Acts of Submission

by Emily Wooten
Matthew 6:14-18: For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face; That you appear not unto men to fast, but unto your Father which is in secret: and your Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward you openly.
He called us to be faithful. He warned us not to be like the Pharisees, making an outward appearance of fasting. He also warned us not to pray to be seen or heard of men.
Our fellowship with God in prayer and fasting is a private and holy act of submission. We see where Jesus was led into the wilderness, prayed and fasted for forty days. His fast wasn’t in front of the congregation at the temple. His labor in prayer wasn’t in their presence either. The battle with Satan happened while Jesus was alone in the wilderness, separating himself to seek God’s direction.
In Matthew 3 and 4 we see Jesus fresh from being baptized and anointed by the Holy Spirit, the first thing he did was to get away from the multitude of voices that would demand his attention and seek God’s instruction. That is our model for prayer and fasting. In Matthew 6 we see Jesus addressing giving, praying, forgiving and fasting. These are all acts of service and submission to God.
When Jesus was teaching the disciples to pray, he first told them to honor God. In verse 9 it is recorded, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
That is the same attitude we approach God in for submitting our giving, forgiving, prayers and fasting. We know our Righteous, Holy, Father is worthy of our time, money, emotions and desires. As we learn to yield to him as Lord of our life we submit all these things and seek his kingdom first. Recorded in Matthew 7 Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” We just need to make sure the things we are asking, seeking and knocking for are his desires for us.