James 4:7
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Romans 8:7
"For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot."
1 Peter 5:6
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,"
Ephesians 5:21
"Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."
James 1:22-26
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless."
Ephesians 5:21-33
"Submitting to one another OUT OF REVERENCE FOR CHRIST. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ..."
Ephesians 5:1 "5 Therefore be IMITATORS OF GOD, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Notice capitolized words in Ephesians 5, "out of reverence for Christ" and "imitators of God."
When we submit to governing authorities who have asked us to sinfully accept that which is unbiblical we must decline the leader to obey Christ.
If a woman were told by her husband that she must abort her baby, she must say no to him to obey God in not murdering innocent human life.
If a woman is asked to watch pornography with her husband, she must say no to obey Christ.
There are many other examples, but two should be enough to make the point.
Acts 5:28-30 "…28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.” 29 But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree.…"
When the apostles were commanded by the authority over them not to preach the gospel, they were bound by Christ to decline to obey the authority to obey Christ.
Anyone who chooses to judge another believer for refusing to do sinful things when commanded by their authority, these people are walking is rebellion against God and have no right to judge those who obey Christ. The best thing to do with these people is to get away from them while ignoring their counsel. They have the power to destroy your witness and even your marriage along with other relationships.
If a disobedient rebellious person attempts to ruin your relationships, they will only be able to do it with those who are not true friends, let those friends go as they choose to believe the gossipers.
There is no more joyful place to be than in the center of God's Will. Let the gossipers do their thing, they can never destroy our joy through their tactics, because the devil that motivates them has no power over the Holy Spirit Who lives in us.
They can isolate us, demean and mock but they can never remove our joy, our peace and our resolve to obey Christ. Remember....the reward is coming, not on this earth, but soon, it is worth waiting for and will last an eternity. Hallelujah!!!
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