Understanding and practising submission and authority is vital to living a successful life on earth. We are also to understand God’s ordained structure of authority. God ordains all structures of authority to begin with. God ordained structures from the beginning in the angelic, demonic, and natural world. Therefore, the structure of authority is spiritual in nature. In other words, spiritual forces flow from the structure of authority. So, if we do not understand this and go against authority, we come against spiritual forces. God will not be on our side because He designed the spiritual and natural world to operate within the confined structures of authority.
Structure of authority means authority is hierarchical. That means there are rankings. In the angelic and demonic world, there are rankings. Some angels are ranked higher than others, and there is a chief angel. For example, Archangels Michael and Gabriel are chief angels in their respective divisions. Satan is ranked highest in the demonic world, and there are four levels of demonic spirits.
There is ranking in the government, schools, armed forces, the church, companies, and others. God designed it to be structured to function effectively and efficiently. Structured authority is God’s design, but the person in authority may not be God’s will. God designed Lucifer to be the highest angel of worship, but God did not intend it to become Satan, the devil.
Submission also has to do with placing. It has to do with ranking. In the corporate world, there are rankings. Likewise, in the spirit world, there are also rankings. So the Heavenly Father is ranked above Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is submitted to Jesus.
Rankings or positions in any organisation are God’s ordained structures of authority. God takes it personally whether we would submit to someone whom He has set over us.
God will give us the grace to be ranked under someone. He will always give us the grace to support our superior.
Submission” in Hebrew also means yielding or taking the lower place.
“Subject” and “subdue” in the Bible have the same meaning as submission.
To submit simply means to yield our way to someone else or someone who is ranked above us. This word is used in the military context; every soldier is given a rank. Officers are ranked above ordinary soldiers, and even among the officers, some are ranked higher than others. In the military, everyone is given a rank.
We do not have an opportunity to submit until our own will differs from those ranked above us.
Submission is not agreement. When we do not agree with the one ranked above us, then we have the opportunity to submit.