It's not that God hasn't made provision. It's not that God hasn't Put you in his will. But you gotta be willing to be his companion. Dr. Tony Evans talks about the importance of being spiritually submissive.
Everything God has declared for you will come to you. Not just because you're a Christian, it belongs to those who are submitted to the will of God. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. For many people in our culture, meek equals weak.
But today Dr. Evans disconnects those descriptions as he talks about what genuine strength really is. Let's turn to Matthew chapter 5 as he explains. When most people hear the word meek or gentle, They don't like it. Especially men.
Because to them, that means weak. That means indecisive. Wishy-washy.
Well, the Bible would say that would be an insult to Jesus. Since he is called meek in scripture. No, nothing could be. Further from the truth. Blessed.
Are the meek or the gentle? That means salt was sissy fide. It doesn't mean wishy-washy. What he means is Power under control. Yes.
Meekness or gentleness is Power under control. That's the simplest. Definition I could give you. Blessed are the meek. When you're poor in spirit, which leads to mourning over sin.
You give up your self-sufficiency, leading to meekness. Meekness, then, is who I am in response. to the rule of God over my life, be you male or female. You know, you're not meek when you regularly lose self-control.
Now, nobody's perfect. I'm not here to suggest that there's never a time when you lose control, and that's more than being angry, but where your anger controls you, you're not controlling it. then the meekness has not set in yet. Because meek people do not live an out-of-control life. Proverbs 25, 28.
Says that if you're meek, you're not out of control. Zephaniah 2, verse 3 says, Go after meekness. Go for it. According to James 1.21, the Bible says, if you're not meek, or gentle, the word of God will not work for you. You can read it all day.
But the word will not work if you are not meek. Many of our problems today is a refusal to be meek or to operate. Underneath the legitimate authority. that is over us. We see this with children who are not meek, youth.
Kunak Nik. Who do not want to come under the legitimate authority of their parents? but who are more concerned about satisfying their peers. It's an absence of meekness.
So if you're going to be meek. You must now say. I will take all that God has given me because meekness is not weakness. And I will place it under the legitimate authority that's over me. And what makes it legitimate is that it's consistent with God.
What's the payoff? What's the benefit for becoming a meek person? for operating under the legitimate authority. It says, Blessed are the meek. For they shall Inherit the Earth.
This promise comes from. Psalm 37. Verse 1 says, do not fret because of evildoers. Be not envious toward wrong. Doers.
Verse 11. Goes on to say But the humble, that is the meek, Will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. Verse 22. For those blessed by him will inherit the land. But those cursed by him will be cut off, that is, from the land.
Verse 34. Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it. That's where Jesus gets this statement. inherit the land or the earth.
Well, back in biblical times, what was the land? This is the promised land. It was the land of promise. That God said, I am going to take you to. God said, if you are meek, Willing to submit to legitimate authority.
I am going to take you to the place I promised I was going to take you, and I am going to give you your allotted portion. Why did not Israel, the first generation, make it to the promised land, their refusal to be meek? They would not submit to the legitimate authority of God. And they would not submit to the legitimate authority of Moses. And their refusal to submit to legitimate authority.
Canceled out. Their ability to enjoy the promise that God had made. I have a will. Among others, of course, first and foremost, You know, your maid and your children are in the will. My oldest son, Anthony, came to me.
And He says Dad, remember now. In the Bible, the oldest son got a double portion. And he's absolutely right. In the Bible, when it came to inheritance, the oldest son got a double portion.
Now, Jonathan is not too high on that. The reason the oldest son got a double portion. was because He had the responsibility of caring for the family in the absence of. The father.
So that responsibility would fall to the oldest son, so he got a double portion. He didn't just get a double portion so he could have twice as much. He got a double portion because he had now increased responsibility.
So I have a will, and it's laid out who gets what. A lot of us have delayed our inheritance. Because of a refusal to submit. to the legitimate authority God has ordained in our lives. The Bible says to obey them that have spiritual rule over you.
Hebrews 13.
So, even when they're bringing you God's answer. And you let your personality or your preferences get in the way, have to understand you are affecting your inheritance. You're allotted portion. The thing that God has already preordained for you.
So, God has a plan to give you what He has for you. It's called your inheritance, that is, your allotted portion.
Now let me tell you the good news of this. The good news of this is When you're in line spiritually, God gives you your allotted portion. You don't have to fight for it. You don't have to politic for it. in an illegitimate politic for it.
You don't have to beat people up to get it. to arrive at your allotted portion. Because the inheritance was already taken care of by God. Saul tried to kill David. They said To David.
David, Saul's trap. You can go kill him. David says, I will not touch God's anointed. How could he have that confidence when Saul was trying to kill him? Because David knew God had already given him the kingdom.
All he had to do was wait for God's allotted time. For him to get his allotted portion. Saul winds up committing suicide and David is made king. Why? Because when you are submitted, God takes up the battle for you.
That's why Psalm 73 says: don't look out and get envious of the wicked. It's easy to see while them sinners are doing better than me. Actually, them sinners may be setting it up for you. Don't get envious of folk who do it wrong at work and they getting the race. They getting the problem.
Don't get tripped up by that. The psalmist says in Psalm 73, he says, When I saw the wicked doing better than me, I'm here trying to do right, and the wicked are doing better than me. He says, my foot almost slipped. I almost left church. I almost walked away from God because the wicked were doing good, and I'm trying to do right, and I'm doing worse.
He says, my foot almost slipped. He goes down through 17 verses of misery, but then it says, but then I went to the household of God. He said, when I went to the household of God, I saw their end. I saw It is not what it seems. Or if not what it seems, for long.
Don't get don't get in. Of the wicked. I know it looked like they're getting over. Uh-uh. God will use the Canaanites to set it up for the Israelites.
That's why the Bible says, seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things I will. Add to you. I got you. I got you. You can go to sleep at night and rest.
not fret, not be frustrated, and not be, oh, how come they know? You don't have to go through all that. And that one of the most exciting things in life. It is to watch God work out stuff when you didn't have any idea how it could possibly work. There's nothing like that experience.
But that experience belongs to the meek. Not just because you're a Christian, it belongs to those who have submitted to the will of God. When doctor Evans continues our message in just a moment, he'll talk about two Biblical characters who had exactly that kind of experience. But first I want to tell you about a powerful resource we're featuring right now. It's Tony's current series, How to Be Truly Blessed.
A 10-message collection that unpacks what Jesus really meant in the Beatitudes. You'll discover how God's definition of blessing looks very different from the world's, and how true joy is found in aligning your life with Him. And as a special bonus, we'll also send you Tony's book, Praying Through the Names of Jesus. It's a devotional guide that'll help you experience the Lord's presence, provision, and power through the many ways He reveals Himself in Scripture. Both of these resources are yours with our thanks when you make a contribution to help support the ongoing work of the alternative.
You can get the details and make the arrangements instantly at tonyevans.org. Or call our 24-hour resource center at 1-800-800-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- 800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222.
Alright now, let's get back to Dr. Evans for more of today's message. Joshua and Caleb. Remember, the 10 says, we're not going into the land. God says, this is your allotted portion.
10 said, no, it's too much, too much problem in there. We can't do it. Joshua and Caleb said, come on guys, God has already given it to us. The Bible says they refuse to submit to God or to his spiritual leadership, Moses. When they refused to submit, the Bible says God got angry with them.
And God says, you shall not go into the land. They lost their inheritance. He said, except. Joshua and Caleb. Wash us down.
There was a 40 Five years. gap between the time they came up to the land. and the time they entered the land in the next generation. Because that generation couldn't go in. When they finally get to the land.
A generation later, 45 years later, because the blessing was delayed. They finally get to the land. And Caleb comes to Joshua in Numbers 14. Caleb comes to Joshua and says, Joshua, That mountain over there. Give me that mountain that the Lord promised me.
45 years ago. But he says something else. He said, give me my promise. My inheritance. For I am now 85, but I am as strong now as I was when I was 40.
I'm going to get to enjoy My mountain. Even though it was a delayed blessing. Listen to me. God has an allotment for you. And I know circumstances in your life may have delayed it.
It may have been the mistakes of others. It may have been your mistake. But the mountain hadn't moved. That mountain been there for 45 years. All God is waiting for you to do is cross the Jordan.
Once you cross the Jordan, you can claim your mountain. He has your allotment, but not if you're spiritually rebellious. You won't see your allotment. or you'll see it and never get to enjoy it. It's another story of meekness.
It's in Numbers chapter 12. Let me summarize the story. Moses is called in the Bible. The meekest man in all the earth. Numbers 12 talks about a problem.
It was a family problem. Miriam and Aaron get upset. At the African woman. Moses Mary. Plus, Miriam was upset.
Because Miriam was the chief female.
So now that this other woman has entered the scene, She doesn't like the challenge it's going to imply to her authority because now. She's going to have more influence over Moses. Then Miriam has.
So that's a problem.
So they stirred up rebellion. Against Moses. For an illegitimate reason. 'Cause they ain't like his wife. Then we're told Moses was the meekest man in all the earth.
Now, what has that got to do with the price of tomatoes? When you're submitting to divine authority, God picks up the battle for you. He was the meekest man of all of us.
Now, is Moses a weak man? No, he opened up the Red Sea. He told Pharaoh, let my people go. You know, he brought in the 10 plagues, but he's only doing that in submission to God. See, so he's a strong man, but he's meek because he's underneath God.
And when you're meek, he's the meekest man in all the earth.
So God steps in. God will help out this process like somebody breaking a horse. You know what? A cowboy gets on a horse, what does it do? Ride it.
What does a horse do? Bucket? See, we buck submission. Get off me. I want you on me.
I want you over me. I don't want you my head. I don't want you. Get off of me. What does the cowboy do?
Get back up on that horse? How often does a cowboy get on the horse? Until the horse gets the message? The horse gets the message. I'm not going anywhere till you break.
How do you know when the horses got the message? Because the cowboys goes. Has the horse lost its strength? No, it's just following its master's direction.
So you can submit yourself to the Lord James 4.
Well, God can ride you. And you can't throw him off enough. that he won't get back on. And ride you some more. That's why Jesus could say.
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. It's been a while now, but it's a while back I was stuck. on the side of the road. Triple A came and they yoked me.
They put a harness. on my car and they lifted it up. And I got in the truck with the driver as he told me. to the station to get my car repaired. Take my yoke.
I took his yoke. My car took his yoke and he pulled me. Cause I was stuck. I wasn't going anywhere. There's somebody here, stop.
but you're not allowing God to yoke you. That is, you're insisting on your own way, you're insisting on your own independence, you're insisting on your own rights. and you are refusing to be meek. And you're blocking your inheritance so you'll stay stuck on the highway called life. Identify your legitimate authority, and they're doing it legitimately.
You have every obligation. Starting with, of course, it being consistent with God. Most of you know I'm a I have executive platinum status with American Airlines. because of the amount of miles I've flown. That means that I can get upgraded.
And it means that I can have a companion to upgrade with me.
So if I'm traveling And someone's with me. I can get upgraded and I can upgrade them. One time, Jonathan, my son, was traveling with me. And we went to the airport, and she says, Dr. Evans, I have your upgrade.
I've been asked. What about my son's upgrade? as my companion. Because that comes with the deal. She said, I'm sorry, I don't have a record of...
of Jonathan's upgrade. I said, yeah, but he's my companion. He's traveling with me. She said, let me check on this. And she went in and.
Checked and checked yourself. I'm sorry, I do not have. Jonathan's upgrade. And all the Seats are filled. in first class.
I said, I don't understand that. I don't understand. How when my upgrade went through. His didn't go through since I get mine and his. together.
She said, let me check one more time. She went through and checked again. And then she said. I have found the problem. And I can't help you.
I say for what? What the problem is. And here's what she told me. He was not tickled. it in with you.
He was ticketed separate from you. And because his tick Yeah. was not ticketed with you. He was not viewed as a companion.
Now you know he was a companion. But American Airlines didn't know he was a companion because you were not Picketed together. And because you weren't, watch this, yo. Ticket it together. He can't get.
What you get With you. Because it wasn't presented that way. It's not that God hathn't made provision. It's not that God hasn't Put you in his will. But you got to be willing to be his companion.
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest for my yoke is easy. And love. Burden is light. I know it's heavy for you, but it's light for me. It's deep for you, ain't all that deep to me.
It's difficult for you, but I can handle it.
So instead of you asking me to help you, why don't you? Hook up with me. Cause I can handle it. Dr. Tony Evans, encouraging us to submit ourselves to the Savior.
And he'll return in a moment with a final illustration to wrap up our lesson for today. First, though, I want to let you know that the message you've been hearing is called Blessed are the spiritually submissive. If you'd like a copy of the full-length version, including portions we didn't have time to share today, you can get it as a part of the special offer I mentioned earlier. The complete ten-part audio series, How to Be Truly Blessed, along with Dr. Evans' insightful book, Praying Through the Names of Jesus.
These resources are our way of saying thanks for your generous support of the alternative, helping us continue to bring this teaching to you and others around the world. You can make your donation and request right now at tonyevans.org or call our resource center at 1-800-800-3222. where team members are standing by 24-7 to help with your resource request. Once again, that's 1-800-800-3222. Spiritually speaking, if your life isn't full, It may be because your stomach isn't empty.
Tomorrow, Dr. Evans will talk about the benefits of being spiritually famished. Right now, though, he's back with his final thought for today. I remember one time, and close, I remember one time, I'm going to the airport. I'm carrying the luggage, I'm carrying two, I'm carrying luggage, I'm carrying luggage, I'm walking around with this heavy luggage, I've got sweat coming off my head, because I'm walking around with this heavy luggage, I'm walking around and I'm trying to do my best.
It's heavy, though. It's heavy, and I got to wait in line, and I got to walk around with all this heavy luggage. And then somebody gave me a brilliant idea. They said those suitcases have. Half wheels.
That was deep. I'm walking around carrying what I could roll around.
Now, now let me say something. It's still the same weight. If you put it on the scale, it's still the same weight. If you put it on the scale, it's still just as heavy. But because inside of it, wheels have been put.
I could carry the weight differently and bring it alongside and be at rest and at ease. Jesus says, I am. Your wheels. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and that's rollest, baby. If you're willing to submit.
