Devotionals by Dr. Michael Youssef
July 13, 2026
Freedom Through Submission
By Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D.
William F. Buckley, conservative author and founder of National Review magazine, once said in an interview, “The most important intellectual enterprise is the distinction between right and wrong.” Often our thoughts about right and wrong get blurred. We allow the world’s view of sin to change our perspective of God’s Truth. One moment’s worth of compromise can dull our senses to God’s Truth.
Our emotions are notoriously unreliable. If you rely solely on your feelings, you will find yourself becoming both miserable and confused. This is true for every relationship, but it is especially true of husbands and wives. In intimate relationships, we need to be sure that we live life from a perspective of what is true and right according to God.
We also need to make sure that we willingly submit to one another. This means we value one another as God values each of us. For example, we listen in kindness to the views of our spouse or our friends because we love them and not because we are forced to be in their presence. James writes:
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:1-3)
Genuine happiness does not come from getting your own way or by avoiding God’s plan. Happiness comes from obeying His Word and His will. It comes from obedience and submission.
Obedience is not meant to be a chore or a duty. When God is involved, submission and surrender are both liberating and fulfilling. In fact, when your life is submitted to Jesus, you will experience His lasting freedom and joy each day.
Prayer: Lord, thank You that You do not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17) or like my emotions. Help me to seek what is right in Your eyes, including loving my family and friends and showing that love in humility and kindness—according to the example of Christ. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them” (Psalm 119:45-47).
Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon 12 Evidences of Faith, Taking Down the Big Three: LISTEN NOW | WATCH NOW
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About Leading The Way
Along with partners committed to changing the world, Dr. Michael Youssef is leading the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ. By passionately proclaiming uncompromising Truth through every available form of media, this international team of experts is uniquely providing hope that is revolutionizing lives around the world.
What began as a small local radio ministry in 1988 has grown into an international ministry reaching millions for Christ, including a vast audience in the Muslim world seeking Truth in closed countries. Dr. Youssef's Biblically-based programs are broadcast in more than 28 languages to audiences across six continents. His books, MY Journal magazine, and daily e-devotionals continue to minister to a global audience. Leading The Way utilizes cutting-edge technology to advance the Gospel. Its solar-powered Navigators are reaching into remote villages, and the ministry's KINGDOM SAT TV channel—launched by Dr. Youssef in 2009—is reaching into the Middle East with programming in English, Arabic, and French. Field Teams follow up with viewers, including those in restricted areas, to lead the lost to Christ, disciple new believers, and support the underground Church.
Dr. Youssef and the Leading The Way team are committed to proclaiming the Good News of Jesus with the lost and equipping believers to grow in Christ. Learn how you can partner with this unique ministry today.
About Dr. Michael Youssef
Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the creative use of media and on-the-ground teams. His Biblically-based teaching programs are broadcast more than 18,000 times per week in multiple languages around the world. He is also the Founding Rector of Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia, and founder of the AWAKE America prayer movement.
Dr. Youssef was born in Egypt and lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States. In 1984, he fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. Dr. Youssef holds theological degrees from Moore College and Fuller Theological Seminary and a doctorate in cultural anthropology from Emory University. He has authored more than 50 books, including popular titles Saving Christianity?, Life-Changing Prayers, Is the End Near?, How to Read the Bible, Heaven Awaits, and God’s Final Call. He and his wife reside in Atlanta and have four grown children and 15 grandchildren.
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