If we believe God is in control hen we will submit to His will

The security of God’s sovereignty, the limitations of our self-will, and adopting a proper perspective of submission is our focus.

SOVEREIGNTY: God, The Ultimate Authority

Sovereignty = Absolute authority – The Bible consistently presents God as the ultimate Ruler with absolute authority over all creatures and events. Recognizing God’s sovereignty means acknowledging that He is in control and that we should trust His wisdom and timing even when things are difficult.

• God has a plan for each believer

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

 Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

• God has a plan for His Church
  The church is Christ’s body, and it is meant to represent His fullness on earth.

Matthew 16:18 (ESV) “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

 Ephesians 1:22-23 (ESV)  “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,  which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

• God has the divine right to…
  God’s call is not based on human qualifications but on His sovereign purpose and grace.

Call whom He wills – for salvation, service, and purpose.

Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

 1 Pet. 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Move people, nations, and events to align with His plan.
God moves people: He may relocate His people, or He may shift circumstances to accomplish His greater purposes.

Psalm 37:23 – “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him.”

Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

Send those He chooses for His mission.
God calls and commissions His people to accomplish His purposes on earth.

Exodus 3:10 – “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

 John 20:21 – “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’”

Change and transform lives, circumstances, even nations according to His will.
God is ALWAYS actively working to fulfill His divine purposes.

Daniel 2:21a “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings….”

Isaiah 43:19 (NLT) For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

SELF…and SIN’S LIMITATIONS –

We have a limited view of God’s will because…

• We have a sin nature
  Our sin, pride, and selfish desires can cloud our ability to see God’s will clearly.

Romans 7:18-19 (NLT) And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV) “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

• We’re NOT omniscient!
  We tend to focus on the here and now, but God is eternal, and he sees how everything fits into His eternally grand design.

 Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

• We often misinterpret circumstances
  What looks bad to us (trials, setbacks, suffering) may actually be part of God’s greater good. Like Joseph, sometimes we don’t understand what God is doing until later.

 Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Genesis 50:20 – “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Because we have a limited view, God’s Word tells us to…

• • Trust in God’s sovereignty (Proverbs 3:5-6)
  • Seek His wisdom in prayer (James 1:5)
  • Be patient and wait on His timing (Psalm 27:14)
  • Walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)

SUBMISSION: a Biblical perspective

Submission = voluntary obedience – Submission is not passive acceptance but a conscious choice to obey God’s will and trust in His guidance.

James 4:7-10  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

We can prepare for the sudden changes that will invade our lives. We must PREPARE to be guided by Him when change comes. Here’s how to prepare…

1. PREPARE your heart to hear the LORD

We must submit to God’s sovereignty, and in doing so, despite the consequences, we are acknowledging God’s rights as Creator and Lord.  We are affirming it is His prerogative to do with the world and us whatever He deems.  Such a life of submission, even through many tears, will be pleasing to the Lord, and lead us to joy, peace, and rest because God is good, wise, and will do no wrong through the working of His complete sovereign will.

2. STUDY God’s Word and apply it to your life.

• We must read the Bible and seek to understand what it says.

Psalm 1:2 – “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

• We must do what it says.

James 1:22 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

Bible study isn’t just about gaining knowledge—it’s about living out what we learn.

3. DEVELOP and MAINTAIN a consistent prayer life

 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

4. DISCIPLINE your mind

 Colossians 3:2 – “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Replace negative thoughts with God’s truth (2 Cor. 10:5), stay in environments that feed your spirit: church, godly friendships, etc., live in continual fellowship with the Spirit of God requires a lifestyle of prayer, worship, and intentional focus on God.

“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is ‘of the world’, judges everything by worldly standards, views life from the standpoint of time and sense, and weighs everything in the balances of his own carnal making. But the man of faith brings in God, looks at everything from His standpoint, estimates values by spiritual standards, and views life in the light of eternity. Doing this, he receives whatever comes as from the hand of God. Doing this, his heart is calm in the midst of the storm. Doing this, he rejoices in hope of the glory of God.”

– (Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God)

Romans 8:28 “…we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”