In each of the levels of FreedomMinistry, the heart is a discipline to be practiced to walk out the newly found freedom. In Level 3, Serving Leaders, that discipline is submission. The source motivation of obedience is submission. Leaders serving in kingdom culture must be more servants. They are friends of God who surrender to serving as the heart of their King. They don’t do check lists. They present a fully consecrated life for kingdom purposes.
Submission means “to place at the disposal of.” Obedience motivated by submission is different from “go along to get along” and “just do enough to get by.” Although submission is voluntary, it is more than volunteerism. Submission is active, focused surrender.
Hebrews 12 reveals the discipline strategy of the Father. Yes, we deal with the Father in discipline and submission: He disciplines; we submit. When He disciplines, He is responding to us as true children. When we submit, we are responding to Him as true children.
This is the very heart of discipling. Someone other than ourselves to whom we submit stops unwanted behavior and creates habits of righteousness; our submission to their discipline changes our heart motivations. We gain something we cannot provide ourselves.
Hebrews 12 explains that one way discipline comes into our lives is through earthly fathers. This is valid discipline, designed by God, but imperfect in that earthly fathers tend to discipline us for what they see is good. Our Heavenly Father, on the other hand, disciplines us to establish what is best for us. Really best for us.
Here obedience without limits is developed because the sense of submission is endurance. We submit to His discipline without quitting, pushed beyond our limits of obedience or left to stand where we are in rebellion.
God’s Word follows this path of discipline: It is profitable for teaching, reproving, correcting, and training in right doing so God’s man has everything he needs to do anything he’s supposed to do. 2 Timothy 3:16 Discipling is more than informing through teaching. Everyone in Scripture who is given authority to teach has the accompanying authority to discipline.
