Submission: What Does it Really Mean?
Welcome to the Holy Spirit Untethered. My name is Amber Beals, and it is my job and my mission to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me, to help demystify who he is, what his role is, and to deeply encourage you to seek a relationship with him. Alright. Let's get started.
Amber Beels:Hey, guys. Welcome back to the Holy Spirit untethered podcast. My name is Amber, and I am so happy that you tuned in today to the show. Is it a show? I guess it's a show.
Amber Beels:It's a podcast, so some people call it a show. But, yes, this is the holy spirit untethered podcast. And if you haven't already, last week, we had an amazing guest. His name is Michael Prestonisi. We talked about conflict.
Amber Beels:And, you know, as a former people pleaser, conflict was not my favorite thing. It still isn't. I don't think it's anyone's favorite thing to deal with, any kind of conflicting situation, whether it's your own. Though, I guess it does make for good content. That's a lot of reality TV shows.
Amber Beels:Right? It's just watching people go through conflict. But, anyway, so that episode, we talked about conflict and how we handle it with the holy spirit because that's what this podcast is about. It's about using and recognizing and partnering with the holy spirit in your everyday life and understanding who he is and his personality and his character and what his role is in our lives. And so a lot of what we go through in life is conflict.
Amber Beels:So how does he help us in that? So it's a really good episode. If you haven't, again, that is episode 45 with Michael Prestonisi that was released last week. So today, I wanted to go and cover a topic that is another topic that I'm not super comfortable with. I wouldn't say I'm not super comfortable with.
Amber Beels:I don't know if I would use those words, but it kinda gives me the ick a little bit. Now I know that's such a millennial thing to say. Egg, my brother would be rolling his eyes. But you know what, John? I am a millennial, so it's fine.
Amber Beels:But the topic is submission, being submitted. And as a millennial woman, that word submission or being submitted always just gave me the ick. It always just it just triggers me in a way that makes my skin crawl because I don't know. I just I don't like the word. And it's not that I have a problem with actual submission, like, actually submitting to, like, my pastor, to God, or whatever.
Amber Beels:Like, I I do those things, but the actual word is what triggers me because there's and I and I guess this is my flesh that I am triggered by that word and I don't like it. So today, we're gonna dive in to submission. What does that mean? How do we include the holy spirit with it? And how do we submit in a way that is God honoring?
Amber Beels:Right? So that is what we're gonna be talking about today. But before we get started, let's go ahead and pray. So if you can and it's safe to do so, go ahead and pray with me. Dear heavenly father, I just thank you so much for this day.
Amber Beels:I thank you for this opportunity to just have this podcast, Lord. We're on episode 46, and holy spirit, that's all because of you. I just thank you so much that you've given me the topics, you've given me your words, your message to be able to share. I just pray a blessing over this podcast and everyone that listens to it, Lord. Holy Spirit, I pray that you would prepare our hearts for today's message.
Amber Beels:I pray that you would speak through and my words would fall away. And I just pray that it would be edifying to your saints, Lord. And I pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Awesome.
Amber Beels:So submission. And now I have a couple of verses. Now the reason one of the reasons why I wanted to cover this topic was because I am going through a class or through I already finished the class. It's a process to become a minister under Foursquare. So Foursquare is a denomination.
Amber Beels:It is what Heart Church, my church, is. It is a Foursquare denominational church. And my pastor, Shane, who has been on this podcast, shout out to him, he really encouraged me to pursue a license to become a minister, to become a licensed minister. Now what does that mean? That means that I can legally marry somebody, like, marry a couple.
Amber Beels:I can legally do funerals, and it just gives me more, like, kind of the feather in the cap of, like, I've done the work. I know the doctrine. I know Foursquare. They back me as a minister. So I said, yes.
Amber Beels:I said, okay. Yeah. I prayed about it and I felt like the holy spirit seemed right with him. So I was like, okay. Let's do it.
Amber Beels:So I went ahead and took the class. I just finished it a few weeks ago. So now I'm just studying and preparing for my interview. My interview is in June, in mid June. I don't have an exact date yet, but it's gonna be, like, right in the June.
Amber Beels:And it's gonna be two and a half hours long, and it's like this interview where they ask me a bunch of personal questions, but they also ask me a lot of doctrine based questions. And so right now, it's kind of my crunch time of studying for this interview because there's lots and lots of questions that pertain to the articles of doctrine. That's what they call them or articles of faith doctrine that Foursquare believes. And so, like, a couple of examples are, like, the holy scriptures, the fall of man, plan of redemption. Like, there's 22 of them total, and I have to be able to answer questions on them and not only answer the questions, but be able to back our belief and why we believe that with scripture, which I think is really healthy.
Amber Beels:Right? Because scripture is, you know, the ultimate authority. That is God's way of talking to us and really showing us his character. Yes. We have the holy spirit.
Amber Beels:The holy spirit is the one that authored the scriptures. He's the one that breathed on the scriptures, and he's the one that continues to make the scripture living and breathing for us today in 2025. So it's really healthy to be able to have a belief based on scripture and be able to back it up with scripture, if that makes sense. So as I was going through this, the Lord was kinda putting it on my heart of the word submission because I am submitted to my pastor, Shane. I'm submitted to him.
Amber Beels:And that's really, really healthy to be submitted to a person of authority. Yes. God is our ultimate authority, but it is very important that we also are submitted to people who are of influence, people who are our shepherds, our mentors that the Lord put in place for us at that time to help us grow in our faith. So I have a couple scriptures that I'd like to read. One of them is in Hebrews.
Amber Beels:So this is let me just find my barons. We're in Hebrews, I believe it's 13 verse 17. And it says, obey those who rule over you and be submissive for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not grief for that would be unprofitable for you. So there's one talking about obeying those who rule over you and being submissive to them.
Amber Beels:And one thing I really wanna point out is for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. So for example, Shane is somebody that I am submitted to because he's my senior pastor. And it is his job to watch out for my soul because he's gonna give an account because he shepherds me. That's why as a leader, we are held as a higher standard or as a teacher, we're held as a high to a higher standard because we shepherd others, because we are leading people either closer to God or away from God. And so we wanna make sure that our doctrine and our beliefs are good and that we're constantly seeking the Lord's face and making sure that we are in alignment with his word and what his will is for us.
Amber Beels:Because as teachers, like, I even put myself in this because, one, I'm getting licensed. Two, I have this podcast. People listen to it. I'm influencing people, and you are influencing people. Whether it's just the people around you or you have a platform, you're influencing somebody.
Amber Beels:So be careful about what you do, what you say, you know, how you lead because people are watching. Right? So that's in Hebrews. The other one is Romans 13. Let's see.
Amber Beels:Romans 13 verse one. And it says, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority, resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. So again, this is Paul talking and he's saying, you know, let every soul, everybody be subject to governing authorities because there is no authority except God. God is the ultimate authority, but people who are in authority over you are put there by God.
Amber Beels:So we have to make sure that we obey them. But at the same time, we can't be super influenced by them that we lose our discernment. Right? There is a there's an aspect of discernment and discernment comes from the holy spirit to make sure that you are under authority of a sound leader, a sound person of authority because you don't wanna be led by somebody who is a false prophet or somebody who is speaking false things over you. You wanna make sure that whoever you are submitted under is sound, one, two, spirit led, and three, someone that you can count on and somebody that you trust.
Amber Beels:Right? Because you are essentially putting your journey, your faith, not in that person, but your progress in your faith, like, that is up to you, obviously. That is your responsibility to seek the Lord, grow in your own faith, and and run your race. Right? But a lot of the times, we have mentors.
Amber Beels:We have people that we look up to that we're submitted to that help us along in that journey. So whoever it is that you choose, make sure that the Holy Spirit actually put them there and that you didn't just put them there because you like their personality, whatever. You wanna make sure that it was spirit led. When I had my mentor, Lalin, a couple years ago, I was looking for a mentor and I asked the holy spirit. I was like, okay.
Amber Beels:Like, I know you want me to have another mentor. Who is it that you want me to be submitted to and allow them to speak life into me and encourage me and put me on the right in the right direction to be able to know you better? And he gave me Lollyn, which Lollyn's great. I love her to death, but I didn't know her very well at the time. At the time, she had been going to our church for a couple years, but she had moved.
Amber Beels:Her and her husband, Kevin, had moved to Virginia and had been there for a year at this point. And so I hadn't talked to her in over a year because she had moved, and I didn't even have her phone number. I was like, Lord, are you sure? Like, this is kinda awkward. Like, I I haven't talked to her in a long time, and now I'm just gonna, like don't even have her number.
Amber Beels:And the Lord's like, okay. Well, you're smart. You can figure out how to get her number. And I was like, okay. Fine.
Amber Beels:So I did. I found somebody that did have her number. I reached out to her, and I was just being completely submitted to the Holy Spirit at this point because I he kinda hit me with a two by four at that point in my life of, like, what are you doing? I have better things for you. I have things that I've called you to do and you're not doing them.
Amber Beels:You're being distracted by life and you're not taking me seriously. And I was like, okay. I don't want to not take the god of the universe seriously. So, yeah, let's find a mentor. Whatever you say I'm gonna do.
Amber Beels:Yes, sir. So I did. I called her up, and we caught up. And then at the end of it, I was like, so I have been praying about having a mentor, and he you know, he's the reason why I called you. And, you know, please pray about it.
Amber Beels:Make sure that I'm in alignment with it. And if you're cool with it, maybe we could do, you know, Zoom calls every week and have this mentor mentee relationship. And so she did pray about it, and the next day she was like, yeah. No. Let's let's do it.
Amber Beels:And so that put me on a path of, like, taking the holy spirit course and and doing all these things, and it was definitely god ordained because, like, I wouldn't be where I am today. I would not have this podcast unless I followed and was submitted to the holy spirit and listening and contacting Lollin even though it was uncomfortable for me at the time. And so one of the reasons why he chose Lollin for me, which he revealed to me later, was because I always admired her ability to hear from the holy spirit. Like, she would speak words over me on worship nights or or any event at church, and it would always be super spot on. And I would be like, how do you even know that?
Amber Beels:Like, I don't even know that about myself, but, yeah, I know that you are speaking truth over me right now. And so, like, I knew that she had a connection to the Holy Spirit that I secretly desired. I was like, I want that connection. Like, the fact that you can hear from him and you you're speaking life into people and you're prophesying and doing all these things. Like, I I admired that, and I didn't realize that I admired it until later when the holy spirit was like, this is the reason why I'm choosing her is because I know your desire, and I know you want to be like that, and I want you to be like that.
Amber Beels:I'm calling you to be a person that's being spirit led, to speak life into people, to speak. At the time, I didn't really realize what that meant. Years later, I would not picture myself having a podcast speaking on the holy spirit or, you know, going on, you know, to the pulpit and preaching and getting my license. Like, never would have thought in a million years that this would have happened. But when you're submitted, things happen in your life that are very unexpected.
Amber Beels:I remember one time I was doing the holy spirit class and one thing that we do at the end, it's a five day class. So we do it over the span of five weeks, but it's one day a week. On the last day, everybody gets prayed over. Everybody. So, like, we go over the last class, like, last video or whatever, and then we pray over everybody to make sure that everybody is baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Amber Beels:And then it also is an opportunity for the people that took the class to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through them now to the person that we're praying over. So that's the reason why I do it. It's a very long day because normally, there's about eight to 10 people who are taking the class plus me and Eric, and then I always invite pastor Shane to be there on the last day so that he can experience that and just oversee it because I'm submitted to him. I want him to make sure that he can trust me in in leading this class and he can be a part of watching his congregation get, you know, baptized in the Holy Spirit and just see people be affected by this class. So on that day, one of the times, I can't remember which one, but he was praying over me because, like, you know, any opportunity that I get to to be prayed over, I wanna take.
Amber Beels:Right? I mean, who wouldn't? So and it gives other people practice to allow the holy spirit to speak through them. So he was praying for me, and he has a gift, Shane does, of a I don't know if it's it's like a word or a picture. He he I know he sees pictures a lot and or he'll get a word for somebody, word of wisdom and or word of knowledge, I think, is what it's called, the the gift.
Amber Beels:And so he told me two two different sets of words. One, many will follow, and two, expect the unexpected. And I was like, okay. Yeah. And that was a couple years ago now at this point.
Amber Beels:And so it's true. I've just come to expect the unexpected, and whatever the Lord tells me to do, I just do it because I'm just kinda like, okay. Well, I've been down the path where I wasn't submitted, and it did not work out well for me. Even though it was the more comfortable path, it was, you know, at the time more comfortable, but the Lord never stops pursuing you. He just doesn't.
Amber Beels:He loves you too much to let you stay complacent, to let you because, really, there is no such thing as being complacent. You're either going towards the Lord or you're going away from the Lord. That's that's the truth. Right? There is no standing in place.
Amber Beels:If you're standing in place, you're going away from the Lord. And so he is gonna be constantly chasing you. So if he tells you to do something, you need to do it because, otherwise, it's gonna just be harder down the road because he's gonna circle back to this and be like, yeah. I told you to do this, you know, months ago. Why haven't you done that yet?
Amber Beels:Like, I'm not gonna tell you anything new until you do the last thing that I told you. So that's just the reality of your relationship with the Lord, and it's all good. It's all good things. Like, everything that he tells you to do is edifying for you or for others or whatever. But going back to the submission piece, us being submitted to the Holy Spirit when he tells you something, but also being submitted to the authority that he puts in your life that you make sure is in alignment and falls under a good discernment.
Amber Beels:So I should probably do an episode on discernment. But discernment, we all have it through the holy spirit. He's the one that gives us that spiritual discernment, and we need to take it seriously. There's been some times where I feel like I got a check about something. And I'm like, is that really a check?
Amber Beels:No. Maybe it's just me. But as you get more in tune with the Holy Spirit, as he talks to you more and or as he gives you those I call them checks. You need to listen to them. Right?
Amber Beels:And they are from him. You're gonna get more in tune with him and how he speaks to you and how he checks you in certain things, whether he's convicting you or he's just warning you about somebody or situation or whatever it is. You need to listen to those because he is the ultimate authority. Right? We are submitted to him.
Amber Beels:And so if you have a check about somebody, you know, get confirmation from someone else. Talk to somebody else about it. Pray about it. Holy Spirit, please reveal to me if this is true. Like, confirm within my spirit whether this check is accurate or not because I don't wanna be submitted to somebody that is a false prophet or somebody that is deceitful and will lead me astray because we are responsible for our own faith and our own journey, our growth.
Amber Beels:And so we wanna make sure that whoever it is that we're submitted to is good. And so as I'm going through this class, the Foursquare class, I'm being submitted to Foursquare because I am looking at the doctrine. I am learning the doctrine. Not only am I learning it, but I have to know it well enough to defend it and defend it with scripture. And I have to believe it in my heart, truly believe it.
Amber Beels:Because how else am I gonna defend something if I don't truly believe in the doctrine that we are teaching? Right? And so so far in the 20 well, I've gone through all of them, 22 doctrines. I have been on board with every single doctrine, and it's been really refreshing actually to kind of know exactly where we stand. Because a lot of the times when you attend a church, you don't know exactly where your church stands on every single issue or on every single aspect of faith.
Amber Beels:Maybe you'll get inklings of it from your pastor based on, you know, sermons that they do. But a lot of the times, it's not written out or you have to really search for it if you wanna know the answers to those questions. And so going through this class, they are like, you have to know this. You have to know this inside and out. And so I have been diving into it, and it's been really edifying for me for sure to not just answer a question, but be able to answer the question and back it with scripture.
Amber Beels:Because a lot of the times, I will know the answer to something, but I can't really tell you why. I'm like, it's in the bible somewhere, you know, type of thing. And that's while that might be accurate, it's not exactly it doesn't make you confident that I know the scripture. Right? And I'm the one standing in the pulpit and saying these things.
Amber Beels:I need to be able to back it up. And because you as a person listening to me has to use your discernment to make sure what I'm saying is truly spirit led, that it is truth, that it is coming from scripture, and that it is accurate in all the things. So, I mean, I always do my best to allow the holy spirit to speak through me, especially when I'm at the pulpit. But, you know, I'm human, and my words can come through sometimes. And especially when I get nervous, you know, a lot of the times when we get nervous, we take over.
Amber Beels:Right? And that's not the thing that we should be doing, but a lot of the times that is the autopilot, you know, feature of, like, I need to take control, especially me type a personality. So, yeah, that is super important when it comes to submission to be able to make sure that you are submitted to a person of authority that God actually put in place over you. And I know it's a running joke at my church because when we I'm on the council at my church and we put together our culture, like our values and defined what our culture is at our church. And one of the things that they wanted to put was say submitted or submitted to whatever.
Amber Beels:I can't even remember what it is at this point. But I remember saying, like, I don't like that word. Like, I have no problem with submission, but I don't like the word. I'm just triggered by the word. And so ever since then, they just give me so much crap about the word submission and being submitted.
Amber Beels:They're like, Amber's favorite word submitted. I'm like, okay. Yes. Yeah. I get it.
Amber Beels:Okay. Yeah. I know. I put myself there. I did that to myself, but, like, I don't know.
Amber Beels:And I think it's probably like I said in the beginning, it's probably my flesh that, you know, I I don't wanna be submitted to anybody. I wanna be a leader. Like, I'm a natural leader and, like, I don't wanna be told what to do. Like, let me do my own thing, girl boss it, you know, whatever. Like, I think that's, like, the fleshly desire or the sinful flesh nature that I have that is kinda coming through.
Amber Beels:But, again, like, I am submitted. Like, I am submitted to Shane. I'm I'm learning to be submitted to my husband, and that took a minute. But, you know, as I've stepped into that role of being submitted to Eric, our marriage has it blossomed. Like, it's it's so much better.
Amber Beels:Not that it was bad before, but at least for me, I feel a burden that has been lifted because I am not in a role that I'm not supposed to be in. Like, I did a lot of leading because I am I'm a you know, my maiden name is Hermes. So I am a born Hermes, so I am a natural leader. Like, I I just like to assume that position and because I like control. Whatever.
Amber Beels:Like, you can you can analyze that however you want, but, like, I'm just a natural leader in any environment that I go into. I normally just assume leadership in some position. And it's not because I'm seeking it out. It's just people see it in me and they just call me up. So because of that in my marriage, I think Eric allowed me to lead because I just I just do it naturally.
Amber Beels:But I knew in my heart that that was wrong because I'm supposed to be submitted to him. He's supposed to be the spiritual leader. He's supposed to be leading me and teaching me and just making sure that our family is in alignment with God's will. Right? I mean, yes, we make decisions together, but he's supposed to be the person that is leading this family.
Amber Beels:And it wasn't until this year that we've done that digital fast. I've I've mentioned it a couple times in in several episodes, but we both did a digital fast. And he was like, hey. I think we need to go this direction in our business, and I need to step away from our business. And I think you should continue to do it, and I believe that the Lord is giving me the green light to do that.
Amber Beels:And I was like, wow. That's that's a big switch because we have been building this business together for years. And so it was like, okay. And so I asked God for confirmation, and the Lord was like, let him lead. That was the only words he gave me.
Amber Beels:Let him lead. I am leading him. Let him lead. And I was like, okay. So I I said yes.
Amber Beels:And ever since then, it's been such a blessing for us. We've been blessed financially. We've been blessed just in our marriage, and it's been awesome. It really has been awesome. Like, it doesn't it hasn't been void of hardships.
Amber Beels:Like, any big decision or any big change, like, it it comes with its own set of hardships and things you need to overcome and difficulties and whatever, but I've had my support system to be able to navigate this change, and it's been great. Like, shout out to Melissa. I could not do this without her. So, Melissa, love you. She's my best friend, and she edits this podcast.
Amber Beels:So but I would not be able to be where I am today without my support system that the Lord put in place. Right? And so because I've said yes and because I've submitted, now the Lord blesses that. The Lord blesses us when we're obedient. The Lord blesses us when we seek him and allow him to place people in our lives that we are submitted to so that we can move forward and really allow ourselves to grow in the direction that he's leading us.
Amber Beels:Right? So it's super important being submitted to the right people and, obviously, to the holy spirit, to God. And the holy spirit is God. Right? I mean, I wanna emphasize that.
Amber Beels:Like, the holy spirit is God. You got the triune. You got the God the father, God the son, God the Holy Spirit. Yes. There are three different members, but they are one God.
Amber Beels:Right? So when I talk about the Holy Spirit, I'm talking about God because they are one, but they are separate. And, again, hard to understand, but we just have to believe it and say, okay, Lord. If that's what you say, what you are, great. But I'm more concerned about who you are, your character, your will, and your love for us.
Amber Beels:And that is displayed through all three members. And if you want us to address all three members in different ways, then I I wanna do that. Now a lot of the times, again, it's about heart posture. So you when you're addressing the Holy Spirit, just know that you're addressing God. Like, knowing that you are not neglecting Jesus or God the father when you're talking about the Holy Spirit.
Amber Beels:I do try to use all three, like, you know, talk to Jesus, talk to the father, talk to the holy spirit. I I try to give them all attention because they are separate members, but they all are God. And as long as your heart posture is in the right place of, like, Lord, I'm speaking to you. I'm speaking to the one true God. He's gonna be okay with it.
Amber Beels:Like, he knows your heart. He knows that you are speaking to him from a humble place and that you're not trying to supersede anything or whatever. So, anyway, that was a little bit of a tangent, but submission. So I wanna encourage you if there are people in your life that maybe speak life into you, take measure of people that you're listening to. Take account of people that you're allowing to speak into your life that you are submitted to and you don't realize that you're submitted to them.
Amber Beels:And those are the people who give you advice, people who speak life into you, people who hang out with you and maybe give you, again, advice or some kind of word. You wanna make sure that you are constantly discerning what they're saying and make sure you know, look at their life. What kind of life are they living? Are they spirit led? What kind of character do they do they display?
Amber Beels:Okay. They're saying one thing, but how are they acting? How do they treat others? How do you know them? Are they through work?
Amber Beels:Are they through church? Are they through, you know, just your friendship circle? Whatever it is, like, you wanna make sure that you allow the Holy Spirit to discern with you whether this person should be in authority over you and you should be submitted to them. Always take that into account. And, you know, I've been humbled by the Holy Spirit because I was submitted too much to Shane or I was submitted too much to another person that is an authority over me.
Amber Beels:And he reminds me, like, you serve me. You don't serve Shane or you don't serve x, y, and z. You serve me. And I'm like, yes. Yes.
Amber Beels:You're right. I serve you. You are the ultimate authority over my life. And so if you tell me to do something even though it's going to maybe offend not offend, but, like, disappoint somebody else, you are my ultimate authority, holy spirit. I wanna obey you because you are God and you are more important and you know more things.
Amber Beels:And I wanna make sure that I am in alignment with what you have because, you know, again, you know all things. You know the future. You know what my calling is, what my purpose is, and I wanna make sure that I'm in alignment with that. So, anyway, I hope this message helps you guys. I hope that maybe you can look at the word submission a little differently knowing that the Lord is the one that is putting those people in authority over you, and those are the people that you are ultimately submitted to God.
Amber Beels:And we should be okay with that. Like, our heart posture should be okay with being submitted to God because that is what he has called us to do. So just always keeping that in account, and, hopefully, the word submission doesn't give you the ick like it does for me. I'm working on it. I'm working on it.
Amber Beels:Pray for me. Alright, guys. I hope you have a great week, and I will see you next week.
