To walk successfully as a Christian there are two major steps each person must take. The first is of course to receive Jesus as Savior, and the second is to make Jesus Lord of our lives. They go together but are two separate decisions on our part and they both begin with three areas in our lives: humility, submission, and obedience.

True humility, true submission, and true obedience; all three are a part of actions as a result of our love for God and appreciation to Him for Jesus.  In all three areas – it is us who do them, who make decision to carry out the actions.

True humility is revealed by how we acknowledge God in our lives.  We are to humble ourselves before God. (1 Peter 5:6, James 4:10) Humility is a result of a change in our hearts. When we humble ourselves before God, we are giving Him the right to change us, so more of His glory will shine forth in our lives, as we live from glory to glory in the power of His presence, love, and power.

True submission is seen when we give up our will for His will in our lives. We make the decisions to exchange our will for His. It’s a result of our trusting Him more than we trust ourselves.

True obedience is carried out as we put into action His plan and purpose in our lives.  We are the ones who act upon (follow) His directions and guidance for our lives.  Obedience is action, its putting into practice the truth we say we believe.

Humility is a change in our heart recognizing His truth and holiness. Humility comes from knowing who God is and who we are to be in Him.

Submission is agreeing with what God says in His Word, and is the exchange of our selfish will for God’s holy will in our lives. Submission comes from the humbleness of our heart as we recognize, believe and trust in God.

Obedience is putting into action that we agree with His Word.  Obedience is a result of submission and humility.  Obedience to God’s Word becomes easier as we know more about God, learn to trust Him, and yearn for His love, light, and holiness be evident in our lives.

It’s a matter of trusting God to bring any and all three of these evidences in our lives. Trust comes from knowing someone, so the more we know of God, the closer we become to Him, and the easier is it to trust Him.

When we say we believe He is the one true God, that He sent Jesus to save us, then we will humble ourselves by confessing our sin and receive Jesus as our Savior, and make Him the Lord of our life.

When we say we believe He has a plan for our lives, we will submit to His plan and live to fulfill His purpose and plan for our lives. When we say we believe He has a plan for our lives, we will put into action decisions of obedience to accomplish His will in and for our lives.

Peter walking on the water is a good example of him implementing all three of these areas.  Peter humbled himself to believe (recognize) that Jesus was who He said He was – and not a ghost – when he saw Jesus walking on the water.  Peter then submitted to the command of Jesus to, “come”; and then Peter put into action his belief in Jesus by getting out of the boat (obedience) and walked on the water to Jesus.

Jesus is of course our most excellent example of living these three.   Jesus humbled himself when He left heaven to come to us, being born as a baby.  Jesus acknowledged that it was God who worked miracles through Him. Jesus submitted his will to the Father’s will while He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, right before He was arrested. Then Jesus obeyed the will of God by dying on the Cross for our sins.

It is necessary that we understand that knowing truth and walking in that truth, though they are to go together in our lives, sometimes do not. As Christians we must realize that it is daily that we learn to walk in humility, submission, and obedience as we grow in the knowledge of God’s Word.  We are not alone in this journey because God is with us and helping us each day and step of the way.

Have a great Week.