Good Morning! Why are so many born again believers miserable?  What part of our lives is so bad that the grace of God is seldom enough to endure it, much less enjoy it?  This ought not to be!

Remember that at RU we like to dissect Bible verses and define words.  At RU we consider clichés to be our enemy!  We want to contemplate word meanings whenever we are discussing answers to life’s problems as found in the Bible.

As a result, there is probably no cliché that we re-define and remind more than the word “grace”.  It is best defined as “God’s work on my behalf”.  It is really “God at work, me at rest” in all of life’s circumstances.  The only prerequisite for God’s grace is my “humility in the face of HIS workload”.

So many Christian people I meet are discouraged with their life.  Many of these people seem to struggle to even make it through the day.  But it seems to me that the believers that have it the worst in their daily circumstances are the ones that seem to be the happiest in the midst of it all.  How does that work?  Humility!

Humility is another cliché that needs to be often defined.  Humility is “ubmission to the divine will of God for your life”  Many say they are submitted but when we actually see what God chooses to DEAL out to us in the form of adversity, we must determine by our responses if we are truly submissive.

If I ask my kids to enjoy something that they may find inconvenient and they commit to do so, only to complain and show basic feelings of misery in the midst of that moment of inconvenience, have they truly submitted?  We would all say “no!”

But as His children we often have a different view of submission for ourselves.  As long as we are enduring life without quitting church or publicly blaspheming God then we consider ourselves submissive.  That’s not submission. That is disrespectful and ungrateful endurance.

Humility is better defined by its behavior than by its meaning.  To be humble is to be submissive to God’s will for our life both externally in your words, and internally in our mind.  If that is where we are then God gives more grace, for we have been humbled.  God’s grace will be enough to not only endure our life, but to enjoy our life, no matter the cards we feel have been improperly dealt.

With that said, how does humility behave, that we may compare our thoughts and actions to what God would consider proper behavior?

Humility, fist of all is free of pride (which is an undue esteem of one’s self).  Freedom is free of arrogance (which is an undue disregard for others).  Thus freedom thinks more of others than oneself.  When we are facing difficult circumstance it is very hard to think of others rather than ones self.  Why?  Because we become proud.  Now, yes, we can defend that self-focus as an understandable response to my circumstances but we cannot say we are remaining humble for our focus has changed from others toward ourselves.  God is NOT standing by to do the work in a proud man’s life.  He is standing by to RESIST the word of that proud man.  Even though that proud man denies his pride and defends his self focus.

Humility, as well, is a “modest estimate of one’s own worth”.  When we are struggling with difficulty in our lives, we need to realize that we are nothing and He is our all.  We will then accept our position as deserving of any suffering for His name’s sake.

But usually we assume an “it’s not fair” mentality.  That is not a modest estimate of our worth.  Our feelings in the face of adversity should not be “it’s not fair” but rather it should be “I’m not worthy!”  This small change in your heart’s attitude is what unleashes God’s grace to not only endure that situation, but to enjoy that situation.

Humility is best expressed by one’s “deep sense of unworthiness in the sight of the Lord.”  Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.  Friends, we need to remember to abase ourselves.  If something is happening to us that we would never wish on another, recognize that God has wished it upon us.  When God gives us bread, refuse to think it is a stone!  God sees it as good, why can we not?  We are not humble, that is why we cannot see it as good and that is also why it IS good!

If we are having a hard day, then we need God to do some work, so we just need humility. If we are struggling with a vice, then we need God to do some work, so we just need humility.  If a brother is angry at another, then we need God to do some work, so we just need humility.  If we are facing health issues, then we need God to do some work, so we just need humility.  If we are sick of our life as it seems to play out, then we need God to do some work, so we just need humility.  If we are struggling to make ends meet, then we need God to do some work, so we just need humility.

God’s work on our behalf is available to not only endure it all, but to enjoy it all.  If there is some area of our lives that we are simply trying to endure, then there is an area of our life in which we are not humble.  That makes us proud.

If someone called you proud, what would you say?  If God thought us proud, what would He do?  If something difficult is in your life as a “God designed process of humbling you” then don’t curse it, don’t nurse it, don’t rehearse it, just reverse it.

Humble ourselves and let Him do all your work.  Which would you rather do?  Endure your hard work or enjoy your time of rest.  Humility brings tranquility.

Good morning! Freedom is found within boundaries.  Many young people reject the God given boundaries of their upbringing, thinking or feeling as if those restrictions are inhibiting their liberty.  But nothing could be further from the truth!

As a young person, I couldn’t wait to get out of my Christian home, Christian School and that baptist church!  When the day came, I would finally be free from my boundaries, or so I thought.  But we only exchange boundaries with bondage!

Secondly, Freedom is not only found in submission to boundaries, but freedom is also found in submission to authority.  So as we obey God’s boundaries and are guided by His authority we will find restrictions set in our lives by His delegates.  These delegates are people He allows to be in authority over us.  It is our parents, our preachers, our teachers, our EMPLOYERS, and even our government.

Yes, God has ordained and chosen His leadership by OUR placement.  He placed you in your home.  He placed you in your church.  He placed you in that job and He has placed you in the country in which you live.  This was intentional on His part.  You may wish for something different, but it is not the wish of our Lord, at least not at this time.  It is our rejection of His wishes that bring us into bondage.

With this said, God has designed a system of advancing our liberty through a routine of daily dieing on our part.  That is to say a willingness to give our selfish thoughts, wants and feelings over to the thoughts, wants and feelings of our Lord Jesus Christ as led by His Spirit-our Holy Spirit.

The majority of our deaths, that is to say, the sacrificing of our selfishness, will come at the request or behest of our God ordained leadership.  If we are unwilling to accept their role of “boundary placement and enforcement” in our lives, do we really think we will enjoy the liberty that comes from our personal death?

Liberty doesn’t come because we fight to the death.  Liberty comes because we submit to our death!  Today, let us give up on our fight to expand our liberties at home or at church or at work and accept our boundaries, embrace our restrictions, honor our leaders and revere our Savior.  Then we will find great liberty, for we have died that we may enjoy it!

Good Morning!  It is sad, but very true that submission to authority is no more prevalent in Christianity than it is in the secular world.  I know this for I have led and been led in both worlds.  Rebellion towards God’s umbrella of protection (our parents, preachers, teachers, employers and the government) seems to be just as commonplace in our churches as it is a world “that knows no better”.

Of course this is especially true when working with addicted people.  I have never met an addict that does not struggle with rebellion to authority.  Submission, however, is God’s primary prerequisite for advancement in any area of life.

For example, if I want to advance in my spiritual life, it requires only but one thing:  submission to the Holy Spirit.  I have learned through many mistakes that God blesses every single act of submission on our part both individually and collectively.  When we submit, we are blessed.  They go hand in hand.

But many times our submission, which must be internal in nature to gain God’s unmerited favor, gives way to stubborn rebellion when we feel as if our decision makers are actually decision mistakers!

Every leader makes mistakes, for every leader is human.  However, as followers we must realize that we do not need anyone whom God has situated between us and Him as leaders to fully cooperate with God in order for us to gain God’s blessing.  No!  In order to gain God’s blessing I submit to every ordinance of man for His name’s sake, that’s it!  That’s all! And God’s blessing is sure to follow.

Often times, we will meditate on the mistakes of our God ordained leadership and contemplate how our perception of their weaknesses will bring us harm or undue stress and use this contemplation as a justification for at least internal rebellion.

On the outside, we may appear somewhat submissive, but it is obvious to those around us that we are at best divisive or at least disruptive toward our leadership’s leanings.

Whether you are a wife with a stubborn husband as your leader, a church member with a pastor who you feel is making wrong choices with your life, an employee with a hotheaded boss or even fearful of what is taking place with our political leadership of the land, we all have a responsibility to look to the Lord and simply trust and obey.

Recently, I counseled someone who had an upcoming court date for breaking the law.  She wanted help with their court situation but at the same time was asking advice on her marriage because she was upset with her husband for his stubborn refusal to change his leadership style to one that fit her preferences for the family.  After counseling with her for thirty minutes, I realized that she didn’t trust her pastor with her personal problems and was on a three day suspension from her job for punctuality problems.  Suffice it to say I spoke to her about her need to submit to these forms of authority and she became frustrated with me and of course did not take any of the advice that I gave her.

Here is one person, and I meet people like her nearly every single day that in one meeting revealed a rebellion toward the authority of government in breaking the law, her spouse in second guessing his leadership regularly, her pastor in mistrusting his God given role in her life, her employer in disrespecting the workplace rules of order and her teacher in that she heeded none of my counsel, not a word of it!

But to her, it was our fault her life was a mess! She is not going to gain God’s blessing unless it is granted out of sheer mercy from her Maker.  I have learned that true freedom comes from submission to authority.

As a matter of fact the Bible tells us that when our leadership is at its worst that is when our submission should be at it’s best!  For that is when we glorify God the most.
Notice this oft overlooked admonition from the hot headed, opportunistic and presumptuous follower, Peter.  Who after many embarrasing moments of impetuousness, later in life he concluded the following in 1 Peter 2:18:

“Servants (which in modern vernacular is referring to employees), be subject (or submissive) to your masters (which means leaders) with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.”

The word forward means perverted.  That’s not the word pervert, but the word perverted, which means “distorted”.

This is a leader who has a distorted view of his leadership or his followers.  This is a bad leader and Peter learned in life that he and we have an obligation to be submissive to them in a spirit of fear, which means respect.  So that means when we have bad leadership, we should respect them and submit to them.  Even when they are wrong and we are right!  That’s not only God’s plan, its God’s demand!

Peter goes on to point out that if we are good followers of bad leaders we are behaving “thankworthy” or, Christ-like.  But if we are “faulty followers” then we have not suffering in any way when we are treated poorly by our leaders for we probably deserve it!

Let’s look at how this is taught in verses 19-21:

“for this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. . .”

So we see that proper responses TO God ordained leadership is not predicated upon proper responses FROM God ordained leadership.  We need to be GOOD employees AND we need to respond right to BAD employers.  That’s a mighty tall law!  But it is God’s design for submissive mankind.

If we respond right to leadership that might be acting wrong then we will eventually see a blessing come out of a bad situation.  If we just stay put and committed.  Solomon, the wisest man to ever live said this:

“If the spirit (temperament) of the ruler (leader) rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offenses.” (Ecclesiastes)

What a truth!  If our leadership gets temperamental towards us (deservedly so or undeservedly so) then we just need to stay focused, submissive and Spirit led.  That is our “place” in the God’s chain of command.  If we will do this, it will pacify the the leader from his or our own unintentional offenses.  Even if it is deserved, we are told that the leader will eventually be pacified.  How?  By our proper responses to their improper perceptions, that’s how!

With that said, my life can be broken into three time periods since my salvation at age 8.  From 8-18 I ignored authority and never advanced in my life.  From 18-28 I rebelled against authority and regressed in every area of my life and then from 28 till now, as I have made every effort to remain submissive to authority, every single area of my life has excelled beyond my greatest of hopes and aspirations.

To God be the glory; submission brings great endings to every story!

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Steven Curington

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Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:19-22)

Many an individual has been justified and has undergone a particular sanctification making them prepared and available to be used as the Lord deems necessary.  However, many are prepared and set apart for use, but they sit idly by and remain unused vessels.

Knowing God intimately is the primary way in which we experience our benefits of sanctification. When we are first saved, we become justified and simultaneously sanctified. Sanctified means “set apart.” We are set apart for God’s sacred use.  He dwells within us in the form of His Spirit, the Holy Ghost. We now have the Power within us to be used by Him in miraculous ways, as evidenced in the New Testament. This does not mean, however, that we automatically are enjoying, much less engaging in the benefits of our sanctification.

Remember, the benefit of justification takes place because God knows you, informationally; the benefits of sanctification take place as you know God intimately. You and I must grow in our knowledge (intimacy, not information alone) of God to experience the benefits of His Power in our lives. Let me give you an analogy.

You do not need to know power to use power, but you need to know power to be USED by power. You see, power is the ability to overcome by using a resource. If you were to enter a dark room, your first reaction would be to reach for the power source—the light switch. The light would turn on, and the darkness would be overcome by using the resource of the power supply from the electric company. You used the power; however, the power did not use you. But we must realize that that light switch we would use to eliminate light was made available for our use because someone was used by that source of power for our benefit.

Let me explain. For the power to be available for us to use, someone had to be used by the power source. In order for that light switch to be there, an electrician was used to place it in that position. Thus, the electric company used him to channel the power into a position to overcome darkness. What was the prerequisite for that electrician to be used by the power source? Very simply, he had to understand this power. He had to know this power. He had to understand how this power of electricity works. He had to increase his knowledge of this power until he understood how to best use it for his own benefit and for the benefit of others who could then use it themselves. That is why you must be properly trained in electrical power before you work with it. It is that simple.

Allow us to be challenged to look internally today and ask this question, “Are we being USED by the Power Source?” God may have prepared us specifically for a purpose, but are we just knowledgeable about that purpose and how to make it work, or are we actually working out that purpose He has designed for us?

One fruit of righteousness studied in our Uphold curriculum includes the fruit of Serviceability.  This defined is “when we are agreeable to being durable and moldable that we may become usable.”  Is God using us to fulfill His plan?  Are we of service for Him, or are we found unreliable?  Oh, we may be useful, but we don’t show up for God’s appointments when He can actually use us for His purpose.

My friend, there should exist a hunger in your being to be used of God with full compliance and recognition of God’s program for you.  To simply be used despite self makes one no better than the devil, for even he is used by God.  How important is it for us to desire God’s use of us to heal, make right, restore, unite that which is shattered, deliver captives, open eyes, illuminate reality, dispel mists, empower, enrich, and fulfill.  These are important tasks God needs done, but He desires to use us as vessels to fulfill these.  This is the meaning and purpose for which God desires our life to be directed and for us to be used.  Do not let it be said of you:

I lived for myself, for myself alone,
For myself and none beside,
Just as if Jesus had never lived
And as if he had never died.

Instead, let the inscription on our tombstone read as one unknown saint, “He was used of God.”  Do not let your life slip away without being used and be an awful Christian who is a slothful Christian.  Please learn as a youthful Christian to be a dutiful Christian who is a truthful Christian, for we know that a useful Christian is a fruitful Christian.

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Steven Curington

“Satan’s greatest method for Christian defeat is to prompt us to react improperly toward the weaknesses of others.”

We are in an imperfect world and live an imperfect life with imperfect people.  Hey, if I’m imperfect and you’re imperfect, then shouldn’t we give each other a break?  Easier said than done, I know.  However, it is what Christ requires.

We observe this principle in Matthew 5:39, “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Since proper “reaction toward others” is a requirement of our Lord, it is also our avenue of “reflection on Him” Satan desires to utterly destroy.  And make no doubt about it, he will deploy as he seeks to destroy!

Turning the other cheek so to speak is not so easy for the weak!  Proper responses are not a literal action we must take, but rather an attitude that Christ wants us to possess.  If you put out your cheek, yet within you an attitude full of hate or revenge or a desire to “get back” at the individual (whether with tongue or fist) continues to prevail in your meditations, then you are not obedient to this command.  The Lord is implying a reference to the attitude deep within our hearts when He speaks of turning the other cheek.

Now, you might be wondering, does it work? A famous, eccentric Methodist preacher named Billy Bray tells of his remarkable conversion in his biography.  He was an ex-minor and when he got saved and gave up his evil ways, his fellow minors were disgusted.  One of them annoyed with him struck him in the face and stated, “Take that for turning to Methody!” After being struck, Billy compassionately looked at him and said, “May God forgive you man, as I do.” It was Billy’s attitude, not his physical turn of the cheek that eventually yielded fruit and brought this man to Christ.

Another story is told of a young soldier who found himself enduring difficulty and on his knees often in prayer.  His regiment did not give him any slack and one evening, while kneeling beside his bed, a cruel fellow soldier threw a boot at his head.  This did not deter the young soldier as he continued to pray through the cursing and abuse.  He did not defend himself in word or action.  When morning came, the ruffian who had been so cruel got out of bed and noticed a pair of newly polished boots beside his bed.  Eventually, that man came to Christ.  I believe this is a picture of an attitude of “turning the other cheek.” The people to whom our cheeks are turned may not always get saved, but as a child of God we are responsible to react as Christ has commanded.  It may cost us our dignity, and it may cost us our pride, but Christ says in Mark 8:35, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.”

It is for the gospel’s sake that we are to turn our cheek with the right attitude. Without this Christ-like attitude, you will never know what your testimony produce.  What is the worth of one lost soul to you?

My friend, it is so important that when you are beat, you do not allow the devil to defeat; but rather, Christ can replete the elite who choose to be discreet when tempted in the heat. When a troubled one you meet, turn your cheek and be willing to wash his feet.  Your enemy will have not choice but to retreat.  Spirit-led responses just can’t be beat when you go cheek to cheek!

“All Freedom is measured by its boundaries.
So carry a tape measure.”

How do you measure your boundaries – in inches or in cinches? Living free in your own power is not a cinch! It’s no easy task. When I began my journey back toward a relationship with Christ, I needed guidelines to help me stay within God’s parameters. I have found ten principles that will keep us within the boundaries of our freedom in Christ.

If we are ever going to have any success whatsoever in our efforts to experience freedom in life, we must determine that if God tells us that something is wrong, it is wrong. If God is against it, so am I. I grew up in a Christian home and had lots of boundaries and rules put on me. As a young person, I misunderstood their purpose. I used to plan for the day when I became an adult and could release myself of all those rules. I could not wait for the day that I could live in what I thought would be true freedom! But make no mistake about it, friend, true freedom is found in boundaries. For you only exchange boundaries for bondage.

After stubbornly refusing to allow anyone to tell me what was right and what was wrong, and after my life was destroyed from the “freedom” I chose, I finally realized the lie to which I had become enslaved. As I sought to gain stability once again in life, I struggled because part of me was still living like the world but on the weekends I would sober up and go to church. God taught me a valuable lesson after several months of struggling, ten principles to conquer stubborn habits and that is what I needed to have oneness with God in all parts of my life.

I had to come to a point where I set the standard that if God pointed out to me that something is wrong, I must adapt the same standard. I made the decision that if God would tell me through either my umbrella of authority or through His Word that something was wrong, I was going to get on the right side of the fence. The first line that I drew for myself was when I started coming back to church. I knew that using drugs was wrong. So, I drew a line in my life and set the standard that I was not going to use drugs anymore. But I could not stop there, I soon discovered. Because it would only take a bad day or a wrong choice and I was merely one step away from my addiction. I continually found myself falling over that line. However, as God began showing me more things through His Word and through my leadership, I began drawing more lines in my life. Each one pushed me further and further from the life I once knew. I continued to take steps in the right direction.

As I began to follow this first principle in its entirety, God gave me several others to help me maintain complete sobriety! They are what is now commonly referred to as the RU Ten Principles of Prosperity:

Principle #1- If God’s against it, so am I.
Principle #2-Every sin has its origin in our hearts.
Principle #3-It is easier to keep the heart clean than it is to clean it after it has been defiled.
Principle #4-We cannot fight a fleshly appetite by indulging in it.
Principle #5-Small compromises lead to great disasters. (Little sins lead to big sins.)
Principle #6-Those who do not love the Lord will not help us serve the Lord.
Principle #7-Our sinful habits do hurt those who follow us.
Principle #8-It is not possible to fight a fleshly temptation with fleshly weapons.
Principle #9-We lose our freedom to choose when we give in to temptation. Our consequences are inevitable and incalculable and up to God.
Principle #10- God balances guilt with blame. Accept the blame for your actions and God will remove the guilt.

These principles I still apply, as daily I seek to die, their relevance you cannot deny; if on self you once did try. So soon you will reply, “In Him I must rely”!

Webster’s dictionary defines worry as personal torment of oneself with disturbing thoughts; to fret.  Many believe that worry is an emotional problem. In reality, worry is a psychological problem.  Psychology simply means relating to the mental process.  There is no doubt that worry can be slowed in one’s life, even stopped.  Its even better to realize that the results of worry, which are both physical, emotional and relational can be practically eliminated from your life.  But first we are going to have to handle the psychological mistakes that bring us to the personal torment of disturbing thoughts—to worry.

Some people are critical of teaching that abdicates the “power of positive thinking”.  I understand that you cannot create a positive out of a negative by persuasively thinking positively.  But I would suggest that I believe there is more power in positive thinking than there ever has been in negative thinking!

Worry creates all kinds of physical stress and interpersonal reactionary mistakes.  The ramifications of worry are oftentimes even worse than the circumstances that created the worry in the first place.  You see, worry is a personal torment.  Torment means to inflict with painful suffering.  When we worry we actually inflict painful suffering on our mind.  The pain from these meditations usually engage our flight or fight response within our minds that subsequently stimulates our emotions.  Though negative thoughts can sometimes creates emotional pleasure (like criticizing someone tends to do), fearful thoughts always create emotional displeasure.  This displeasure will eventually show in our actions and reactions in life.  So we see that by stimulating our emotions with disturbing thoughts will play a profound effect on the peace we have with ourselves, God and others.

When we have peace with God, as people void of offense, we can have a clear conscience.  Behavioral mistakes will hinder that peace and disturb our peace with self, which in turn manifests in eventual division among those we appreciate in life.  This ought not to be.  We can control thoughts, just like we can control our behaviors.  But it takes power and it takes preparation.  In order to maintain peace with God and self, thus enjoying peace with others, we will need to prepare for peace.  This preparation is found in managing our moment by moment meditations.

We will talk more of this preparation in another blog.

Talking to God vs. Others
With this point, I will first discuss the negative aspect—talking to others.  This is simply another way to say ‘gossip’; and in this context, we are referring specifically about talking to others about our leaders.  Jude 1:16 says, “These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.”  So, we see that when people talk to others about issues concerning their leaders, they are simply walking after their own lusts.  This type of behavior is no different in that sense than drug use.  A person may use gossip to escape reality and make themselves feel better just as they may use drugs to the same end.  We also see here that people are driven to gossip about their leaders to try and appear confident or competent.  Again, this is done to advance themselves, but it is not reality, and it certainly is not a way to effectively influence one’s leaders.  As a matter of fact, our leaders typically know a lot more about what we say about them than we would think; so we must be very cautious with what we communicate to others about them.

Talking to God is the most important behavior in which we must engage if we want to beneficially influence our leaders.  This is the single step that ties the entire “Law of Influence” together.  You may ask, “Why do I need to talk to God if I already influence my leadership with my submission, obedience, motivation, and loyalty?”  Well, it is because all of those other behaviors (submission, obedience, etc.) DO NOT influence your leaders nearly as much as they influence God.  To explain what I mean, let us return to our key verse, Proverbs 21:1.  Our paraphrase says, “The thoughts, desires, and feelings of our leaders are in the power of the LORD, as channels of irrigation: he bends them in whatever way He desires.”  You see, the Bible says the leader’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, so if we want to reach the heart of our leaders and influence them, we must beseech the Lord to make it happen—for He is the only One who has the ability to alter the king’s (our leader’s) heart!  In other words, we must convince God that He should bend and angle our leaders’ hearts to allow us to influence them.

It is absolutely necessary to talk to God—to use God as the intermediary—if we want to influence our leaders.  Without talking to God, having an influence upon leadership is a rare and unlikely possibility.  However, it is also largely futile to talk to God asking him to allow you to influence your leaders if you do not first engage in the other four behaviors necessary—submission, obedience, motivation, and loyalty.  I Timothy 2:1-2 says, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”  So, we see that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and honesty by obeying them that have the rule over us.  And when we are unable to do so, or do not feel we can do it much longer—when we are struggling to submit, obey, motivate, and be loyal to our leaders, we are left with one resource: our most powerful tool—talking to God in intercessory prayer.  I exhort you to pray for your leaders.  This is especially important if you are at odds with them.  Supplicate God to help you and intercede on your behalf.  Finally, thank God for your leaders no matter whether they are good or bad…why?  “For the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord…he turneth it whithersoever he will.

Motivation vs. Manipulation
We can positively and beneficially influence our leaders through motivation.  I Timothy 6:1 says, “Let as many servants as are under the yoke (joined together) count their own masters (leaders, or employers) worthy of all honour that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed (spoken against).  This does not tell us what motivation is as much as it gives us a reason why we should motivate our leadership.  To “honour” means to “esteem.”  So, this is saying that when we esteem our leaders by motivating them, we actually lift up God’s name along with His doctrine and our testimony.

Conversely, when we manipulate our leaders, we have the exact opposite effect on our testimony and the name of God.  Manipulation is a direct form of blasphemy, for it is simply trying to get people to do what you want absent of the leading of God’s Spirit.  A manipulator attempts to replace God’s Spirit with some form of imposter that inevitably comes from self, and it is always wicked.  Proverbs 6:12 says, “A naughty person…walketh with a froward mouth. He winketh with his eyes…Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord…”  We see in this verse that the “naughty person,” or the manipulator, has forwardness in his heart and devises mischief continuously.  This means that the manipulator tells lies and makes up stories without ceasing.  He must make up lies to cover up lies.  All of this is done in an effort to sow discord.  Why does the manipulator seek to sow discord?  Because when things are in a state of chaos, it prevents people from focusing too carefully on the manipulator’s behavior, thus keeping them blind from the truth–which is deception!  Nothing is more ineffective at influencing leadership than a manipulator who is “found out”; and all manipulators are eventually exposed!

Loyalty vs. Disloyalty
In Romans 13:7, we find the biblical instruction manual for being loyal to our leadership. Dissected and defined it says, “Render (pay back) therefore to all their dues (what is owed) tribute (payment that acknowledges submission) to whom tribute is due; custom (purchase) to whom custom; fear (respect) to whom fear; honour (esteem) to whom honour.”  Reconstructed, we see that Paul is telling us that we are to, “Pay back all of what we owe with submission; purchase from whom we ought to purchase from; respect whom we ought to respect; and esteem those whom we ought to esteem.”  When we exhibit this kind of loyalty to our leaders, they will bring us in very close to them and allow us to be extremely influential with them.
Unfortunately, a man who displays this type of loyalty is extremely rare.  The opposite of loyal is disloyal, and although most men would not be considered disloyal, there are very few that would qualify as loyal by the Bible’s standard.  Proverbs 20:6 says, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”  What this verse is essentially saying is that most men are well intentioned and will publicly claim to be good and loyal; however, when it comes down to it, they are sadly inconsistent.  To be loyal, one must put their leader’s needs well above their own, and couple that with a great deal of character and discipline.  A lack of loyalty to leadership, or disloyalty, is certainly one way to ineffectively influence authority.  After all, who would take great heed to somebody whose heart is not fully committed, or loyal, to a joint cause?

Submission vs. Resistance
The Bible says in Hebrews 13:17, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief…”  The message that the Apostle Paul is giving us here is quite clear: we are to submit entirely to our leaders.  Why?  Because our leaders are the people who are going to look out for our best interests!  It says that, “…they watch for your souls…”  This means literally that if we submit to our leaders, our souls (mind, will, and emotions) will be best cared for.  Now, notice the phrase, “…that they may do it with joy and not with grief…”  This is referring to our leaders in the act of watching out for our souls.  What Paul is explaining here is that if we fail to submit to our leaders, then they will be unable to care for us with joy; and consequently, they will be grieved and disappointed in their responsibility of ministering to us.

“Resister” is a modern English word for the Old English word “scorner”; however, resisters are not only scorners, but they can be critical or stubborn people.  Proverbs 29:1 says, “He that being often reproved (corrected) hardeneth his neck (resists), shall suddenly be destroyed…”  So, we see here that not only will resistance lead to ineffective influence over our leadership, but it will also, sadly, ultimately destroy us…and suddenly at that!  Personally speaking, I am always very hard-pressed to promote anyone in the workplace of Reformers Unanimous who demonstrates resistance in their behavior—regardless of how talented they may be.

Obedience vs. Rebellion
You may be wondering what the difference is between obedience and submission.  They are, in fact, two entirely different things.  To obey means, “To comply with a command” while to submit means, “to yield to a power.”  By way of illustration, recall the cartoon “Dennis the Menace.”  I remember seeing an episode where Dennis was commanded by his father to sit down in the corner of the room and be quiet.  As he was doing this, a caption materialized above his head that said, “On the outside I’m sitting down, but on the inside, I’m standing up!”  This is a classic example of obedience absent of submission.  Dennis obeyed his father’s command, but he did not yield to his power—he did not submit!  The actual definition for “submission” is as follows: “Acknowledgment of inferiority.”  I have found that those who do not like this definition typically struggle with submitting to their authority.  Now, before you get “up in arms” about the nature of this definition, understand that the word “inferiority” is referring strictly to one’s rank.  This is not to say that when we submit we are acknowledging our inferiority to somebody as a person, but rather we are conceding the fact that we are underneath that person in the chain of command, so to speak.  So as our last point proves, submission or internal acknowledgement of inferiority of one’s self will better influence your leadership than an internal resistance coupled with external obedience.  With that said, obedience will be equally appreciated by those in authority over you.  II Corinthians 7:14-15 says, “For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed… (15)…whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all…”  This passage clearly shows that Paul is happy to lead and serve these people because they are obedient to his teachings.  As a result, the church of Corinth had a great influence upon the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul.

I Samuel 15:23 warns, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…” We see here that the Scriptures tell us that rebellion is just like witchcraft.  How can this be?  Well, witchcraft simply means “to be under the influence of the devil,” and when one is rebellious, they are certainly behaving under the influence of the devil.  Know also that rebellion, or witchcraft, is different from stubbornness.  A person who is rebellious does not intentionally do what is wrong, for they are under the influence of the enemy; however, a stubborn person knows what is right and wrong and chooses to walk contrary to God.  Whether one is rebellious or one is stubborn, they will most certainly be equally ineffective at influencing their leaders.