To Dominate or Not To Dominate

​I was in conversation with an acquaintance the other day. He told me about a woman who was in a marriage with a man that dominated her. And that she liked it; she liked being dominated.
I immediately objected to the notion that this woman enjoyed being dominated.  That, in fact, no one in their right mind "enjoyed" being dominated.  I went so far as to suggest that he probably had not been in a situation where he was dominated because if he had, he would not have made that statement.  I then assured him that I was speaking from personal experience. He was quiet for a moment before hurrying to get off the phone.

I thought about the conversation.  I wondered why anyone thought enjoyment and domination belonged together in a sentence, as if one was connected to the other.  Then I thought about the Lord and His interactions with His creation. Did the Lord dominate mankind? Was He a subjugator? Was His reason for creating mankind influenced by a need to force our submission and obedience?  Releasing the kingdom of God on the earth begins with His Word, and allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal God's heart and intentions.  This is for our benefit and growth.  But the Lord does allow us the option to partner with Him in the earth.  Now, does He want us to partner with Him?   Does He want us to take Matthew 28:19-20 to heart and obey the command to make disciples of all men?  Yes!  Does He dominate us, force us, intimidate us in any way to ensure our compliance?  No, He does not.

So, to dominate or not to dominate?  Well, we have to first define dominate.  What does it mean?

Dominate - to rule or control; to exert supreme influence; to have a commanding position; to occupy a superior position; to conquer, overpower, subdue, subject, subjugate, subordinate, or vanquish

Given the definition, are we sure this is what we want for ourselves?  Is this what we want to do to others?  If we answer yes to either question, then it's time to do a heart check because to operate out of this spirit towards others is supported nowhere in the Bible. In fact, the only thing God called us to dominate was (is) the earth.   And really, He was instructing Adam to RULE and exercise GODLY AUTHORITY over the earth and its creatures.   It's important to make this distinction because we should care for the earth, not abuse it.  God's intention is that we work within the plumb line of His commands,  His Word, and His wisdom in order to execute the authority we have in Christ Jesus, in the earth. Genesis 1:26-31; Luke 2

God NEVER told us to dominate other people.  As a Book of Acts people, we follow the pattern and example that Jesus set so that our dealings with others are above reproach.   He didn’t dominate people. He exercised GODLY, SPIRITUAL authority over demons, the devil, situations, and people.  But it was done as He was led by the Holy Spirit. It did not come from a place of control or domination for its own sake. He established Kingdom order.  Domination is an outward manifestation of pride and arrogance, bordering on witchcraft.  We see this with every interaction of the Philistines and Israel; with Saul and David; with how the Pharisees dealt with the people of Israel; even with Rome, and its dominance of the world at that time.

We must operate guided by the plumb line of the Word of God. And we must be led by the Holy Spirit.  The bible is clear regarding our dealings with others, especially with Christian people. In 1 Corinthians 6:1-11, Apostle Paul strongly rebukes the church in Corinth for their inability to handle disputes between each other, for filing lawsuits against each other, and thus inviting the judgment of the world in matters that should have been correctly handled in a biblical manner.

Finally, the Word of God says we are to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling of God on our lives - our calling as His people.   The example of humility that Jesus modeled is the place from which we are to operate.  We are to be gentle with one another; not proud or haughty; patient with one another and bearing with one another in love. We are to never dominate or lord it over one another.  And, to carry the pattern further, we are to demonstrate God's kingdom in the earth by how we treat one another so that the world may know that we belong to the Lord. Ephesians 4:1-3; Colossians 3:12-17
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To dominate or to not dominate others should never be a question amongst the family of Christ.  To deal with each other, and the world, with the love, compassion, and mercy of Christ allows us to bear fruit for the kingdom of God that remains.