Obeying Civil Authority (and other devotionals)

Obeying Civil Authority

In Romans 13:1-3, the apostle Paul gives us some clear instruction on how we are to relate to our civil authorities,

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 the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.  Do you want to be unafraid of the authority?  Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.

I remember the days before I was saved.  If I saw a police car when looking in my rearview mirror, I was struck with instant paranoia.  There was a good reason for my fear. 

At that time in my life, I would have gotten in a lot of trouble if I had been pulled over.  I was constantly high on drugs and alcohol, and there were rarely times I was completely sober. 

Thank God I have been saved!  Today if I look in my rearview mirror and I see a police car, I may slow down a little bit; but I am not gripped with this feeling of paranoia because I live within the parameters of the laws of the land.  And if I do break a law, it is going to be out of ignorance and not out of willful rebellion.

If you live your life in fear of civil authority, it is time to check out why.  If you search your heart and find that you are not subject to the laws of the land as you should be, I encourage you to make that change today. 

You will be able to live your life without fear, and honor God in the process. 

~Bayless Conley~

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A Four Letter Word

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. - 2 Timothy 1:7

More than once since I committed this verse to memory I have had to embrace it as truth and pray that I not give in to a “spirit of fear.” I have come to believe that the word “fear” really is a four-letter word and should be considered profanity. Wouldn’t it be great if we could somehow have it censored from all of our thoughts and feelings, like bleeping out a bad word? But instead, fear is very much a part of our reality, even more so than we realize or want to admit. I know there are times when being fearful can be a good thing, such as being afraid of doing something that might bring harm or danger. My husband bought me a motorcycle.I spent a significant amount of time preparing to ride it, taking courses, getting my license, but the bike still sat in the garage. I was hindered with fear from riding it.

The spirit of fear as mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:7 is a different kind of fear. This fear hinders what God has given us: His power, love and sound mind. This fear grips us with doubts and insecurities, waging war with our thoughts and feelings. This kind of fear is not of God but of the enemy, the devil. Fear is one of the greatest weapons Satan uses against us, as it attacks our minds. He tells us that we are no good, not worthy, unloved and useless. These thoughts affect us all, he picks on everyone, no one is spared. How can we fight against such thoughts? By believing the truth of the second part of the verse. God through His Holy Spirit has given us power, love and a sound mind, not in our strength but in His.

Are you dealing with fears today that are gripping you so tightly that you feel helpless and hopeless? How can these fears be conquered? Start by praying for the Lord to open your mind and help you understand how to use the power given by His Holy Spirit. The power precedes love, so next pray for your heart to be filled with His love, knowing that His perfect love casts out fear (1 John4:18). What a great pair…power and love! Then, ask the Lord to clear your mind and bring to your thoughts His words, taking captive those thoughts not of Him.

O, Lord, I pray that You teach us how to live victorious lives through the empowering love and strength of Your Holy Spirit. And in Jesus name we ask that You break those strongholds of fear that bind us up and keep us from experiencing the peace and joy that You desire for us. Amen.

~Daily Disciples Devotional~

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Let Your New Life Push Out the Old!

BIBLE MEDITATION:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Our eyes delight to see those trees in autumn which turn glorious colors, then drop their leaves one by one. But there are certain trees that hold their leaves until spring. They wither and turn brown, but they don’t drop. Not until spring do these trees lose their leaves—when the new leaves push out the old leaves.

That’s exactly what happens to our old habits and our old lives when we find the Lord Jesus. The new life pushes that old life off.

ACTION POINT:
It’s not a matter of plucking off this leaf and knocking off that leaf. The Christian life is not forged in that manner. Our new life replaces our old life when we are born again.

~Adrian Rogers~

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You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people. (1 Peter 2:9)

“You are a holy nation,” a nation separated from this world unto God. New birth means that, oh, that that was made clear to all right there at the beginning how utter this thing is. The Lord Jesus left people in no doubt about this; a cleavage utter and absolute. He would take risks with people, you would probably say: "Oh, why put them off, why run the risk of offending them, why discourage them saying 'except, except, except' all the time?" Ah, He was taking all the risks necessary about this because the reality, the awful reality of this: you CANNOT, you cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven while you cling to this kingdom inimical to God, in any way.... How much the New Testament has to say about this, a walk in holiness that is separate unto God in heart, in spirit, in life, from this world. And if we knew it, a very large degree of our education, our spiritual education and our discipline in the Christian life under the hand of the HOLY Spirit, has to do with those things in us which are mixed up....

The Lord calls for distinctiveness of life and testimony, real distinctiveness of life and testimony. Is our life, dear friends, is your life and my life in this world in our connections and associations and so on, quite distinct, no mistaking to what realm we belong, to Whom we belong? No mistaking it? Or are we mixed in, compromising, keeping on good terms with this world and its people under the devil’s hand? If so, we stand to lose terribly.... Is there something quite distinctive about our lives that says that man, that woman, that young man, that young woman is utter for God, there’s no doubt about it, you see it all the time, they are utter for God; they are not playing at things, there’s no compromise with them. Now this sounds hard, but it’s necessary. Do you see what’s involved? Dear friends, the secret of power is holiness! It is. The secret of power is holiness. If our lives are powerless it may be due to this lack somewhere, somehow, of this utterness for God, this separation unto God, of some kind of compromise somehow, somewhere, with the prince of this world who’s robbing us of our spiritual power and vitality on his own ground. The secret of power is holiness; whatever you forget, remember that!

~T. Austin-Sparks~

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Sins of Ignorance

"And it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance"   (Numbers 15:25).

Because of our ignorance we are not fully aware of our sins of ignorance. Yet we may be sure they are many, in the form both of commission and omission. We may be doing in all sincerity, as a service to God, that which He has never commanded and can never accept. The LORD knows these sins of ignorance every one. This may well alarm us, since in justice He will require these trespasses at our hand; but on the other hand, faith spies comfort in this fact, for the LORD will see to it that stains unseen by us shall yet be washed away. He sees the sin that He may cease to see it by casting it behind His back. Our great comfort is that Jesus, the true priest, has made atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel. That atonement secures the pardon of unknown sins. His precious blood cleanses us from all sin. Whether our eyes have seen it and wept over it or not, God has seen it, Christ has atoned for it, the Spirit bears witness to the pardon of it, and so we have a threefold peace. O my Father, I praise Thy divine knowledge, which not only perceives my iniquities but provides an atonement which delivers me from the guilt of them, even before I know that I am guilty.

~Charles Spurgeon~