Phase 1 Week 10 The Outward Discipline of Submission & Service

[New York Youth Leaders Association]

1. Freedom corresponds to submission: it is the ability lay down the
TERRIBLE BURDEN of always needing to get our own way. The obsession to
demand that things go the way we want them to go is one of the
greatest bondage in society.

2. Jesus calls us to self-denial without self-hatred. Self-denial is
simply a way of coming to understands that we do not have to have our
own way. Our happiness is not dependent upon getting what we want.

3. As the cross is the sign of submission, so the towel is the sign of
service. Matt. 20:25-28 authority is not found in a position or title,
but in a towel.

4. Page 138 talks about the service of listening “the first service
that one owes to others in fellowship consists in listening to them.
Just as love for God begins with listening to His word, so the
beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them.”

[careforyou...@gmail.com]

submission is the desire that we can help. by letting go of the way we see things We want to work out in our own lives
-----
Sent from my Virgin Mobile.

[Pat Blackwood]

1. Freedom is submission to God, our own way is full of trouble,
because we were born
of a woman, and we have a few days to live! The ABC DATA we do:
Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence...
Getting our own way by interrupting our lives due to self distruction
(drugs, fear, etc.)sometimes with an unclear MO, we whine, grumble,
complain, and God's consequences, and the laws of the Universe must be
manifested and we are guided to comply by the Holy Spirit, (myself
included)...so let us study and experienced the joy it produces, and
lay down the terrible burden of "...guilt because we did not study the
word of God enough. " Wow...I am so getting my disciplines on, so
help me God to never be the same....Thanks God! (It is a lonely
process though, and others think you are strange, and too quiet).


2.Self-denial without self hatered....cool, I like that! That is
doable, and possible, for us as we recognize the efforts of our Savior
to teach us that our happiness is not dependent on sex, drugs, being
with the in crowd, or being rich! We as christians can have it all, or
not, but because we know the studied word of God which we "....hid in
our hearts...." we will not have our own way, but just say...."Yes,
Lord."
(singing).


3.The cross...mmmm, just reading stanza 3 gives me goose bumps. I will
go, I will do, I will serve,
I dare to cut my busy schedules, ( I do not work on a Sunday
anymore...check! Thanks God.)I must do more for you...so help me God!


4.The service of listening with compassion, and the principle of
listening with love is to be internalized in our hearts, it is
putting your substance in the rhythm of life God established
for us by His example of listening to us.
It is an astonished reverence, and fascination to me to know that the
All Mighty God listen to us,
therefore, I take it as a pleasure to listen to others. God forgave
me, I forgive others, and the gifts keeps on giving, freely get,
freely give!

NYYLA, thanks for serving us so richly!




On Mar 12, 3:04 pm, New York Youth Leaders Association

[Pat Blackwood]

True that!

> [ Attached Message ]From:New York Youth Leaders Association <youthleaderstr...@gmail.com>To:NYYLA <ny...@googlegroups.com>Date:Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:04:37 -0700 (PDT)Local:Mon, Mar 12 2012 3:04 pmSubject:Phase 1 Week 10 The Outward Discipline of Submission & Service1. Freedom corresponds to submission: it is the ability lay down the

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[lol]

    Freedom is the “decision to set the mind on the higher things of
life as an act of will and is the result of a consciously chosen way
of thinking.” Therefore it corresponds with submission which should be
practiced voluntarily (of free will) and freely (not under duress.) It
is not something that we should have to force ourselves to do with a
‘grin and bear it’ attitude. If this is the case, then it is turned
into law and there’s no freedom involved. With freedom, there   is a
joy that stems from the inside and is displayed outwardly, no ‘acting’
is involved as joy cannot be faked, either we have it or don’t. When
we hand over the reins to God, we start performing acts of
unconditional love for  others. The ‘you scratch my back I scratch
yours’ mentality is far from us as we have prayed for wisdom in
“discerning the limits of submission” so we do not act out of the
wrong spirit. As the author states, the obsession to have our way is
one of the greatest bondage in society. When called upon to perform
tasks that are not usually our responsibility, we should do them
cheerfully in the meekness of wisdom. “ Do nothing out of selfish
ambition or vain conceit….do not look to your own interest but to the
interest of others.”As leaders we should never misuse the power
delegated to us. We are servants who should relish serving others
instead of being served. At the same time, we should know to resist
submission when the authority from which it comes has become
destructive. Failure to submit to God keeps us in self-made prisons as
the Discipline of Submission is all about “committing our ways to the
Lord, trusting in Him and He will act.”
   Self-denial leads us into self-discovery. When we find the identity
God has given us, we will start to really live our purpose which is to
“fear God and keep His commandments.” Abandoning ourselves allow us to
‘find’ God, that is why Christ Himself told us to “deny ourselves and
take up our cross DAILY.” Our ‘selves’ block us from hearing,
receiving and obeying the Word, therefore we’re not able to focus on
the things of the Spirit. We have to un-tether our ‘selves’ from those
practices that are unfruitful and reject the ‘status quo’- those
things that are popular and  accepted but not rewarding. Self-denial
is self-awareness that enables us to slay self and keep us honest
before God so we will be led into a deeper experience of intimacy with
Him. The way to the cross leads home.
    Leadership is not about position, it is about service. Following
the example of Jesus is key as we have to keep in mind ‘whose we are’
and ‘who we are’. Seeing that we belong to God who knows our heart, we
have to be clothed in the virtue of humility. We have to serve with
focus on His approval by giving joyfully and voluntarily of ourselves,
both of our time and our talent. In Christ’s teachings we are strongly
admonished to give up our right to being in privileged positions, “who
wants to be great among you must be the servant.”What Jesus did goes
far beyond mere feet washing , He set the example of how we should
live , that is by investing our lives into the lives of those we lead.
When there is a ‘baton’ change we should leave behind a positive
legacy, therefore, let there be no disconnect between what we say and
what we do. Let us ‘Walk The Talk’ don’t ‘Mumble The Stumble’ because
others are looking up to us.
    Listening is an integral part of any relationship. To truly be
able to listen to our brethren, there has to be a strong relational
link between us and God. Listening to God allow us to ‘hear’ what the
person has omitted to say while listening to the person, allow us to
hear God through him/her. We sharpen our listening skills by: (1)
Remaining silent, speaking only when appropriate. Remember, a great
speaker has to first be a great listener. (2) Forgetting personal
thoughts and instead dwell on the importance of what the other person
is saying.(3) Maintaining eye contact, a certain ‘bond’ will be formed
 and a level of trust will be developed. No person is less of a human
than another so all deserve love, attention and respect. We should not
discount anyone because he/she is deemed  not ‘mature’ enough. A chain
is a s strong as it’s weakest link. Also, we need to revisit the way
we see each other so we can see them as God sees them. “Love is not in
word or tongue but in deed ” and whatever we do to the least of these
we do to Him.

On Mar 12, 3:04 pm, New York Youth Leaders Association

[michca...@yahoo.com]

In fact, one of the most difficult spiritual practices is the
discipline of submission. Man often struggle with what today’s
medical experts called Narcissistic Personality Disorder. This is a
state of self centeredness, seeing oneself better than others and
basically just wanting things done our way and will not particularly
care to have someone tell us how to live our lives. However Jesus
through example has called us to a life of submission. Submission is
the act of freely accepting servant hood or giving up ones right for
the rights of another. It is the freedom of suppressing our needs and
selfish desires and allowing God to have His way in our lives, with
complete dependence on Him. The scripture urges us to “love our
neighbors as ourselves;” therefore we should not only care for
ourselves and our own interest and benefits but for the interest and
benefit of others. We will not always have things going our way. A
perfect example of submission is told in Genesis chapter 13 of Abram
and Lot when Abram was instructed by God to leave his hometown to a
place he did not know and he took Lot with him. There arose a
disagreement with the herdsmen and Abram who had the authority freely
gave it to Lot to choose. Yet in the end God blessed him
tremendously. When we submit ourselves to God, the end result will
always be a blessing. We will be open to serve anyone and will see
others through the eyes of God. I must confess that there were times
when as a mother, as an employee, a Christian and a wife it was either
my way or the Highway. But after fully submitting myself to God I
began to see things from His point of view. I started listening more
to my children; my young people my peers and almost everyone. There is
still room for improvement as I am currently on the potter’s wheel.
God wants us to delight in Him, not in our desires. He wants us to
serve Him in humility taking our minds off ourselves and focusing on
Him. Lack of submission is destructive to all our relationships,
therefore I encourage as embark on this lesson Let Go and Let God.

Jesus calls us to self denial. Jesus told us in Luke 9:23: If anyone
would come after me, let him deny himself, take up the cross and
follow me. Jesus knew following him would mean giving up a lot of our
selfish desires. The disciples freely gave up all they had and
followed Christ. They gave up their lives as fishermen, doctors; tax
collectors etc. and followed Him. They did not care about what they
would lose, for his words say whosoever lose his life for my sake
shall find it. When we deny ourselves we will find our true identity
in Christ. His word in 1st peter told us we are chosen, called out,
peculiar, so there is no need to compare or compete with others. We
will learn to appreciate our true value in Gods eyes. By us
experiencing the love of Jesus gives us the ability to love ourselves
and then to reach out to love and care for others. Jesus asked us as
leaders to deny ourselves take up the cross and follow him. This will
cost us. It might cost some of us our live, our friends, our
families, and all earthly possession but following Christ is less
about what we can get and more about what we can give. Self denial is
undertaken for the love of God, others and self. Only then will we
have the capacity to empty ourselves in a manner that is a blessing.

Jesus Christ our perfect example, Redefined and rearranged the lines
of authority. Jesus demonstrated by washing his disciples that there
is no hierarchy of values in service. The disciples ask Jesus “who is
the greatest in the kingdom. The disciple’s had a haughty attitude.
Their conceptions of greatness were wrong. Some were insecure,
thinking in terms of qualification and began comparing themselves to
each other, but Jesus was looking at the heart. We know that
greatness consists in humble dependence on Jesus Christ. For His
words says” Whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest”.
Jesus in giving up His life for us carried the cross to Golgotha. He
had a choice and yet He chose to suffer for us, for our sins. He was
spotless, blameless and sinless. While on the cross He could have
destroyed the world, but he chose again to die for the good of me.
This is the act of servant hood, for in servant hood we must
experience the killing of flesh. Service is about giving our best for
Gods glory. Jesus showed us that we are not greater than anyone else
neither are we less than anyone else. Whoever wants to be first must
take last place and be a servant to everyone else. As servants of God,
we should not serve people based on what they can do for us, nor do we
target people base on what they can do for the church. Leaders should
not abuse their positions by oppressing God peoples. We should put
the needs of others before ours. I have seen many people moving in
self promotion at the expense of others. People will walk or even
stand on others to get where they want to go, again selfish, climbing
the corporate ladder of ministry through politics. At the end of the
day it is Gods opinion that counts. If we submit ourselves to him we
will find ourselves in the wonderful place of reckless abandonment and
our lives are truly about him. Submission is not only for the low and
subordinates but all Christians should live a life of submission. God
resist the proud but give grace to the humble, therefore submit
yourself to God. Humble yourself in the sight of God and he will lift
you up.

Great leaders are great listeners. James 1:19 states ‘Be quick to
listen and slow to speak”. We were made to be relational people. A
good relationship is built on communication. Hence listening plays a
vital role in all relationship. The ability to listen is to love and
strengthen connection in every relationship making it possible for us
to live in harmony. When we submit our entire being to God we will no
doubt become good listeners. Listening is a form of showing others
that we, love, care and respect them. I pray that our relationships
will be strengthen as we listen, share and care for each other. God
bless you all.

> > beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them.”- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Church of God Soldiers of Jesus Christ]

1.       This statement dug deep into my heart and mind. We can say that most of the problems in relationships, any type of relationship, come from the inability to lay down the need of getting our way. We want to be “right” all the time and in the process of proving that we are right and of course others are wrong, we hurt people. In the long run we end up breaking relationships that one day were intact. To use the word “burden” to define this phenomenon was a great choice. Trying to prove our point in conjunction to our own great abilities (since is what we want other people to see instead of the favor and grace of God on us) we become slaves of our own arrogance, letting ourselves carry a burden that does not have to belong to us.

2.       This is another great statement. We are so used to blaming others for our unhappiness that we have the tendency to forget that no one is responsible for our happiness. Self- denial is to put aside our own desires, opinions and feelings to understand the desires, opinions and feelings of others. Self-denial is to put in storage the question: What about me?! Self-denial does not have to be to ignore or feel bad for having those desires, opinion and feelings, but it is to be able to considerate other ways that are not necessarily our ways.

3.       The authority is definitely found in the ability to serve others. Jesus was a servant and our role model as Christians. He has the authority that was given by the Father as the Son of God, but He concretized that authority through service. Many people believe that the greater the title the greater the authority and that cannot be farther from the truth.

4.       The discipline of listening is not easy. We read in the chapter of submission about the need we have to have our own way and hat same need is what makes it so difficult to truly listen to others. When we really start listening to others we are not only showing them love but we start to really love them as we get to know and comprehend where they are coming from. Most of the time when someone come to us with a predicament, they are not looking for advice but for someone who can listen to them. We are quick to give answers and that is why the author mentions in p. 138, that we do not need to have correct answers to listen well, often the correct answers are a hindrance to listening” sometimes we are so busy trying to look for that correct answer that we miss what is the person telling us.

Mary V.

 

 

[Mary.V]

Michca,
Love that you supported your post with James 1:19:‘Be quick to listen
and slow to speak”. We have the tendency to do the complete opposite.
I know that God has been working with me in this area and I am willing
to let Him do the work! Thanks for your post, it inspired me!
Mary V

[Jbl...@yahoo.com]

1.I think all of us can identify with this to some extend. I (some
parts of me) currently am/was the "planner of all planners". I had my
life planned until God really shook me with various situations and let
me realize that I was not in control of anything, He was. I agree that
it is some sort of obsession to demand that things go the way we want
them to. Planning is a bondage..because our plans normally goes
opposite God's plan. God operates on faith and His timing. That timing
usually doesn't align with ours, so submission to God brings freedom.

2. The famous saying "Let go and let God" would fit perfectly here.
Self- denial is coming to realization that whatever God has planned
for me, is FOR me and I must be ok with that....I don't have to have
things " my" way. God is our father and wants what's best for us. We
on the other hand are selfish and want whatever pleases us. That is
not a part of God's plan. He knows our beginning, middle and end,
whereas we just see and know the present. How can we really plan our
future? We must know and remember that God loves us and cares too much
to watch us fail. There should be no room for self-hatred, just deny
self so God can have His way.

3. Servanthood is important in the Christian faith. To be considered
great, one has to master the art of serving. It is truly more humbling
than any position or title.

4. Everybody wants to be validated. Listening to others helps others
feel validated. In our busy world, it's easy to think about "self"
based on our schedules. As Christians we have to remember that we have
to serve others. We need each other in order to keep standing or
continue in this Christian race. Sometimes that may mean checking up
on our fellow brethren, saying encouraging words or even entail
something simple as sitting and listening to others. Every once in a
while stop and think, if one listened to you, how would you be able to
process some of life's difficulties, problems, or situations? You
would probably feel unimportant, unable to maintain stamina, etc. So,
as you go throughout your Christian walk, stop and make time for
others.

[Darell]

Being able to cast all our cares on the Lord and not wanting our own
ways is truly freedom by submission. We don't worry nor fret when
things do not go according to our desires or plans, knowing we have
someone who is watching out for our own best interest, so we are able
to let go and let the will of our God be done in our lives. It's not
easy thing to do do , but we are called to this self-denial by our
Lord Jesus Christ to do like He did. Creator and master of all, He
came on earth in the likeness of sinful man so that He can serve us by
submitting himself totally to the will of God the Father who has sent
him to offer up himself as a perfect sacrifice for the remission of
our sins. What a love! there is no greater love than to offer oneself
for the benefit of others. Like our master, we need to deny ourselves
to serve others, that is where our happiness will derive, knowing we
are in our master's will, not in position or title neither in self
worth but in service to others for the love of God.
I am in agreement with "the first service that one owes to others in
fellowship consists of listening to them. Just as love for God begins

with listening to His word, so the beginning of love for the brethren

is learning to listen to them. For we can't truly know someone until
we take time out to listen to the person, that's how we come to
understand the person and can relate to his/her desires and needs.
learning to listen will help us minister to the needs of any
individual better. May God help us be better listeners in service for
the glory of His name. Amen!

On Mar 12, 3:04 pm, New York Youth Leaders Association
<youthleaderstr...@gmail.com> wrote:

[michca...@yahoo.com]

Thank u Mary. I can tell you for sure that God is working on me too.
Let us only be willing
for him to spin us on the wheel and we will come out as pure gold. God
bless you

[kourtney baines romero]

1. Definitely an enlightening read. This book continues to provide a
wealth of insight which results in necessary self-reflection. There is
such a sense of freedom in knowing that you don’t have to bear the
burden of always being right or always getting your way. If we are
always constantly demanding things go the way we want we live with
that bondage. When our steps are ordered by God there is no “our way”
because his way is the only way, the cross life way the way to
Freedom! Submission something I have been working on especially
being a new wife and also extremely independent the word alone from
society has such a negative connotation God is definitely working with
me in this area and really understanding the true meaning and
understanding that through submission there is a freedom to
distinguish between genuine issues and stubborn self-will.

2. Self-denial is the only sure way to love ourselves. It’s so true
that when things don’t go just as we expected we tend to result in
self pity the “Oh Woe is Me, Pity Party “I have had my fair share of
these, thankfully they don’t last as long. There is no true happiness
in getting what we want especially once you realize that there freedom
from self-indulgence.

3. Leadership is found in becoming the servant of all. It’s not the
titles nor the degrees or fame in which you reach or how much money
you have. Living the cross life is being a servant and through that
servant hood power and freedom are discovered in all human
relationships which is really important.

4. Sometimes you need to just be still and listen and not be quick to
answer without even fully hearing the person out. There is definitely
a service in listening. Hi yes hand raised work in progress in this
area too! There was one day at work when it seemed like everyone
stopped by and visited at my desk, of course on a very busy day so
they are talking and I was looking at my screen you know the queen of
multitasking. Then God spoke to me and said stop what you are doing
and turn around and listen. So I listened when one person left another
friend from a different floor would stop by, but after listening I got
the message everyone had something amazing to tell all were talking
about the Goodness of God and what he had done for them, some of whom
I was praying for and at that moment it was such a blessing to be a
blessing but also be actively listening to be blessed.

On Mar 12, 3:04 pm, New York Youth Leaders Association
<youthleaderstr...@gmail.com> wrote:

[twi...@yahoo.com]

There is always a difficulty in being submissive. But i do get that
whenwe do learn the true meaning of submission then thats when real
freedom comes . I was very enlightened by learning that it is in
giving in willing that is important . I was taken by the fact that
even slaves were told to be submissive to their earthly masters
because to me it seemed so cruel that if someone treated you badly and
you only found peace in God that you would still need to stay there
and take it if that person was in authority over you. But after
reading on i realize that in willing being submissive I would be made
stronger that my circumstances.

Thereisa famous song that says let me loose myself and find it lord in
thee .i just got the true meaning of that after reading this book. I
come to recognise that in being submissive ro gGods will and allowing
my will to be lost i only set myself up for the abundant life that he
would want me to have .

True leaders must first learn to serve. When Jesus came to earth he
gave up all to come to earth take up the burden of the cross to die
for us . A towel is mostly to used to clean up w,wipe up things and do
menial service so when we take on the towel approah we are telling God
i am ready to get rid of self and take up my cros and thats far from
easy but bery possible with God.

Listening is important if we dont then we miss what God is doing.

On Mar 12, 3:04 pm, New York Youth Leaders Association
<youthleaderstr...@gmail.com> wrote:

[careforyou...@gmail.com]