Submitted: Part II

Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!

I am back from a week away with family feeling refreshed and well rested. I pray that each of you is resting in the Lord; knowing full well that He is going to perfect every single thing that concerns you! I came back to you ready to post Part II of "Submitted."

I had something else prepared to share, but my experience on yesterday has produced another message. Just before we went away I hurt my knee. Movement was often excruciatingly painful. It got slightly better while we were away; but I was still experiencing pain that made it difficult for me to walk, and nearly impossible to stand for extended amounts of time.

Fast forward to yesterday when we had a wonderful time of worship at church. Because of my injury I was seated through nearly all of the service -- including Praise and Worship and while testifying. This is not typical, but It just hurt too bad to do otherwise. The Word was phenomenal . . . "Guard Your Treasure: Part II!" My husband preached under the power of the Holy Ghost. At the close he made an altar call and some came for prayer.

Now my church family knows that I avail myself always to pray with souls. They looked to me yesterday and I motioned for the an evangelist to work in my stead. My husband, my pastor looked at me and told me to pray for the souls! Here beginneth the lesson! LOL

Of course my mind quickly went to, "I know he sees me in pain!" Then other thoughts raced in like, "He can just pray!" But what I did in an instant was to cast down those thoughts, grabbed the arms of that chair to steady myself, got up and submitted!

As so often happens when we obey the voice of the Lord; there was a demonstration. God wanted to speak into the lives of His people. The prophetic gift He graciously imparted into my life is for the people -- for the profit of all. He wanted to use it. He used my husband/pastor to call it forth. I did not get a lot of explanation from my husband/pastor. He did not take the time to say, "I see you are hurting, but God wants to bless His people." He just told me to move! And because of obedience -- because of submission -- something happened for the people.

Now here's the kicker . . . I got so involved in the move and God's presence that I forgot my pain. After all was done I began to walk back to my chair with my hands lifted up still rejoicing. I heard a soft voice say, "Where's your pain?" I stopped dead in my tracks and put all my weight on that knee. THE PAIN WAS GONE!

I spun around and started lifting up my knee and pointing, in complete shock. Without missing one beat or even looking surprised my husband said on the microphone, 'That is why I told you to pray; God told me that if you would let Him use you -- if you obeyed -- He would heal you!" That's the information that I was not told; and would have forfeited had I not submitted. The healing is real; the pain has not returned.

So how do you submit to leadership? How do you treat leadership? You do what I did. AND, you also do what Sarah did when Abraham came up with his hair brained scheme to pretend to be siblings. You obey. You submit. In either instance -- whether the outcome is immediately favorable or immediately dismal but favorable later -- God will honor His leader; and God will honor those that submit to His leadership.

Every decision the leader makes will not be right -- but we must still treat him/her with respect. Wives, we must run things by our spouses. "Honey, I was thinking of doing thus and so -- WHAT DO YOU THINK?" Do I have to run it by him? No, I'm grown. Yet I do it anyway because that is how you treat a leader. You must build up; not tear down. The leader will not always make the best decision -- but by respecting his/her position we help them rise up and become that great man or woman of God that his/her future dictates.

I thank you God for being pain free today and healed. I thank you for speaking to my husband the instruction that produced my miracle. I appreciate Godly leadership. And, I am willing to submit.

Have a wonderful week in Him!

In Service for the Master,
Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell