Scripture: Genesis 1:28

Song: I know who I am by Sinach

When God created man, He did not leave his place in creation uncertain. He instructed him to fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over every living thing in it. That means man was not created to live at the mercy of the earth or under the control of everything around him. He was created to live under God, and from that place, to bring the earth and all that is in it under proper order.

To subdue the earth is to deal with what is around you so that it does not remain wild, resistant, or out of place. It means the earth was not meant to shape man more than man, under God, would shape the earth. Then to have dominion over everything on the earth means that what God placed beneath man was never meant to rise above him and rule him. So, these two belong together: man was to bring the earth under control, and he was to walk in authority over all that God placed within it.

This helps us understand why life can feel so painful at times. Many things in this fallen world try to rise above their place. Fear, sin, and pressure try to rule man. The systems of this world attempt to squeeze people into their mold. Even the ordinary struggles of life can begin to act like they own us. But when we return to creation, we see that this was not God’s original intention. He did not make man to be swallowed by what was meant to be beneath him.

God’s design was that man would live under Him and from that place bring order where there is disorder, restraint where things are running loose, and authority where something is trying to dominate what it should not. This is why dominion is not pride, and it is not harshness. It is the right ordering of life under God. It is standing in the place God gave you and refusing to let what should be under your feet sit on your head.

Therefore, there are things in life that must be subdued, and there are things that must not be allowed to rule us. What fights for control does not automatically have the right to control. What presses on you does not automatically own you. In God’s original design, man was not created to be helpless in the face of everything around him. He was created to stand under God and walk in authority over what had been entrusted to him.

So today, do not let what should be subdued remain unchallenged. Do not let what should be beneath you rise above its place. Stay under God, and exercise dominion over your life, your choices, your environment, and the things pressing against you. The battle may be fierce, but the truth remains: what God gave man to subdue must not become his master, and what He placed under man must not rise above him.

Prayer:
Father, thank You because You did not create me to be ruled by what You placed beneath me. Today, I subdue what is out of order and stand in dominion over what tries to rise against Your will for my life and destiny. In Jesus’ name, amen.