Biblical Womanhood - Submission to Authority...

Wow - the last two days of messages on Revive Our Hearts have been SUCH A CHALLENGE to my heart... and my specific heart prayer is that the Lord would keep me faithful by His grace to apply what I've learned specifically in these areas of submission that I've been challenged and convicted about!

Here are the two links from John Piper's messages on "The Beautiful Faith of Fearless Submission":
Part 1 - Learning to Live Without Fear: http://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/roh/today.php?pid=9784
Part 2 - What Submission Means: http://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/roh/today.php?pid=9785

At a glance - from Part 1:
I Peter 1:3-7
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.
For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.


"The focus in this message is on the meaning of the submission of a wife to a husband. I’m very, very eager that men and women, old and young, even children, single and married, would hear this as a call to something very strong, very noble, very beautiful, very dignified, very worthy of a woman’s highest spiritual and moral efforts."

At a glance - from Part 2:
Number one: Submission does not mean agreeing with everything your husband says.
Number two: Submission does not mean leaving your brain and your will at the wedding altar. It’s not the inability or the unwillingness to think for yourself.
Number three: Submission does not mean avoiding every effort to change a husband. But if you believe what the Bible says, you conclude paradoxically, “This text calls for submission as a means of changing him.”
Number four: Submission does not mean putting the will of the husband before the will of Christ. And it’s for Jesus’ sake that she submits to him. That’s number four.
Number five: Submission does not mean that a wife gets her personal spiritual strength primarily through her husband.
Number six: Submission does not mean a wife is to act out of fear toward her husband. Submission is the divine calling of a wife to honor and affirm her husband’s leadership and help carry it through according to her gifts. I’ll say it another way. It’s a disposition to follow a husband’s authority and an inclination—notice these are heart words here, not behavior words only—a disposition to follow a husband’s authority and an inclination to yield to his leadershipSubmission does not follow the husband into sin

Nancy Leigh DeMoss comments at the end of the program, "What a beautiful picture Dr. John Piper has given us of marriage the way that God intended it to be... I think it would be appropriate for us to take an Old Testament selah. That means “pause.” Stop and think about what you just heard. [Lisa's note - I would strongly encourage you to make the time to listen to these messages...] And if you’re married, I’m going to ask to you to consider this question: Does your marriage tell the truth about Christ and His church?
I so appreciate the way that Dr. Piper has helped us understand what biblical submission is and what it is not in the context of marriage. When it comes down to it, the ultimate issue is: “Is my heart submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?” If it is, then a reflection of that submission will be seen in my willingness to come under God-ordained human authorities.
So I just want to encourage you to say, “Yes, Lord” to whatever God has said to you today. Maybe there’s even a need for repentance, saying, “Lord, I’ve resisted the authority and the leadership of my husband. I’ve not modeled what it means for the church to submit to Jesus Christ.” And oh, how I pray that our lives as women will model to the world the beautiful faith of fearless submission. "

Dr. John Piper's prayer at the end of these two Revive our hearts programs was, "Father in heaven, I so long for the husbands and wives of our church to grow up into this calling of headship and submission, biblically understood. I long for single people to embrace their singleness, while they have it, as Your calling on their lives and to embrace this vision as You summon them to it.
And I pray for children to get it and to want it, to dream about it someday, and to mature into it sooner than many of our young people do today because they’ve been so ill-taught on the maturities of manhood and womanhood.
And I pray for those who are 60, 70, 80, maybe alone, that they would embrace this vision, pray this vision, teach this vision, command this vision. And God, grant that the world would see Your Son and His covenant-keeping love, and His church modeled in wives in her covenant-keeping love. I pray this now in Jesus’ name, Amen."

May these words continue to challenge and convict our hearts as we desire to not just "say" we want our lives to reflect and glorify our Lord, but actually "act" upon these words by God's grace alone! May you see the Lord's strength and true joy in your life today through acting upon what you've learned...