SDCCM Blog

1 Peter 2:13-14 – Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of those who do right.

The Lord set us free from the dominion of sin and Satan’s kingdom. Our “independence,” does not mean we are free to do anything we want or to be independent of God ordained authority. Jesus redeemed us to the Father’s divine order. The government of God, must start in our personal life. It must start with our personal submission to authority. It must start with our understanding that the government of God is imperative in our lives. When we were born again, we were born into government. We were born into a kingdom; we were born into the realm of King Jesus and His delegated authorities. To fully recognize King Jesus, we must also recognize His delegated authorities.

We need to grasp that the government of God in the earth is the realm of our highest joy (The Government of God by Ern Baxter, page 15). True joy is not found in one’s “independence” but in submission to God’s government under Jesus in the Holy Spirit. God the Father governs our lives through His settled Word, through our personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, through submission to His delegated spiritual leaders, and the authority structures in the earth as stated by Peter in our verses for today.

Many of God’s people try to walk independent of the authority that others carry. True joy comes when we submit to the laws of the land (see Romans 13:1-7), when we learn how to submit to one another in the Lord (see Ephesians 5:21), and when we receive God’s true leadership (see Hebrews 13:17). Paul establishes that “Righteousness, peace, and joy is in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). For many, independence means “I am in complete control of my life.” Each one must take responsibility for their choices in life and then deal with the outcome of those choices. For the kingdom of the God-minded person, submission to God’s appointed authorities brings true and lasting peace and joy established in righteousness.

Father, I confess that my life belongs to You. Your King, the Lord Jesus Christ purchased my salvation and set me in Your kingdom. I choose to submit to Your will and to the order of Your kingdom in the earth. Holy Spirit, guide me and establish me in Your government.

Galatians 5:1 – It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Freedom and independence are very closely related. The independence that the Lord has purchased for all mankind through the Lord Jesus Christ and His death on the cross is an independence from Satan’s control. Before the Lord went to the cross to bear the penalty of our sins and overcome the power of the kingdom of darkness, all humanity was enslaved to Satan’s kingdom. That slavery prevented anyone from being truly free and independent.

God views freedom through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our God views the world He created through the lens of Christ’s atoning work. It was two thousand years ago that freedom was established for mankind. The Lord does not see seven billion people in the world, but two men. Adam, who through his disobedience, thrust humanity into bondage and the Last Adam, through whom freedom was purchased. We are either related to Adam, our original parent, drawing from his natural life, or we are related to the Last Adam, drawing from His life in the Spirit.

In Galatians, Paul is addressing freedom from religious bondage under the Law. The Law was necessary because of bondage to our sin condition. But the Law could not free us from that condition of sin. Only the Lord Jesus could do that by becoming the sacrifice for sin. His sacrifice was acceptable to God the Father. Now the Father receives all those who come to Him through faith in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son.

Freedom and independence have been secured in the world through the gospel of the kingdom of God. The nations that receive God’s king, by receiving the message of the kingdom of God, are nations that have enjoyed true freedom and independence given by God. When a nation that has received the gospel draws back, they lose the liberty that the Lord has provided for them and it allows the kingdom of darkness to have increased effect on that nation.

Father, I thank you for the freedom You have provided in Christ. By faith, I receive all You have done for me. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, help me to keep standing firm and not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Use my freedom to share with others that they too may be free from sin and stand firm in the victory of Christ. I pray for all people to come to know the freedom You have made possible. I pray for the nations to be discipled as You have commanded. I especially pray for my country to surrender to Your appointed king, Jesus the Christ.

Ephesians 4:22-24 – In reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Jesus is Lord! The heavenly Father intends that the Lord Jesus Christ find His reign manifested in the lives of those He has redeemed through His blood and the work of the cross. Jesus’ Lordship is not abstract, but very specific as it relates to every believer. Jesus said, “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:38). The strong implication is that we must die to self as He did and enter into His life through the power of His resurrection.

Paul is clear, in Ephesians 4:22-24, that we have a part in this new life that Christ has provided. We must “lay aside the old self.” The old self is corrupted because of “lust” that is rooted in “deceit.” Lust is a phrase which describes the emotions of the soul, the natural tendency towards things evil. Such “lusts” are not necessarily base and immoral, they may be refined in character, but are evil if inconsistent with the will of God. (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright ©, 1985 Thomas Nelson Publishers).

“Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:12-13). Sin is rooted in lust. Paul says, “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body.” The issue is who and what will reign in our life. The will of God is that Christ would rule in us, not sin which once had dominion. Sin is still in our members, but the body of sin has been destroyed through the victory of the Lord. “Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin” (Romans 6:6-7).

By the power of the Holy Spirit the believer can live free from sin by daily choosing not to let sin “reign in one’s mortal body,” choosing rather to let Christ reign through the power of the Spirit. Our salvation is to bring us to His reigning daily in our lives. His reign begins in the individual, from there to the family, and on into the community. The message of the gospel is for all men everywhere to repent. “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:30-31).

Father, I give myself to the rule of Christ. I ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to govern in my life, that sin would no longer rule in me. I choose Your dear Son and His nature today.

Acts 1:8 – You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

By this time, the eleven disciples had walked with Jesus for over three years. I say eleven, because Judas, after betraying Jesus took his own life. Many others followed Jesus as well. 1 Corinthians 15:6 tells us that over 500 brethren saw Him at one time after His resurrection. Acts 1:15 records that one hundred twenty disciples waited in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father of which Jesus had spoken.

Days after the resurrection it is recorded, “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14). These disciples were seeking to obey Jesus’ command to “wait” by preparing for the promise of the coming Holy Spirit. It is evident that they did not know what to expect, but they prepared the best they could to receive what the Lord had promised.

After the resurrection, when the disciples encountered the risen Lord, they did not recognize Him (Luke 24:31-32). The years in which they had walked and lived with Jesus were an encounter with the Lord in the flesh. Now, they were experiencing Him in the Spirit, and they did not really know Him (2 Corinthians 5:16). We have not known Christ after the flesh. We have only known Him by the Spirit. Although we, as they, were born of the flesh, it becomes quite a challenge to learn to respond to the Holy Spirit as He leads us in becoming a “new creation” person in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

It is important for us to prepare for the Lord’s presence. Many just assume He is present around us. I believe that He is present in our daily lives, but He wants to show Himself to us in ways we have not known and cannot imagine in our rational mind. These disciples “devoted themselves to prayer.” They devoted themselves to searching the Scriptures about what was happening. They sought to set some things in order in preparation for the coming Holy Spirit. Notice, the Scriptures state that, “they were of one mind,” as previously mentioned.

Father, help me to prepare myself for what You want to accomplish in and through me. I ask for You to help me prepare my heart and lifestyle for what You are planning. Give me an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying today to the church. Father, I pray for Your people to be of one mind in their willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to accomplish the Father’s will.

Isaiah 40:31 – Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

Waiting can be one of the most difficult areas of life. I admit that I am not a good waiter. I want to know now. I want to get the job done. I want to resolve the problem sooner than later. Learning to dial down and just simply wait on the Lord will produce great benefits. As we learn to wait on the Lord we will become sensitive to His timing. As we wait upon the Lord, we will receive greater knowledge to accomplish the task before us. As we wait upon the Lord, less of our energy is required and more of His life is received.

Waiting does not mean just standing around with nothing to do. Life in Christ is a dynamic relationship. A life of prayer, studying God’s Word, and sharing one’s faith is a full time activity. Waiting means to be watching for opportunities to serve Christ and His purposes. I am asking the Lord to help me learn to wait on Him throughout the day. The other day I needed a little fuel for a project. I went to two nearby stations, neither sold diesel. I then went to one a little farther away. As I was pumping the fuel, a man came up to me. He was cordial and I knew he needed money. He told me of his need and showed me a severe physical problem. I knew it was a God moment. I prayed for him and then gave him a little money. I am waiting on the Lord for revival, but here was an opportunity to share God’s love and perhaps be used to start a revival in this man’s life.

Isaiah says that waiting will produce strength. I see many people that look older than their age. Their strength has faded. God’s people who wait upon Him seem to age much better. Isaiah also declares that those who wait on the Lord will soar like an eagle. The eagle allows the currents to move it along. It is not stressed over food or nesting. It keeps its eyes open, looking for the prize. When we allow the current of the breath of God to carry us, there is a rest we experience. Stress is set aside and new energy is given to us. It is the energy of the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah further encourages us when he says, they will run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. When I ran cross country in my high school days, I experienced what was known as “the second wind.” After the first mile, a new energy would begin to fill your body. You established a stride and breathing becomes easier. As one learns to run and walk in God, the same results take place. Rather than hard labor you enter into a stride, a place of resting in His strength. Finally, Isaiah asks the Lord to teach him to wait. Waiting is not automatic. We must learn how to wait on the Lord. Waiting is found in one’s intimacy with the Father. In other words, it is time spent in His presence.

Father, teach me to wait upon You. I choose to spend time in Your presence. I ask for Your strength to fill my life in order to do Your will throughout my days.

John 14:16 – I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth.

The Holy Spirit is the One given by the Father and the Son to help us apply the Word of God. The word “Helper” could be translated Counselor. We should not need a human counselor because we have both the Holy Spirit and the “Counselor’s Manual,” the Bible, to instruct us. As we read and apply the eternal principles recorded in the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is present to help us by giving counsel. It is the Holy Spirit that breathes life on the Word and causes us to have understanding. Sometimes that understanding comes through others. Counsel can come through life experience. Other times, counsel can be given by a trained individual, such as a pastor or a licensed counselor. Our main source of counsel should be God’s Word and our relationship with God’s Holy Spirit.

One of the most powerful scriptures is found in 2 Timothy 3:15. Paul instructs Timothy by reminding him that from a child he had known the sacred writings, which are able to give wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ.

First, we must know the writings of Scripture. Wisdom comes as a result of knowing God’s Word. It is that wisdom which leads to salvation, not only eternal life, but wisdom that delivers and helps make us free in this life, by helping to transform our thinking. Biblical thinking helps to produce peace and joy found in the Holy Spirit. Many are bound up in their relationships with others. This freedom enables us to relate properly to others. Many are in bondage economically. The wisdom that the Scriptures give us about handling money will cause one to be stable financially. These and many other life- relating topics are covered by the 2 Timothy 3:15 verse.

I have found it helpful to make up lists of biblical principles that I study and memorize to apply in my life. The book of Proverbs is one of the great portions of Scripture that instruct us in every type of situation life can produce. For years, I would read a Proverb a day. I would meditate and memorize verses that stood out as I was reading a particular chapter. Try it for a month and see how much wisdom you will gain and how many bad experiences you avoid.

Father, thank You for the counseling book You have given me. I recognize that I need Your Holy Spirit to help me understand the Scriptures. I ask in faith for the Holy Spirit to help me apply Your eternal principles of truth in my daily life.