins, I began to feel a burning desire in my heart to read the Bible and know more about God. The more I learnt about God, the more I realised that He is always good and perfect, He never fails. People can fail you, circumstances can be very, very hard, money can run out, there are life pressures everywhere. There have been times I did not understand why He led me down the path that He has but now looking back, I am so grateful for every challenge, test, tribulation, and tear that I have cried. It has built my faith and made me stronger. Today, I wake up every day with an anticipation that the Lord will speak to me. It has been through the times where I was left with very few options that I have discovered that I never needed other options because I have God Himself in my life. He has become the constant voice of wisdom, comfort, correction, love and reassurance in my heart. I am so grateful! He is worthy of everything I can offer from my life.”

May this sharing be a blessing to you as you seek to love the Lord with all your heart and submit all your ways to Him.