The word submission is an interesting word, don’t you think? Per Membean, the prefix sub-, with its variants suc-, suf-, sug-, sup-, and sur-, all mean “under”, and sub– is the most common form of this prefix. A submarine, for instance, travels “under” the sea. A subway is the way to travel “under” a city. When you have a subpar performance, it is “under” what it should be. And a subterranean cave is “under” the earth.

With that insight, it’s easy to understand that the word submission means “under the mission”. A fuller definition to consider might be yielding control to a more powerful or authoritative entity in support of the main mission. In essence, aligning to a strategy or mission by voluntarily yielding to work in partnership under the leader of that vision.

This is evidenced when, for example, the people of God submit to the will of God and refuse to take matters into their own hands. Another example is when a wife submits to a husband as the husband submits to God. Both the husband and the wife are in submission. That explains a lot, doesn’t it, when a woman has a hard time being in submission to her husband it is considerably likely that the husband may be having a hard time being in submission to God!

On an individual level, here’s another way of looking at submission that ties directly in with Paul’s exposit in Romans 7 when he lamented “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Although our spirits have been fully redeemed the moment of salvation, our souls are in a lifetime process of transformation. Notice I didn’t say REformation, I said TRANSformation. Prefixes are important! Reformation is taking the same substance and re-working it. Transformation is removing the old and replacing it with new (in Christ we are a new creation, the old has passed – 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Okay so back to Paul’s lamentation. He’s talking about the yet-to-be-fully transformed part of his soul that is NOT in submission, is NOT yielded. I’ll give you an example. Your soul (or what some may call the “flesh”) tells you “go ahead, one extra bite won’t harm anything… just one more bite… just one more… well now you may as well finish the whole thing, no need in letting something this tasty go to waste!”  Or it might say something like “no one knows your fantasies, one little fantasy doesn’t hurt anyone”; or “take this shortcut when no one is looking, it’s easier”.  Notice a pattern of indulgence? Your soul behaves like an undisciplined child who is always screaming to have his own way, and I think we all know what it’s like trying to negotiate with a spoiled child! 

So what is the remedy for that? How do we send our souls to obedience school? If you desire to advance in your transformation, your soul must be in submission to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to do the work within you in a way that only He can.  Fasting is, to me, the ultimate way of disciplining your soul, helping it to “come under the mission”. Pay attention to what your soul craves, then FAST (abstain from) that thing. Each time your soul pipes up and screams, tell it to sit down and shut up until the fast is over. The more often you discipline your soul, the faster your transformation will take place.

Do you remember the Tide commercial that shows a guy being interviewed by a potential employer, but all the employer can focus on is the talking stain on his shirt? Think of the soul as the talking stain. Sometimes it is so loud that it becomes all you hear, keeping you from hearing any other voices including God’s. The benefit of an obedient soul is that your soul becomes quiet, like a weened child (Psalm 131:2), allowing you to lean on Jesus, feel His breath on your cheeks, and hear His heart beat.