Quite a few months ago, I had my eyes opened to God's
authority through a real life lesson...
Many months back, I had the most awesome opportunity to deliver an accelerated
expositional study through the book of Joshua, the Old Testament Book and Hero
by which my eldest Son is named.
The book of Joshua lays out for us the Power,
Might, Sovereignty, Righteousness, Mercy, Grace and yes, His Ultimate Authority
over all things in and of creation.
God had shown His Love, Mercy and Grace numerous times
to the Israelites, yet they continually murmured and complained. Thusly; He purged their ranks by allowing
them to wonder in the Wilderness for 40 years.
While Moses was on Mount Sinai, and the Israelites
proceeded to sin greatly against their Lord and God, Moses' plea and prayer to
Almighty God appealed to His Heart, and He showed Mercy and held His Hand of
Judgment from destroying Israel.
The point being made, is both one of the prayer, and
one of the submission of a Righteous and Godly man, is heard, and in some cases moved the
heart of Almighty God... But to get to
that point, Moses had to have a relationship with the Father! There was a healthy fear, respect, submission
to His Authority and an understanding of position and relationship. Because Moses had seen firsthand the Might
and Power of the Lord God, there was also a constant state of reverence and
acknowledgment of His Holiness.
The family was originally designed to be a model of
God's union of the Trinity, as well as a model of His Authority and our
submission. However; today's culture has
water down the intended family design to where most families today are
Biblically dysfunctional at most levels...
The media has portrayed Men as bumbling fools,
afraid of their own shadows, indecisive, indifferent and spineless to take
their God given place in the marriage, in the home, in the communities and
worse yet in our Churches.
The fact is, men are to model Christ... They need to step up to the plate and show
the Love and Compassion of Christ, willing to sacrifice it all, for the
Spiritual lives of their families and their Churches. Sacrifice; now, there is a word that is
losing both meaning and visibility these days in its purest sense. Let me pose a few questions for you to
ponder:
1) When is the last time you
knew a man that sacrificed a day's meals so that another could eat?
2) When is the last time you
saw a man give up something he truly loved for someone he didn't know?
3) When is the last time you
saw a man yield to a weaker more vulnerable man?
4) When is the last time you
knew a man, to sell everything he had in the world, and went to serve the Lord,
regardless of what his family and friends said?
5) Do you know any men, or
better yet any MAN, that when you are in their presence, you feel that you are
in the presence of a Godly, Righteous and Holy man?
Chances are you don't know many - if any!
This brings me to a key point! Men, by Christ’s standards, biblical principles
and in light of our Christian ancestors, we don't submit ourselves to God's
authority, nor do we sacrifice to serve Him...
So, is it any wonder that our families can't get it right? Head of Household has to mean something to
them, for them to Honor it and Submit and Yield to it. The "do as I say, not as I do"
mentality has got to be thrown out.
We must live out our Faith in Almighty God, every
second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, of every week, of every
month, of every year consistently throughout or lives. It must be on display in all of our routines,
habits and lifestyle. They must see the
Love, Grace, Meekness and Authority of Christ in us at every moment. We cannot serve God with a slothful Spiritual
condition, it is all about choices!
For those that have not taken their role in the
home seriously, they need to hit their knees, pray to Almighty God to give the
courage and strength needed to draw a line in the sand, and hold that
line... Don't give an inch to Satan, he
wants you to be a weak Leader, he wants you to be weak spiritually - he wants
our families to be weak and dysfunctional.
Remember Brothers, God will not honor a heart that is not submitted to
His Authority. Just as God withheld
Blessing and Victory from Joshua and Israel at Ai, because of one man's sin and
covetousness, He too withholds Spiritual Victory from us when we make the wrong
choices!
When Israel remained focused on God, the Lord
continued to provide Victory after Victory throughout Canaan. Time and time again, Israel physically saw
God's Power and Might in their victories...
Yet, they consistently had to be reminded. Joshua, was victorious because of his Faith
in God, and because he understood the relationship.
Do you remember the passage in Joshua 7 verses 18 thru 26? When Joshua confronted Achan, this man made an interesting, intriguing, and in the end a damning statement. In Achan's confession to Joshua, he basically said "I saw these fine clothes and these precious metals, I wanted them, and so I took them"! Now as we well know, God said not to take anything out of Jericho... Achan chose not to Honor and Obey God's sovereign authority, and in the end it cost him, his life, the life of his wife, children and cattle and all his possessions.
God takes His authority and Word seriously, yet
most men calling themselves Christians today yield their God given authority to
their wives and children. They coast,
don't want any waves, just want to be happy and do what they want to do, when
they want to do it without any thought to the Spiritual consequences.
There will be a Judgment in Heaven men! We Will Give An Account for how we submitted
to God's Authority and how we used the authority he gave us in our homes! So tell me men, are you working on your
spiritual bank roll? Do you care? If you care, are you concerned about what you
will have to defend? Are you honoring
God in your homes, in your marriages, in your families?
Does your wife see your undying love for her; does
she see your sacrifices for her, so that she may grow in Christ? You are to be her model of Christ in the
Home! Have you sacrificed time, or
resources to give her opportunity to recharge her spiritual batteries? Do you encourage her, build her up, and talk
her up in front of friends, co-workers and family. Do you rush to her aide when she is
challenged, threatened, fearful or doubting?
Do you know how to say I am sorry, and she knows it is coming from the
core of your soul? Do you rush to offer
forgiveness if she has offended you? Do you take time to communicate to her -
engaged at the level she wants you to or needs you to? Your authority in the home is not negotiable,
it is commanded by God, but it is throttled and controlled by and in His Love,
Mercy, Grace, Meekness, Compassion and Sacrifice! If you are not submissive to Almighty God and
His will for your life, you will never be willing to properly submit yourself
to your wife’s needs.
A Godly Man, will sacrifice his wants for his wife’s
needs, which will come full circle in the wife’s willingness to yield to her
husband’s authority. For outside of God’s
will, the husband has no authority to exercise, he is just a worldly man, doing
his own bidding.
God's Word Provides the only author you need to be
the Head of Household... If you wield it
as an offensive weapon to bruise and bully those which God has blessed you with
to call your own, you will bear the burning - scorching fire of Christ's Bema
Light at that day of judgment. But, if
you tenderly exercise that authority, to teach, guide, nurture and a tool of
Love and Provision, you will reap rewards both here and in Heaven.
Wives, do you Love Christ enough, to honor Him
through yielding your will to Him, giving yourself and your will to your
husband as Christ gave himself to the Church.
Christ yielded to the authority of the Father just by coming to the
earth in the first place. It took all
the more submission and discipline to give Him to be brutally beaten, bruised,
cursed, mocked, humiliated and then sacrificed for His Church - the Bride of
Christ. Do you look for signs of Christ
in your husband’s? Do you offer support
and encouragement to him in his Spiritual endeavors? Do you show him Unconditional Love before
your children, family and friends? Do
you come to his aide when he is tired, down and beaten by the world? Does he see Christ's eyes when he looks into
yours? Do you reinforce his authority in
your home, do your children see a biblical submission in your heart, or is what
they see, simply submission of obligation and requirement? Children know and sense the difference, but
more importantly, God knows the difference within your heart.
Joshua Loved the Lord his God! Joshua loved Israel! Joshua's authority was not questioned, and all
of Israel honored, respected and yielded to Joshua's authority. Joshua's Faith and Trust in God, was the
anchor that held all of Israel in the storms.
He was loving, just, and compassionate and his life was accounted unto Righteousness before the Lord. Joshua lead all of Israel to many victories, through his leadership and God's Providence and Promise, Israel in a very real way got to see and inhabit their "Promised Land".
Men of God, are you leading your wives, children,
neighbors, co-workers and Churches to the new Promised Land? Do those around you see Christ in you and
your actions and deeds? Do they want to
follow your lead? Are you praying for
them, for God to work in their hearts and yours? Men, God gave you the very best he had, how
can you dare to give any less - than the best you have - giving of yourself
until it hurts! See, if there is no
pain, there is no sacrifice...
Be the Leader He wants you to be and God will
provide the hearts to follow. His Word
and Work will not return void.
God provided me a little practical illustration a while back concerning a man's authority in his home. God requires our submission to his authority in our lives. That is achieved through tracing His hand and Knowing His Heart, which is converted into Faith and Trust.
As we Learn more about our God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, that Faith and Trust in God's Character, Ability, and Love for us grows. In the times when we know and understand His direction through His Word the walk is easy. However; in the times that we don't quite understand the purpose or reason, it is then that our Love for Him, our Experience with Him tells our hearts to continue to obey his authority, because our Faith and Trust in Him is real and genuine! He has proven Himself to us, and we can trust His judgment and deliverance through our yielding and submitting to His will and authority.
Men, Husbands, Fathers, it is the same principal… Through your undying love for your family, through your Godly living and teaching, your family will honor your Authority... Even in the times when they don't totally understand or see your logic, they will exercise Faith and Trust in your Authority. If they don't, then take time to examine your own heart and practices, if God gives you peace, continue to pray for unity in the Family, and for God to work in the hearts of those struggling. If your family is struggling to Honor God in their own hearts and lives, chances are they will struggle and be challenged to follow your leadership. However; if you seek God’s peace and it escapes you, search your heart and seek council before you negatively impact the spiritual well being of your family.
Sanctification is a process that occurs in the
heart of a Spirit filled, God seeking individual. It is a process that may have some hills and
valleys, but the trend will be and must be constantly upward. Until we learn to fill our minds and hearts
with Spiritual things on a consistent basis, the devil will still have a foot
in the door. The old timers understood
that principal, and were faithful and devoted to seeking God's Face at every
opportunity. Read your Bibles and Pray
to get closer to Him and get to know Him.
If it is only a mechanical reading and prayer to do your God thing, then
you will never really get to where He wants you to be.
God loves you, He sent Christ to show you that, and
Christ sent the Holy Spirit to minister to you and reveal Himself to you through
His Word. If you truly have a
"Saving Knowledge" of Christ, use that knowledge to gain more, dive
into His Word and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. If you are truly seeking Him, He will rejoice
in opening His Word to you, growing you and as you yield to His Will &
Authority, he will make all things new, and sanctify you unto Himself.
The Joy in Christ is real, His Yoke is easy, and
when you engage in the spiritual battle, it is exciting and rewarding. So, get in the race, and then run to win... Anything less & you are fooling yourself!
God Bless and I hope to see you at the finish line!
Biblical References: Exodus 24:12-18; Exodus 31:18; Exodus 32:1-14 - God's Heart & What Prayer Can Do... Moses' prayer, or request to God swayed the out come, God held His hand from destroying Israel... How Amazing & How Encouraging...
