By Terry Nance
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.
(Ephesians 6:5–7)
The armorbearer must walk in agreement with and submission to his leader. In order to be an armorbearer, you must have it settled in your heart that according to Romans 13:1–2, all authority is ordained of God. You must make up your mind to submit to your leader in the same way that you submit to Jesus.
The apostle Peter tells us, "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elders" (1 Pet. 5:5). Notice that there are no conditions to this command. (The exception would if an elder or leader were to give instructions that violate the Scriptures. Then, of course, the armorbearer is to obey the higher authority of God's Word. God would never violate His Word. For our purpose here, we will assume that your leader is operating in line with the Bible.)
Most Christians do not understand the true meaning of submission to authority. The Bible teaches that all authority has been instituted by God Himself, so to refuse to submit to God's delegated authority is to refuse to submit to God.
"Oh, but I will always submit myself to God!"
This is a comment I hear quite often. But how can a person claim to be submitted to God if he or she refuses to submit to God's delegated authority?
Many armorbearers declare that they are submitted to their leader, but they really don't have revelation of submission until they learn to submit when they disagree with their leader. This is where they find out what is in their heart—this is the test of true submission.
Can you submit when you disagree with your leader's decision?
We must not look at the person, but at the office he occupies. We do not regard the man, but the position. We obey not the individual himself, but God's authority in him (which will always line up with His Word). Anything less than full submission is rebellion, and rebellion is the principle on which Satan and his kingdom operate.
It is sad to think that we Christians can preach the truth with our lips, but go right on living by a satanic principle in our everyday lives. How can we expect to preach the Gospel to others and bring them under God's authority if we ourselves have not yet fully submitted to that authority?
There is a spirit of independence at large in the Body of Christ today. Independent churches produce independent spirits. We must break this spirit and begin to rightly discern the whole Body of Christ.
Always remember this: God will never establish you as an authority until you have first learned to submit to authority.
Developing the Spirit of an Armorbearer
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Study and meditate on Romans 13:1–2: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."
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Assuming that your leader submits to God's Word, renew your commitment to submit to his spiritual oversight. As you submit to him, in reality you are submitting yourself to God. Both you and your leader will be blessed, and the Gospel will be advanced.
Heavenly Father, I see from Your Word how important it is for me to submit to my leader as I submit to Christ. I believe You have placed him in the position of authority, and I am committed to obey Your Word by submitting to that authority. I thank You for giving my leader the mind of Christ. I pray that He will always obey Your Word and direction and that the Kingdom of God will be advanced. Amen.
Source: God's Armorbearer Devotional by Terry Nance
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
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