Intelligent Worship brings us into the presence of God through Submission to God.
Part 12.
And now we come to the final installment of this series. That part which seems to keep a lot of folks from fully surrendering to God's will for their lives: letting go of self-will and submitting to God's will. But, really, once we have placed ourselves at His feet and received His mercy, there truly is no better place to be than in God's perfect will.
It is a life that is lived in internal peace. Though the world fractures around us, though the enemies of the cross are many and threaten our lives, this peace that passes understanding can only be obtained through daily submission to the Word of God.
You've heard the phrase, "It's my way or the highway"? Same concept applies here. In order to worship God and be in His presence, we must walk the narrow road, the old path, in order to walk with God and commune with Him. In other words, it's "His Way or the highway". Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
Submission to God leads to a thwarting of the devil's plans.
James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Submission to God renders us His humble servants.
1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.
Submission to God means complete and absolute surrender to God's will for our lives.
Romans 12:1
Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.
Submission to God is an intentional recognition that we do not belong to ourselves any more; now we belong to God.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.
Submission to God begins when we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Romans 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved.
Submission to God removes anxiety and worry from a believer's heart.
Matthew 6:25
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
James 4:14
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Every act of worship requires the worshiper to be a born-again believer. There's no getting around that one focal point. All I can say is, if you aren't, what are you waiting for? Hebrews 3 speaks over and over again on the urgency of the day, of to day, being our day of salvation. For tomorrow is not promised to anyone. To day could be your day of salvation. Why not make it so?
