Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Submission: A Woman's High Calling!

On July 2 -July 5, 2008 my family and I had the privilege to participate in the first Family Driven Faith family camp hosted by Dr. Voddie Baucham Jr. in Sandia, Texas (Zephyr Baptist Encampment). We gathered as families to worship Christ, fellowship, break bread, encourage, and enjoy each other through a host of activities. These four days were packed full of God’s word in didactic and visual instruction. In this blog I will share a portion of what I learned at this camp as a woman through the Scriptures.
This information will be life changing. What will you do? How do you view yourself as a Christian woman in light of our current culture? I found that more often then not Christian women can’t identify what God says because they believe what the culture says. We tend to believe what we see and not what God says. Why is that? First we don’t read Scripture in its proper context. We superimpose our modern worldview on Scripture, instead of being transformed by the renewing of the mind in Christ to understand the script. So women this is for you!

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that man be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”…But for Adam there was not a helper fit for him….And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Genesis 2:18; 20b; 22 ESV

For man was not from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 ESV

Women were created for the man! Through these two passages of Scripture in the Old and the New Testament, we clearly see that the very creation of the woman was for the man. Woman was a gift to man from the very beginning. The woman is the glory of the husband. (1 Corinthians 11:7) God saw that man needed a helper and provided the woman. This in no way changes the fact that women were made to worship the true and living God. Remember, the woman is a helper to the man created by God! Our worship as women belongs to God and God alone. Our service as women belongs to our husband. If you are not married then your service is to your parents until you are wed.

Women are to BE, submissive, self controlled, humble and quiet. This list speaks of the character of the woman. A woman can only be submissive and quiet if she has self control. The term submission in Scripture is actually a military term that means “rank.” So as a woman, we are to rank ourselves under our husbands. That means whether we think he is right or wrong, we submit to his authority that has been given by the living God. I pulled these character traits because they hit me the hardest. However I will only tackle them one entry at a time.

Submission to our husband is a command given to women by God. Everything has its place. If my knee thought it better to function as the bicep, how would by body maintain motion? My whole body would suffer as a result of that knee functioning a way other than its intended purpose. So I have learned it is best to stay in my place and function how God created me as a woman, wife and mother.

As we dig a litter deeper underneath the surface, we not only need to submit in deed but in our hearts and minds. Many women will submit to their husbands without proper respect in their hearts. Following his instruction while saying to a girlfriend or just in your mind that he is dumb and this is stupid…. IS SIN! I know those are strong words but it is very much the truth. Submission is an action, but more than that it is an attitude of the heart. The Lord says he will give His children a new heart. If you have found yourself in sin concerning this area ask the Lord to give you a new heart, and transform your mind. Please note that this is a daily walk. You will not just be changed and never sin again. The Scripture in 1 John 2:1 teaches us that when we do sin we have an advocate with the Father, who is Jesus Christ. Dear sister run to the Savior daily that you might find joy in who and how He has created you. The humble, quiet, submissive, and self controlled woman who is the crowning glory of her husband.

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