Last night, as I was typing out my next perfect day and scriptures I wanted to look up about being submissive, my computer battery died. So this morning will be an ongoing study from last night.
So far, this morning has gone pretty well. I did wake up at 5:40 and said a prayer, got out of bed by 5:49, and am now here in my office at 6:04 studying.
Here are some additional scriptures about submissiveness that I like:
- humble themselves … submitting themselves: Mosiah 21:13
- be humble, and be submissive: Alma 7:23
- led by the Holy Spirit, becoming … submissive: Alma 13:28
- sanctification cometh because of … yielding … unto God: Hel. 3:35
- Submit yourselves therefore to God: James 4:7
What I found interesting about the list of scriptures about submissiveness is that many of them in the Bible are almost negative:
- Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself: Gen. 16:9
- haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him: Ps. 81:15
- not submitted themselves unto the righteousness: Rom. 10:3
- Obey them that have the rule … submit yourselves: Heb. 13:17
I’m not sure why that is. I know that, according to the Book of Mormon, some of the plain and precious truths have been removed from the Bible through translation and passing the doctrine down from generation to generation – wonder if that’s part of the reason?
Another word that it suggests looking up is “yield“. Here are some scriptures that stuck out to me:
- yield yourselves unto the Lord: 2 Chr. 30:8
- root of the righteous yieldeth fruit: Prov. 12:12
- yielding pacifieth great offences: Eccl. 10:4
- Jesus … cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost: Matt. 27:50
- yield yourselves unto God: Rom. 6:13
- why should I yield to sin: 2 Ne. 4:27
- remember … the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one: 2 Ne. 9:39
- natural man is an enemy to God … unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit: Mosiah 3:19
- suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation: Mosiah 15:5
- righteous yieldeth to no such temptations: Alma 11:23
- sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts: Hel. 3:35
- Be faithful, and yield to no temptation: D&C 9:13
I like the cross-reference between submissive and yield. They are similar but sometimes take on a different meaning.
What do “submissiveness” and “yielding” have to do with recovery from addiction?
Submitting my will to God, or yielding myself to the Lord – both are direct signs of HUMILITY. Last night, as Becky and I read in Alma 12, this really stuck out to me as well.
33 …If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son;
34 Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest.
36 And now, my brethren, behold I say unto you, that if ye will harden your hearts ye shall not enter into the rest of the Lord;
37 And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, that we provoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in these his second commandments which he has given unto us; but let us enter into the rest of God, which is prepared according to his word.
I really have two choices – to submit my to God or to harden my heart and willfully rebel against Him.
The one will bring pure happiness and joy, the other will bring misery and death. Is it really THAT hard of a choice?
I think the key word is now AWARENESS. I have to be aware that the two forces are there. I have to always be fortifying myself and my family against the power of the destroyer.
I liked this scripture as well in Alma 12 – which tells of the evil plan of Satan:
5 Now this was a plan of thine adversary, and he hath exercised his power in thee. Now I would that ye should remember that what I say unto thee I say unto all.
6 And behold I say unto you all that this was a snare of the adversary, which he has laid to catch this people, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity.
The devil’s plan is simple – he wants me to be miserable like he is, he wants to hold me captive.
He is clever and well practiced. He’s a “student of the game” and his team is pretty prepared if I ever let down my guard or become complacent.
Humility is such an important part of the plan of happiness:
- Whosoever … shall humble himself as this little child: Matt. 18:4
- he that shall humble himself shall be exalted: Matt. 23:12
- Humble yourselves … and he shall lift you up: James 4:10
- come down in the depths of humility: 2 Ne. 9:42 . ( 3 Ne. 12:2 . )
- becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble: Mosiah 3:19
- Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time … ye have been sufficiently humble: Alma 5:27
- give unto men weakness that they may be humble: Ether 12:27
That last scripture I just listed is so fitting for my situation – Heavenly Father has given me weakness that I might be humble and submit my will to His.
I’m grateful for this understanding.
I look forward to making a concerted effort today to humble myself and submit happily to His will.
Now I’m off to exercise!
Hasta luego!
Nate
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