The Sooner You Submit to God, the Better Off You'll Be

by David J. Stewart | September 2016

Job 9:1-4, “Then Job answered and said, I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God? If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?”

       I was pondering our text passage of Scripture tonight, where Job says that a man who argues with God cannot win one in a thousand points. Everything that God does is right! The sooner we learn this truth, the better off and happier that we'll be. The Word of God states:

Isaiah 45:9, “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?”

So many billions of people in the world are at odds with their Creator. God is a good God! It is a sin to blame God for the problems in the world. There is plenty of arable soil in the world, and plenty of food, but greed, lust for power, and war of evil men force people into poverty and starvation. This is man's sinful doing, and not by the hand of a just and good God. It is man's wicked pride that causes him to resist God, reject the Holy Bible, and live without the life of God...

Ephesians 4:18, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”

Man's biggest problem is selfish pride...

Proverbs 16:5, “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.”

Sinful pride causes men to become their own final authority, insanely convincing themselves that they know more than God...

Proverbs 16:2, “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.”

Oh, listen my friend, the sooner that you submit to God by coming to Him through faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, He'll give you the gift of forgiveness of all your sins and eternal life. Jesus doesn't forgive sins! He has already paid for everyone's sins. To be saved, a man needs to simply receive God's gift of forgiveness by faith in the Gospel.

No person will ever be truly happy until they submit to God's authority. Every person, I don't care who you are, either fears God or you do not. I choose to fear God, for I must one day be held accountable for my every thought (Proverbs 24:12), word (Matthew 12:36) and deed (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). And so also must you! The greatest safeguard against committing sin is a healthy fear of God. We all stray away at times, when our heart becomes hardened with pride, but the happiest man is the man who fears God the most.

Proverbs 28:14, “Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.”

The Sad Story of Hollywood Actor Angelina Jolie

I heard in the news yesterday that Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt. For unclear reasons, she has refused to eat in recent months, now withered away to just 79 pounds in weight. What good is Miss Jolie's $200,000,000 net worth now? All her money cannot give her the enjoyment of a decent meal, or a healthy body to enjoy it. She is only 41 years old! In fear of death, per her doctor's recommendation, she has had both healthy breasts surgically removed and replaced with silicone implants, because her mother died prematurely of breast cancer. Miss Jolie has also had her ovaries removed and her fallopian tubes. I feel sorry for Angelina Jolie, who grew up Roman Catholic, has made atheist comments, but now seems to be embracing a one world religious view. It is clear she is not a born-again Christian. She has also adopted several children of various ethnicities. She might as well change her name to “Miss New World Order.”

The daughter of a great preacher has wisely said:

“It seems to me that the human race is bent toward being unhappy, and I am no exception. Apart from Christ, every human being is prone to spend his life pursuing one quest. That quest could be phrased in this way: 'I want to be happy, and I want everyone and everything to make me happy.' Yet it seems that the more this becomes our quest, the more happiness eludes us. In fact, the more happiness becomes our quest, the more depression we tend to bring upon ourselves.”

God loves Angelina Jolie, and if she ever realizes it, she'll come to Jesus Christ to be saved...

“There's not a single person in this house this morning, who's unsaved, but what wouldn't be saved if you realized that the Creator of the universe loves you!” —Pastor Jack Hyles, a precious quote from the awesome MP3 sermon titled, "How To Love God More.”

As we progress into the satanic New World Order, the different religious denominations are losing their distinctives and purity, each jumping onto the one-world bandwagon. Contrary to what most people have been taught, there will not be a One World Religion; but rather, the existing religions will share a common New World Order religious viewpoint, that will lead them under the control of the Antichrist. Here is proof of what I say... Pope Francis Preparing For Antichrist (2.7 million Lutherans now absorbed into Catholicism). All of Angelina Jolie's wealth and fame cannot save her from the judgment and fires of Hell to come.

Proverbs 10:2, “Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.”

Proverbs 11:4, “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.”

The “righteousness” which the Holy Bible speaks about in the preceding Scriptures is not our own flawed self-righteousness; but rather, the blessed imputed righteousness of God, which comes only through faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved by God's righteousness, and never our own! But as a born-again believer, God rewards us for our own personal righteousness. The former relates to salvation, but the latter relates to discipleship. Discipleship is not mandatory for salvation.

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Find Your Self Worth in God's Love for You, Not Appearance

We live in the plastic surgery capital of the world in America. Millions of people, especially women, aren't content with the way God made them. I am bald and I like the way God made me. I don't want fake hair. I like who I was created to be by God. I want to appear the way God intended for me to appear. The shocking photo to the right is Marilyn Monroe in the morgue. She was only 36 years old! Death is just around the corner for all of us my friend. Are you ready to meet your Maker. Miss Monroe was not! Are you born again? Are you right with God?

May I kindly say as a friend, to you ladies, unless it is absolutely unavoidable never get breast implants, because they are fake and don't produce any natural heat on their own, and there's constant fear of the silicone implants leaking internally if your breasts are bumped. What a horrible way to survive. That's not living! If you have them already, then it's a done deal, and I am not trying to discourage you. Make the best of what it is, as I do with my permanent neck injury (stenosis, radiculopathy, et cetera). I don't like my neck injury, but I accept it as God's permissive will in my life. I suffer every day, all day, but it draws me closer to God.

God is a good God. Hollywood curses in the Lord's name millions of times accumulatively each and every day all across the world in their tens-of-thousands of hellish movies. “God d_mn this” and “God da_n that”! Deuteronomy 5:11, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”

I saw a woman the other day, who was walking down the street in shorts, with a gigantic dark green tattoo on her left leg—which looked like a Great white shark took a big bite out of her leg. It looks stupid! It looks absolutely awful! Ladies, don't get a tattoo, please don't! It defaces God's beautiful handiwork of the human body. Tattoos are nothing more than free advertisements for the sinful world. Everybody is getting tattoos these days. Not me! I've never received a tattoo. I like who God naturally made me.

Do you know what is really sad and tragic? I was watching a YouTube video today about Brad and Angelina divorcing. The man in the video said there was tension in the “Brangelina” marriage because of their broadening difference in “sexual market value.” Yes, as insane as that sounds, it is a very sad reality in America today, especially in Hollywood. A once beautiful sexy woman who is now withering away at only 79 pounds of body weight, who has lost her breasts and reproductive organs at age 41, has lost most of her “sexual market value” in American society. The man in the YouTube video is sadly correct. In our decadent American society, looks is everything. It is a proven fact that more attractive women, and women with larger breast size, get better jobs and careers.

Do you know why we need wisdom? It is because God is not here to make our decisions for us. Wisdom is knowing how to best handle a situation. Proverbs 4:7 says that wisdom is the principle thing. In fact, here's a Bible verse that teaches wisdom is to be desired above everything else by which it may be compared. That means wisdom is worth more than all the money in the world.

Proverbs 8:11, “For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.”

Kindly, Angelina Jolie lacks wisdom. What good is $200,000,000 when she cannot eat properly and is sickly at a mere 79 pounds? Miss Jolie is a part of the curse of Hollywood, promoting all manner of filthy and wickedness through movies. I am not condemning Angelina, for the law of God condemns all humanity as wicked sinners. The only difference between me and Angelina is that my sins have been washed away by the precious blood of Jesus. That same saving grace is available to Angelina by the power of the Gospel, but she continues to reject God's gift of eternal life and forgiveness of sins. Angelina Jolie needs the Lord Jesus Christ, and I pray and hope that one day she'll receive Him, before it is too late!

Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Psalms 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

Fools despise wisdom and instruction. That's what the Bible says. Wisdom is fearing God, because it is the best thing to do. If you are wise, then you will take heed to the advice I am offering you. I am appealing unto your soul to submit yourself to God, so that you can enjoy the peace of God in your soul, and be happy in the Lord, and rejoice that your name is written in Heaven. I have endured many painful hardships and much personal loss in my life, yet God's grace has seen me through it all. Unshakable faith comes from having your faith shaken! The indwelling Holy Spirit of God has never been sweeter to me than He is today. God is good and He is great!
 

Unshakable Faith Comes from Having Your Faith Shaken

I was listening to the King James Bible (which is the only Holy Bible) the other day and the following Scripture impressed upon my heart. Jesus Christ has created all things for Himself. Every living creature has been created to please God. You'll never truly be happy in life until you wholly submit yourself to God. In our text verse, Job said if a man contends with God, he cannot win even one in a thousand debates.

Proverbs 21:30, “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.”

Oh, friend, are you taking these Bible verses to heart? God is never wrong! Everything the Lord does is right! Who are we, mere clay with a spirit, to question and place the God of the universe on trial. I choose rather to trust God, though He slay me. In Job 13:15 Job exclaimed that he was determined to trust God, even if it meant being killed by God. Job had suffered much pain and loss. His crops were burned with fire. Job's servants were slain by intruders. Job's children were killed by a tornado. Job's good health was long gone, and he scraped his pussy sores in agonizing pain and misery. Yet, realizing that everything kept going from bad to worse, Job determined in his heart that he was ready to die before he'd ever stop trusting in the goodness of his God.

Be careful before you say that you want Job's kind of faith, because God just may put you to the test as He did Job. Are you ready to suffer inexplicable pain and suffering as did Job. I've been in Job's shoes. Job's health afflictions were only temporal, but mine are permanent. My stenosis, radiculopathy and cervical osteoarthritis aren't going away. Job's wife became discouraged and failed to be a help meet to Job during his afflictions, but she didn't cruelly divorce him and add to his afflictions. I have suffered many woes in my life, but I am not giving up on my God. I may give up on myself, and I did for awhile years ago, but I knew God never gave up on me. I may die for my faith, and that's OK, but I am going to trust upon the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is my God and my Savior!

Proverbs 16:4, “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.”

There is no greater joy than to know you are right with God. This means being born-again by faith alone in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then secondly, as a believer, being right with God requires following Christ by obeying His Word (Discipleship). Discipleship is not required to be saved, but it is definitely required to be right with God as His child. Salvation makes us right with God as His creature. Discipleship makes us right with God as His child.

My friend, the sooner that you submit yourself to God's love, mercy and grace, the better off you'll be. Everyone in life must choose between Heaven or Hell. You either receive God's free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life, by receiving Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, believing that He raised up 72 hours later from the dead; or you will be punished for your own sins in the Lake of Fire forever and ever without mercy or hope. The choice is yours alone to make. 2nd Timothy 2:13, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”

We all must face God one day in eternity. Evildoers will be punished. I am so glad that my sins have been washed away with the precious blood of Jesus. How about you friend?

Proverbs 26:10, “The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.”

Every Child of God Needs Wisdom

God's children can understand all things, because the indwelling Holy Spirit teaches and guides us (John 16:13).

Proverbs 28:5, “Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.”

The Word of God teaches that it is MUCH better to get wisdom than gold (wealth), and to get understanding than silver.

Proverbs 16:16, “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!”

Yet, many Americans spend their youth acquiring massive college loans in an attempt to make money. They don't teach wisdom in the colleges! You cannot obtain wisdom from attending college. Wisdom comes from God (James 3:17). Wisdom begins with fearing God. That means literally being afraid of God if you refuse to obey Him! Most Americans don't fear God (Romans 3:18). Proverbs 19:8, “He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.” How do you get wisdom? You pray, asking God consistently, for wisdom.

James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

God promises to give wisdom to those who ask without wavering. That means, you can't want wisdom one day, but not the next. If you mean business for God and want to obtain wisdom, then pursue it and pray for it.

Proverbs 18:1, “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.”

May I say, wisdom is not knowledge. It is not sound Bible doctrine. It is not love. It is not courage. It is not being smart. It is not intelligence. Such things are not wisdom. There are wicked people who possess all those qualities. There are Bible professors in prison. There are pastors headed for the Lake of Fire. So what is wisdom? Although all these aforementioned qualities are supportive of wisdom, they are not wisdom. Wisdom is being able to analyze a situation, or a problem, or our self, and apply Scriptural principles in a way that pleases and brings glory to God. The reason why fearing God is the beginning of wisdom is because if you fear the Lord, you will listen to Him. God gave us two ears and one mouth to teach us that we ought to listen twice as much as we speak.

Proverbs 13:10, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.”

Most people don't like to heed advice. It is a true that unsought advice is seldom taken and usually resented. When a man fears God, he seeks instruction and wisdom. I want wisdom! I need wisdom! God promises to give me wisdom if I'll ask Him for it. If I acknowledge the Lord in all my ways, He shall direct my paths (Proverbs 3:5-7). There is great peace in wholly submitting to God. Few believers have ever totally submitted to God, giving Him complete control over their soul, body and life.
 

Everyone Will Submit to God Eventually

Romans 14:9, “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Everyone, even the most wicked Christ-rejecters, will one day confess with their tongue that “Jesus is Lord.” They will bow on their knee before Him as King of kings and Lord of lords. Philippians 2:9-11, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Even Satan, the ultimate evildoer, will bow and confess that “Jesus is Lord!” Every creature will confess Christ's Lordship. Why not do it now friend, voluntarily, instead of at the Great White Throne of Judgment, and then be cast into Hell forever to burn and suffer in inexplicable torments? The first step to submitting to God is to get saved. Salvation is a free gift, which does not require confessing Christ's Lordship; but rather, simply receiving Him as one's personal Savior. Then, once you are saved, Christ automatically becomes your Master. Whether you obey Him or not is an entirely different matter of discipleship, and not salvation. Salvation costs us nothing, it is a free gift; but discipleship will cost you everything, which will determine a Christian's rewards in eternity. Here are some excellent contrasts between salvation and discipleship.

“If we could ever hate the sin in ourselves as much as we hate the sin in others, we might have some idea what His [God's] Book is all about.”
—Pastor Jack Hyles (a quote from page 322 of the awesome biography of Dr. Hyles titled, “The Fundamental Man”)