God is Not a Rapist

Our pastor spoke recently on obedience and submission. Most of us see them as basically the same thing – and may find discussion about them difficult and uncomfortable. But it reminded me of the time God taught me about submission in a way I never expected.

A couple of years ago, God was dealing with my relationship with Him. He revealed I was basing most of my responses to Him on experiences I'd had with others throughout my life.

He allowed me to see myself through His eyes as we watched vignettes from the past scroll by like a movie. I watched His heart break as He watched me try to relate to Him the same way I had learned to relate to others in my life.

Because I was terrified that my control over my body would be stolen as it had been in the past, I had learned to give myself away so I couldn’t be stolen from again.

To me, submission was the way I maintained control over my life.

As God revealed these things, He whispered, “I’m not a rapist.”

He began showing me His ideas of love and relationship. He explained He wasn't asking me to throw myself at His feet, hoping what He asked of me wouldn't hurt too much. He wasn't looking for obedience based on fear or a desire to avoid punishment.
 
He was calling me to a relationship in which I willingly gave all of myself to Him so He could give of Himself to me in order to accomplish His will.

This is relationship.

This is submission.

This is the heart of true spiritual warfare. 

There is a war going on, and God needs submitted soldiers. But that doesn’t mean He is looking for people to use up and throw away. Remember, He is not a rapist.
 
He is a good King, and He’s looking for the ones who have so grasped His character and goodness that they trust Him with every aspect of their being, knowing anything they have need of will be provided. They are the ones running onto the battlefield before He even finishes explaining the battle plan.

Look at David’s mighty men. It’s unlikely that they were perfect. But when their commander expressed a desire, they were willing to risk their lives to fulfill it (2 Samuel 23:13-17). They didn’t stop to ask permission, but obedience wasn’t the point. They were expressing their love for him.

Submission says, “I am in this with You, Father. What can I do to make things easier for You today?” It doesn’t need rules or control. It is the invisible strength undergirding your relationship.
 
If obedience has been a struggle for you, ask God to show you how to deepen your relationship with Him first. Then watch as submission happens without you even having to think about it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sow your tears

Everyone has seasons of sadness. We lose a loved one, a marriage falters, a child leaves home - any of countless things can happen to bring us there. Ecclesiastes even promises us there will be times of both weeping and rejoicing. I was in such a time myself when the Lord said something very interesting to me. He said, "Sow your tears." I had to chew on that a bit. I was focused on my tears. That's ok - God takes notice of them, too (see Ps. 56:8 ). But He said something else: "Sow." So I went to the parable of the sower. The story is told in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. By my 3rd read-through, I was beginning to get it. You know how it goes: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path..., on rocky places..., among thorns" (Mt. 13). For whatever reason, this farmer was being careless with his seed. After all, it was only the seed that fell on good soil that bore fruit. "Those who sow with te...
Read more

A Kingdom of Opposites

The Kingdom of God is backwards - at least to our "modern" thinking. Jesus taught that you must be last to be first and you must die to live. The Lord of all creation came to earth as an infant. The vengeful Warrior is also a loving Husband and merciful Father. Paul, one of the most powerful and impactful men in the Bible, considered himself to be the least of all people. As we walk with the Spirit, we learn we must be empty to be filled. And we must be filled to empty ourselves back out. We enter through the narrow gate, only to find ourselves in the widest possible place - the vastness of the Kingdom of God, which is continually on the increase. We continually strive to become smaller in order to hold more of Him. As we lower ourselves, He raises us up. We turn ourselves inside out before our Father, offering Him everything we are, and He reaches out to cover us. It doesn't always make sense to me, but I'm learning to accept that it's just how He...
Read more

What sound do you make?

"Every church should have a sound." I heard a pastor say that recently, and it has stuck with me. As I've mulled it over, though, it's boiled down to the individual level - every person in the kingdom of God should have a sound. But what does that really mean? "A sound?" What is that? The Lord's Prayer, from Matthew 6:9-13, includes the plea: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." When you really think about that, it sounds great - but how do you really get that to happen? How do we get what's on heaven to come down here to earth? We release it. It would be wonderful if God just had to point His finger and BOOM! it's done, but that's not how He established it. He's chosen to use people. And there are morals and good deeds and all kinds of great surface stuff we can do. But this goes deeper than that. Or it can, if you're willing. Every person has the opportunity to release the so...
Read more