3 indicators that God is control of your Life

Read Ephesians 5.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul continued to explain about the Christian walk.  Walk in love (v.1).  Walk as children of the light (v.8).  Look carefully then how you walk (v.15).

This theme began in chapter 2 and verse 2.  Those who do not know Jesus walk (live their lives) according to the satanically energized "course of this world."  As a defeated enemy, the devil does everything he can to cause individuals to distort and dismiss the standards of God.  Once a person rejects the fact that they are created by God and that the Bible is the authoritative word of God, then they will turn to their own way.  They will look to personal feelings, culture, government, and majority votes to determine what is right and wrong.  The Bible calls this rebellious independence sin (Isaiah 53:6) and is the very reason for the crucifixion of Christ.

Chapter 5 also continues to be specific about sin: Sexual immorality, all impurity, covetousness (which is idolatry), filthiness, and foolish talk, crude joking.  Such things as these "must not even be named among you".

Men and women of God have renounced these behaviors in themselves in order to live lives that please God.  It is called "walking in the light", walking "as wise", and living in "will of God."  Instead, of being under the influence of those who will experience God's wrath (v.6), or the influence of substances such as wine (v.18), followers of Jesus are to be filled (controlled by) the Holy Spirit.

Next, we are given three indicators that we are in the will of God and that we have yielded ourselves to the Holy Spirit.
1. Singing. (v.19)
No religion on earth has music that can compare to that of Christianity.  Singing has always been a mainstay of the worship of Jesus Christ.  Two books of the Bible are songbooks (Psalms and the Song of Solomon).  Humorously, Steve Martin has recorded "Atheists don’t have no songs."  Sin and the cares of this world may rob a believer of their song.  When Judah sat broken hearted, they lost their song (Psalm 137:4).   A sign of one who has submitted themselves and their circumstances to God begins to sing from the inside out.  And, as this verse begins, we need to let others hear our praise.
2. Giving thanks. (v.20)
When a person is trying to find their song in circumstances, they will become ungrateful.  They will want to measure their lives by more.  A follower of Jesus learns that contentment comes in knowing the truth.  "For the Gentiles (unbelievers) seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all." (Matthew 6:32)  Learning to acknowledge that everything comes to us from the hand of God causes us to live lives of thanksgiving for what we have been given today.
3. Submitting to one another. (v.21)
Here is a true test that will expose our wrong sort of independence.  We may yield to the Holy Spirit in private prayer, but yielding to each other may be the challenge.  When God is in control there will be a humility about that person.  They will not be demanding their own way but the good of others according to God's word.  We are to behave like this out of reverence for Christ.  "Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:5)  Jesus did not demand His rights as Creator and Owner of all things.  He submitted Himself to the suffering and the sacrifice to meet our needs.

The practical example of this last indicator is marriage.  Satan has done everything he can to distort and to dismiss the truth of God's word and to destroy this picture of Christ and the church.  The wife is to submit to her husband's leadership, not because she thinks her husband is always right, but out of reverence for her true Leader.  The husband is to lovingly sacrifice for his wife.  His weighty responsibility is to maintain the holiness of the relationship and the home.  This means he gives up living for himself, doing his own thing, and going his own way, in order to be like Jesus in his marriage.