Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Why did Jesus Respond the Way He Did When His Family Came to See Him?

Why did Jesus not go to His family when they sent for Him? And why did He respond as He did to their visit? These are great questions and ones that I will tackle in this blog post. The nerve, you say! Hang on, I believe what the Lord shared around this same time in His Word really answers these questions for us, although somewhat indirectly. He truly experienced everything that we do even though His family and followers knew He was the Son of God.. Remember, He never minced or wasted words, and I believe everything He said then and says now is to encourage us that whatever we face, He faced first and He had it worst.

Three Scriptures give us clues as to reasons for His response when He was told His family had came to see Him and wanted Him to come to them. We are not told whether He went to them eventually, but He certainly did not drop what He was doing to obey their summons. Instead, He used it as a teachable moment. Jesus told us in several Scriptures what might have been the scenario to explain His response to His followers about his visiting relatives..

First, He told us what type of response to our calling we might expect from our families:
"A prophet is not without honor but in his own home." This same statement was made in three somewhat different ways but with the same meaning. People who are familiar with you have a difficult time recognizing you for who you are in Christ, especially regarding His equipping and giftings to do His bidding. Let's look at these accounts.

In Matthew 13:57, 
"So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.
In Mark 6:4, 
"But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.
John 4:44
"For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country."
Second, and in connection to the first point, we see that, "He could not do many miracles there but healed a few sick people." This was in His Home town. We are told their level of unbelief was so great that miracles did not flow in that atmosphere. Here is the account in Mark 6:1-6.
Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. 4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
You've heard it said, "familiarity breeds contempt." People are offended when they perceive that you are trying to hold yourself out as special. The contempt comes from that offense. They are offended that you think you're special. This offense is quite blinding because if they were to stop and submit to God, then they would realize that they, too, are special. That is by God's design. Everyone of us is a unique version of ourselves. Not even the most identical of identical twins are exactly identical. We each have our own unique set of finger prints, tongue print (yes, I said, tongue), eyes, body shape, and the list goes on. And that's before we include the spiritual gifts each person received from God that are unique to them. The point is, there ought not be any competition among us. Jealousy is a device of the evil one to bring disunity. We should rejoice when people are yielded to God in using all of who they are to glorify Him, and to expand His Kingdom.


Third, and this is our focus, in Matthew 12, Jesus was busy ministering God's Word when His earthly family came to visit Him so they requested that He come to them at the gate. His response was shocking to say the least, especially to moms. Here is the account in Matthew:

Matthew 12:46-50
46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”              48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”  49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, Here are My mother and My brothers!  50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.
And in Mark:

Mark 3:31-35
31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.”   33 But He answered them, saying, Who is My mother, or My brothers?”   34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.
Note His response: "Who is my mother, my brother, and my sister, but those who do the will of God." This is what the Lord quickened to me recently: it is very common, if not expected, that one's own family has a very difficult time receiving the person as anything other than their sibling, daughter, son, mother, father, etc. And perhaps more so if they are a minister and used by God in many ways that honestly are even needed within that family. But you would be hard-pressed to do any miracles there because the lack of receptivity and unbelief would be so high. It is impossible? Of course not. But Jesus was saying that's the norm so get used to it. And I believe we are to be humble about it but not let it overshadow, dumb down or  thwart the ministry God does through us. No need to be obnoxious but not need to become a turtle either. 

Yes, I believe His family came to see Him during such a period of, for lack of a better word, "dishonor." Notice, they summoned Him to come to them. If you really believed in His ministry and that your big Brother and Son was the Son of God, would you summon Him like a little boy while He was working, or go to Him or better yet, wait until He was done to see Him afterwards. I realize some of this seems like conjecture as I flesh this out but given what Jesus was saying, it just might have been the case. It is at least not inconsistent which with very words of encouragement to His disciples. 

What do you do when you hold a person in higher esteem than yourself? Do you summon them to your presence or do you go to where they are, and wait for them if per chance you can get a personal meeting? It's the dignitary's schedule one needs to fit into not the other way around. Get my point? Jesus was having this very challenge in His life and so He encouraged us with the Scripture that we can expect to be dishonored among our own blood relatives and not to be surprised because He was first. And since we are not the King of kings and Lord of lords, it should be even more expected in our lives. God will use you with those who are willing to received His ministry through you. However, through His grace and mercy our own just might come into the fold and join hands as they choose to. In the meantime, we remain humble and love and serve our families according to God's plan....always. 

So let's take all of this together. You will notice all tree of these points happen in close proximity in the Scriptures. Therefore, this should lend credibility to my main point that Jesus was experiencing this rejection and persecution among his family and countrymen. As a matter of fact the Gospels explicitly tell us this even in the Messianic OT Scriptures such as Isaiah 53:1-9. 

Isaiah 53:3 
He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 
That is why He focused His ministry on those who cared to receive it. Many followed Him, some were presented to Him by family members, while others sent for Him. Jesus never forced Himself into anyone's life or heart, neither did He use any forceful or manipulative ways to get anyone to either listen to His message or follow Him. That must always be by a person's free will. And of course, to love Him is to obey Him and to follow in His footsteps. Disciples are followers, not those who give lip-service only but those who are connected to the Vine and bear fruit. (See John 15 where Jesus taught His disciples lessons about the Kingdom in a vineyard).

Again, I believe the Lord is encouraging us that unless "called upon" by Holy Spirit or given an invitation in some form by the receivers who are family members, friends, or associates, to 'minister' in our giftings - whether it is deliverance, healing, prayer, etc. - we are to be , the loving spouse, sibling, son, daughter, or parent, until there is that willingness to receive from the Lord through us - via our physical tent and spiritual giftings. Sometimes it just won't happen, while at other times, by God's amazing grace, change takes place so that God would be able to use you among your own. When that happens, it's a glorious and beautiful time. But all of the glory must go to Him.

This is not a pleasant business and long-suffering, patience, and perseverance are crucial in these times and situations. However, I believe it keeps us humans ministers humble as God continues to build our character of loving in all situations. This happens when not everyone accepts us in terms of our gifts right away, otherwise, we will feel the need to always be considered special or set apart and not in the way God intended it. Until we can responsibly administer our gifts, God allows some to dishonor us but woe to those who do when it is undeserving. And to those who glorify Him in how He uses us, He offers blessings. I have seen it so many times. 

I can think of not better words to end this post than those of Jesus when He said in 
Matthew 10:40-42: 


“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
God bless you, friends. Please remember to post a comment if this has blessed you in anyway. 



Saturday, March 14, 2015

It's a War but Not a Very Fair One - We Fight from a Place of Victory!

Friends, I wanted to share some new revelation that may not be new to some folks but it is new to me. Nevertheless, I believe it's important to get the living meaning of these two Scriptures especially for the days in which we live. In both instances, revelation came as someone else was praying. The Scriptures are:

John 10:10  - "The thief does not come but to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I [Jesus] come to give life and it more abundantly."

and ...

Philippians 4:13  - "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." 

Now, if you would hold onto and meditate on these two Scriptures, I believe God will use them to breathe new life, new fire, and a new sense of victory into you over all that you are facing. And although we are wrestling not against flesh and blood in this life but again the powers of the air, and against principalities, and rulers of darkness, know this: We "wrestle" from the place of victory. That is, we have already won. There really is no contest. What we need to wrap our minds, souls, and spirits around is the fact that Jesus is on His throne having finished His work and enabling us to continue and to finish ours. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places according to Ephesians 2. Here's some fire power for you from Ephesians 2:4-6:

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
As this word is percolating in me, I am so encouraged and I know this is a now word for many of you. Take it as yours and God will use it to strengthen you now and in the days to come.  If you never knew before, God is on your side, He is doing battle for you in the unseen realms. The victory has already been won. Accept it by faith and see the manifestation of this word.

1. The Revelation of John 10:10 From a Time of Intercessory Prayer

My fellow intercessors and I were in prayer and as usual the Lord was moving in the way He wants to. The meetings are never the same twice. This time, my friend was praying for, oh my, I don't quite remember but she is a "political" intercessor so it may have had something to do with government either Kingdom or natural. I do not recall exactly. But as she prayed a word came from the Word. Jesus was showing a new dimension of John 10:10 and it really is the crux of the entire Gospel message. It is this: Whatever the enemy does, God comes and destroy the his works. That is why Jesus came to earth, "to destroy the works of the devil." That is why we, His people, are still here to destroy the works of the evil one, plundering hell to populate heaven. 

Oh, yes, I remember now, my friend was praying and reporting about the droves of people coming to Christ in Iran during this ISIS and other such groups' reign (and rain) of terror. And the Lord rose up and said that just as in John 10:10, "the thief does not come but to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I [Jesus] come to give life and it more abundantly." It means that where the enemy has come and has stolen, has killed, and has destroyed, Jesus comes and brings resurrection life and replenishes with abundant life. Everything the enemy has done is reversed and God adds to it even more. Do you realize what that can do to a life knowing what the enemy has done that it only provides opportunity for God to show up and to show Himself strong? It's cause to rejoice, because if you are in Christ, as you keep looking up, you can only win, and you can only rise. You are in fact, moving "from glory to glory." (2 Corinthians 3:18.) 

The valley of the shadow of darkness was never a place to set up a habitation but it's a place of transition (Psalm 23). It is a place we go through and during this time He is right there with us. It is not a time to let fear take hold. His rod and staff are right there to guide and to give us and to give us the authority to overcome. The valley is also the place where we absolutely need and we do see the miracles of God. On the mountain top in His presence, we don't need miracles because He is right there with us, only in a different manner. We can say the "valley" is this world, where the mountain top, the place of glory is His place: wherever His presence is sought as the primary purpose for meeting.

Back to our John 10:10 focus where everything Jesus does, subverts what the enemy has done from the very beginning when man sinned in the Garden of Eden. Nothing has changed. Remember the Scripture in Ephesians 2, "even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus...

There is nothing the enemy does to us that Christ cannot bring us back from. Jesus is the Divine Undoer of all that evil does or tries to do to us. 

The bottom line is, although we experience temporary setbacks ... 

WE ARE VICTORS EVERY TIME.


2. The Revelation of Philippians 4:13 From a Time of Prayer With a Senior Executive

While praying I saw that this person was able to carry large pieces of furniture on their back and shoulders. The particular piece of furniture that was the focus of the vision was a large wooden desk. And what the person was demonstrating was something they had learned from expert; that is holding the head in a particular manner allowing one to lift huge pieces with weights the average  human could not. During this vision, I remember the person wanted me to learn the same technique but I turned away and refused to look at any more because they were about to try lifting something even larger and heavier. I refused because I did not trust the technique and besides, why would I want to carry large pieces of furniture on my back and shoulders. That notwithstanding, there was something alluring about being able to do these feats of superhuman strength.

Then the Lord brought to mind that Scripture: Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." And this is what the Lord wants us to know. The head symbolizes intellectual power and intellectualism. And yes, man can accomplish as lot but he is still quite limited in that area given we only use a small percentage of our brains. It a bit controversial exactly how much that is. Nevertheless, the Lord is showing that in our own strength we can only handle one major thing at a time and eventually it will do us in. It has to. It will either be our work, hence the big desk, or whatever the major thing is in your life right now that you are doing in your own strength. And in this vision, the executive is carrying the desk on the shoulders and back, which is a tremendous strain no matter what it all looks like at the time. That means the work is 

1. a burden - too heavy for the person operating in their normal strength
2. the master
3. all-encompassing*
4. robber of wholeness 
5. robber of peace
6. administers a dangerous amount of  pressure
7. is a subverter because you are under it as you carry it.
8. *you can do nothing else while carrying it whether personal or otherwise, meaning some tasks, things, and people will be left unattended. 

And I'm sure there is more.  

On the other hand, however, once a person makes the shift, not operating in their intellectual power and the strength of the soul, but in the Spirit in submission to God, that person can do all things in Christ Jesus. That means he or she is no longer limited to one main focus but as they flow in the Spirit directed by the Lord, they can do multiple tasks of equal weight or importance. But the key is what they do will be fruitful since without Him what they do is not - at least in His eyes.  In the Spirit we are limitless, in the natural, we are limited to our natural abilities even when they are admirably superior to the abilities of others.

I am saying you may be incredibly gifted and extremely impressive but if you are not submitted to God, operating in His Spirit, you are very limited in what you can accomplish compared to what you can accomplish in Him.

I don't know about you, but that really rocks my world. As a matter of fact, both of these revelations encourage me to seek God more. The first one causes me be focus on what God is doing even more because what the enemy meant for bad God invariably turns it around and uses it, turning it into good.  The second revelation is super encouraging because, although I seem to be working a lot of things at once, as long as it's in the Spirit directed by Him, I can handle it. The key is that it must not be motivated by my own intellect but by His Spirit.

We are not looking to do what we want asking God to bless it, we want to do what God is blessings. Not original but so very true.

God bless you all! I hope you are as super encouraged by this word as I am.

Shalom.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Submission Series: Part 2: Submission vs. Alignment: Why I'm Determined to Change my "Tune"

SUBMISSION, PART 1 RECAP

In the first installment in this "Submission" series, we looked at "Submission: A Surprising Key, now updated to "Submission: A Surprising Key to Peace, Power, Love, and Sound Mind." I shared about how submission to God brings peace and freedom from fear and the ability to operate in His power, love, and sound mind. We learned that, as a believer, submission to God means submitting to an all-powerful and all knowing, all seeing perfect Father Who is Himself, Love. The corollary is that not submitting to His love opens us up to bondage to a spirit of fear which wreaks havoc on our lives. 

SUBMISSION, PART 2 - SUBMISSION VS. ALIGNMENT

This will be a somewhat shorter post but I believe a very important one. This post also deals with the issue of SUBMISSION, albeit a subsequent point than submitting to God in the first place. Here I will deal with a term I tend to use with greater and greater frequency. However, I am determined to change my tune and to say the word submission instead of one that is not synonymous but used as if it were. That word that is a very popular term in contemporary Christianity is ALIGNMENT. This is, admittedly a term I use quite often in terms of alignment with God's plan for our lives. Another word that is used is the word AGREEMENT. Now two of these three words are found in the Bible: Submission and Agreement. Alignment is not. What's the big deal you ask? I believe there is a significant difference and that we need to get back to the Biblical term and meaning lest we lose the effectiveness of Submission. I intend to change my tune, perhaps you might, too.

This post is about differentiating between the terms submission, which is not very popular in today's environment or culture, and alignment, which is much more palatable in our culture today. However, nowhere in Scripture do I see anything about aligning with God, either explicitly or implicitly. Always, there is the sense of submitting to God's will because He is the superior force, He lovingly points us in the right direction, obedience leads to blessing, and disobedience leads to very bad circumstances, whether or not you are comfortable with the term curses. To disobey God, takes us out of the covenantal relationship of GRACE and places us back under the LAW and its impossible standards. It may not happen the first time, but habitually disobeying God is a sign of not wanting Him as Lord and Savior so that His protective hand recedes from our lives in greater measure leaving us as targets for the enemy of our souls.

I believe when we veer away from biblical standards and terminology we lose something in the meaning as well as the force and power of the words. Obviously, this does not apply to everything but when a word like "submission" has been replaced with "alignment" as different as those meanings are, we begin to lose sight of what God means to convey and therefore, the true effect of the word.

THE WORDS & THEIR MEANINGS

Let's take a look of the meanings of these three words: Submission, Agreement, and Alignment. We will then focus specifically on "Submission vs. Alignment."


1. Submission means, "yielding to a superior force". 

God is clearly the Superior Force. He does not run His Kingdom by committee, although He allows us to partner in the work of the Kingdom, there is a reason we are called His children. We are not His equals, no matter how friendly we are with Him. Jesus was given all authority over everyone but the Father. We submit to God. 

James 4:7:"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. In the home, the woman is to submit to her husband, but the husband is also to submit to the wife. He is, however, the leader in the home.

2. Agreement means, "harmony, accordance, [concurrence] in opinion or feeling."

Agreement signifies equal power to disagree or agree. Harmony carries with it a sense of equality. We are not equal to God in authority. He is King and Father. Where the Bible speaks of agreement, it is not agreement between man and God but man and man. 

Amos 3:3: "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed."  


Matthew 18:19: "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven."

3. Alignment means "arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate relative positions" or "a position of agreement or alliance". 

In other words, this alignment can be either lateral (side by side). Horizontal alignment implies that the parties are on equal footing, where is no indication of hierarchy. Alignment may also be vertical; however, this would add ambiguity to the term. Is it horizontal or vertical alignment? By simply using the word "alignment," we have no idea. That is unless you add the words vertical or horizontal and even then, there is no indication of submission. Only "submission," or a synonym, means submission. Therefore, the word, "submit" would work best if a hierarchy is being communicated. But notice that the word "alignment" can square with the word "agreement" more than it can with the word "submission." However, there is no indication of yielding to a superior force as alignment and agreement often signal equality.

MORE ABOUT SUBMISSION IN SCRIPTURE

Jesus' submission to God in the Garden of Gethsemane

Since Jesus is our Model, this bears repeating. The Lord clearly had a choice whether to go to the Cross and die for all of mankind to be redeemed to God. He was determined to remain submitted to God even to death, when "He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. (Matthew 26:39). As One under authority, He deferred to the will of the Father. Jesus, God incarnate, submitted to His Father. It was not about alignment but submission; He was under the authority of the One Who had sent Him. The Gospels are particularly full of Scriptures where He is referring to His Father as the One who sent Him, Who gave Him authority, and Who He sought to please at all times. We must never forget that while Jesus was engaged in His earthly ministry, He did not equate Himself with God but submitted Himself under the rule of His Father. In that way, He showed us how to do submit to God's rule.

The Centurion and Jesus reaction to his discernment
Matthew 8:9 - "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.

Here, the Roman centurion recognizes that Jesus does nothing of His own will but in submission to God in everything. Jesus was amazed at this man's understanding of the Kingdom. To be under authority is to be in submission.

Paul on submission

Ephesians 5:22: "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." (And also in Colossians 3:18.)
This is self-explanatory with the understanding that the husband is himself submitted to the Lord. So think of God's umbrella of protection and covering over the husband, while the husband is the umbrella of protection and covering over the wife.
Romans 10:1-4: "Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of GodFor Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
Here, Paul was referring to Israel and their zeal for God without actual knowledge of God because they were not submitted to Him but their own idea of righteousness. No doubt Paul was referring to the adherence to Moses' law when Christ the fulfillment of the Law had come. Change had come, the Deliverer they yearned for from the very beginning had been sent by God but they failed to recognize Him. Instead, most of them dug their heels into their status quo, refusing to bend to the One they claimed to serve . 
Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject [submitted] to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
 God supports social order and governmental authority. It is difficult for some that even bad leaders are subject to, whether or not they realize it, and that God appoints them for reasons He alone completely understand. But if we hearken back to rulers like King Saul, the people asked for a human ruler instead of God, and so they were given one. Saul was not a submissive King but he was placed in his position by God. David, on the other hand was submitted to God, in spite of his failings. He was a man after God's heart. 

A very important caveat to submitting to man's rule: 
Laws from any government, which are in derogation of  God's laws are not be obeyed. It is better to offend man than to offend God.

Peter on Submission
1 Peter 2:13-17: "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme or 14 to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God.17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king."
Like Paul, Peter also weighed in on submission to the ruling authorities in honor of God, who rules all. But this passage is laden with practical advice for success as a good citizen. 

1 Peter 5:5: "Likewise you younger people,submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
Here Peter addresses the young, offering counsel about submitting to elders, as well as to one another. Can you imagine what this world would be like if we really did this. 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love would be a breeze as we would not be seeking our own, we'd be kinder and more other-centered. Such richness here in the Scriptures. But when we think about it, the Lord Jesus Christ operated in the ultimate humility be laying down his glory in heaven to put on human flesh to live among us. However, the best reason, albeit a bit self-serving, is that God is not with the proud, He resists the proud but to the humble gives His grace. 

So when we leave the original meaning and intent of God's Word, we lose the power and force of what He means to accomplish through it. By trying to whitewash and make biblical concepts more palatable we have lost the power of what God is saying. There is a reason He uses the word submit. It's a hard one and everyone loves their independence, especially in America. But it's always better to go with God says over what makes us feel good. 

In the Old Testament, you certainly did not see anything about alignment, neither the word nor the concept, and even in the New Testament, you would be hard pressed to see any need to "align" or even "agree" with God. Don't get me wrong. It's great to agree and align with God but it's not the principal thing. If we trust Him, we would submit, plain and simple. These two terms, agreement and alignment, are more for the sake of unity among us humans. God does not need agreement, although it's always better for all involved when we agree with Him. But we do best for ourselves and everyone involved to submit to Him. A life submitted to God and godly leaders is a life of peace and blessing, even if not the case externally, it certainly is the case internally. 
3 John 1:2 - Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
I am determined to change my tune and will be aiming to change my constant use of the word "alignment" with God's will to "submission" to God's will and His Word. God is not looking for alignment, because He does nothing by committee, as much as He is seeking those who will submit. Submission to God brings a life of blessings, defiance robs us of our peace with God and welcomes the influences of the evil one. Which would you prefer?