'What Shall I Do, Lord?' - The Warrior's Journey®

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The speaker is Saul. He’s talking to God and he’s not blowing smoke with the question. He earnestly desires an answer and is ready to execute whatever God tells him to do. He’s finally ready to submit. Were he alive today and serving in the military, Saul would likely be a flag officer. He possessed a multitude of the qualities sought after in a leader within our Armed Forces. No one was more mission-focused. For a long time, however, submission was not on Saul’s radar.

“So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do,” (Acts 22:10, NKJV).

Let me tell you the story surrounding Saul’s decision to submit to God’s will. It has an application for us today. In the days following Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, the Early Church began to grow in Jerusalem. There was much opposition, however, primarily led by the Jewish religious leaders. They wanted to stamp out Christianity before it could get a foothold, and they went to extreme lengths to accomplish this. One of their young leaders was a man named Saul.

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Persecuting the Church

Consider Saul’s own words describing himself: “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished,” (Acts 22:3–5).

Saul was on another mission. He was headed to Damascus in Syria to persecute the church, followers of the sect called the Way. He had letters from the high priest in Jerusalem to the synagogues in Damascus. And he hoped these letters would help him arrest more Christians. But Saul’s life was about to change — radically.

A Change

On the road to Damascus, Jesus appeared to Saul in a vision. There was a blinding light. Saul fell to the ground. He heard a voice from heaven: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul was stunned. He was convinced he had been pursuing the true God with every fiber of his being.

Suddenly, he realized he had been headed in the wrong direction. The rest is history. As the latter part of verse 10 tells us, Jesus told him to go into Damascus and await orders. Saul obeyed. Saul’s name was later changed, and we know him as the apostle Paul. He was a great missionary and writer of 25 percent of the New Testament under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Once Paul finally submitted to the Lord, God used this man in amazing ways to tell others about Christ.

Purpose

Let’s be honest. Submission is not a popular concept. Our natural bent as humans is to be in control. We want to be in charge of our lives and do things our way. Years ago, a fast-food chain ran a series of ads on television. The catch line was “Have it your way!” The ad seemed to work effectively as multiplied thousands made a beeline to the restaurant so they could have food “their way.”

Nice thought, but God doesn’t work that way. Firstly, He never has, and He never will. Secondly, He is the Author and Creator of the universe. He has created us in His love and mercy. He has made each one to love Him and to serve Him. We have purpose in life. The starting point for each person is to submit to the authority and rule of our Heavenly Father. How? By accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior. He came to this world to save us from our sin. He died for you and me. By trusting in His Name we have forgiveness for our sin. But we have much more. We have the assurance of eternity with the Lord.

Marines and sailors bow their heads during the chaplain's invocation at Marine Wing Support Squadron 373's transfer of authority to MWSS-272 at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, March 27. The transfer of authority ceremony not only symbolized the end of MWSS-373's operational responsibilities in support of Regional Command Southwest, but served as a beginning to MWSS-272's commitment in support of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) and its coalition partners in Afghanistan.

Submission to God

We also have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us live out our lives on this earth in obedience to God. But submission doesn’t start and end with becoming a Christian. Certainly, this is only the beginning. Moreover, it’s a lifelong process, and it’s not easy. But it’s God chosen route for us to be conformed to the image of His Son. Military men and women know that basic training, regardless of the branch, is only the beginning. It gets the warrior to start along the right path. Growth and development continue to occur throughout a career. Even generals and admirals continue to learn and develop. The Christian life is like this.

This side of heaven, we never stop growing and learning. Therefore, submission applies to every area of our lives. Submission to God also means relating to our fellow human beings with an attitude of humility. You can’t name any kind of relationship with other people where submission doesn’t apply — marriage, parenting, work, community, church, etc.

Let me assure you that every human being struggles with submission. In addition, it’s wired into our sinful nature. But know that submission is doable, but not in our own strength. Furthermore, we must depend on the Lord and the power of His Spirit. Don’t allow yourself to become discouraged with setbacks. On a given day, you may be able to submit beautifully up to a certain point. Then a test comes and you blow it. Join the crowd. We all fail in our efforts to submit. The key is not to quit. Keep trying!

 


The content of this article comes from “The Warrior’s Bible” (2014) and is copyrighted by Life Publishers International. Used with permission.

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