KEY PRINCIPLES FROM THIS MESSAGE:
So much of our temporal deliverance is tied to our perspective of the future.
Setting our minds on things above means setting our hearts, our affections, and our focus on the future.
Never suppose you have the right to say, “God vouches for me.” Let your words and actions align with His Word and others will concede your integrity.
Liars are destructive by nature. Relationships built on lies never last. This truth is amplified when it comes to salvation. If a person’s salvation is built on a lie, that person remains unsaved.
What, Exactly, Is Authority-Orientation? – blog 8/7/20
God is sovereign. He has delegated His authority to those He’s installed as leaders. To obey our leaders is to obey God. So, to answer the question on the table, “What, exactly, is authority orientation?” The Holy Bible answers this very clearly. Authority orientation describes an absolute, unadulterated mindset that God’s will is perfect. A person cannot proclaim such a mindset if they pick and choose when to obey His delegated authorities, nor can they pick and choose which authorities are from God, because they all are. God, government, church, pastors, husbands, parents, bosses, etc.…these are all authorities ordained by God to accomplish His purposes. An authority-oriented person simply says, “OK,” and is blessed for it.
Arrogance hates to be judged, which is why the very first tactic it often employs is to reject authority. Look around you. It doesn’t take long to see that the folks living in sin are the same ones who reject authority.
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God installs churches and authorities over them for the sake of spiritual accountability. Stop! Do you see the “sliver” that sin can exploit here? Let me point it out. If a person refuses to submit to the authority of a church and/or the leader(s), they have, in one fell swoop, dismissed the issue of spiritual accountability (within the purview of the church). Pretty slick, huh? This is precisely why, if you pay close attention to the “I-don’t-need-a-church” camp, what you’ll typically find is a person living in sin. “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed” (John 3:20).
Authority is a grace gift. It’s ever-present but not everyone receives it as a blessing.