And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
Memory of the Month: Psalm 33:4
4 For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
Today's reading: EZEKIEL 45-46 1 JOHN 2
The Problem With Authority
"It is easy to see that you have a problem with authority". We hear it all our lives. We hear it said to people around us or to us directly. We read about it. We see and hear it in the media. What does this actually mean?
The dictionary defines authority this way:
"the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience."
What does it mean, then, to have a 'problem' with authority? For our purposes here, it means that a person with a problem with authority has a subversive mentality to the people over them-someone who is resentful of power-a person who believes that they could do it better than the one or ones in control. This person would nearly always have a negative reaction to orders given by authority if only quietly in their hearts.
Philippians 2:9-11: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Anyone who has a problem with bowing their knee and confessing that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, has a problem with supreme authority. Therapists could blame this on early conditioning or whatever and formulate a way for clients to 'work through' this resentment and 'feel' good 'about their progress' but the truth is that until that person is fully surrendered to the power over them, there will be resentment.
So how do we do that? Do we follow a list of rules where we meet certain objectives to prove our loyalty? No.
This is a world of lies perpetrated by the enemy-an entire worldly system of lies that has been embraced, sadly enough, by a great part of the so-called Christian world-any that says, "If you do not follow our doctrines and teachings, you will never be acceptable to God".
It is time for the Bible and what it says. The Bible says, "At the name of Jesus...every knee will bow..."
What is in a name? The Hebrew word 'shem' means 'name' but it does not simply mean the name on your birth certificate. Shem means what you stand for-what you believe-
What does the name Christ mean? It means 'the anointed one' referring to the way kings were anointed in the Old Testament.(There are various other anointings for different purposes.)
From Luke, chapter 4, in the synagogue, Jesus read from Isaiah,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,"
Then, in verse 20, Jesus said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
What do you think the reaction of those hearing Jesus was? We read what the reaction was in Matthew, chapter 28,
17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me."
1 Timothy 6:15 In His own perfect time, He will come—blessed is the only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords.
The problem with authority stems from the enemy, himself. He wanted to exert his power and was thrown out of Heaven, Revelations 12:7-17, to earth where he wages war against those
"...who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
When our names are called on this earth, are we known for our testimony for Christ Jesus? Does your name mean that you have bowed your knee to Christ and call Him Lord of all?
We all have 'knee' work that must be done-even if our name is synonymous with the testimony of Christ. We all must take up our cross daily and follow. We all must profess His authority-"Jesus is Lord".
Confess your reservations about the authority of Christ over your life. These reservations do not come from faith-they come from sin.
We all hear it because the enemy continues to accuse God of weakness-it is his mission-to create doubt in our hearts.
James 4:7-So submit yourselves to the one true God and fight against the devil and his schemes. If you do, he will run away in failure.
Fighting against the enemy and his schemes means we submit to the authority of almighty God.
Important to remember: The enemy came at Jesus three times during the temptation of Christ-all three times he failed and then the Bible says this:
"When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time." Luke 4:13
The enemy would return in the voices of those who resented the authority of God in Christ Jesus.
The enemy will return to accuse us time after time-to try to make us doubt and fail and sin. We must keep our guard up...
And how do we do that? We look to God's word:
Philippians 4:6&7
6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
It takes knee work...much knee work
...because He loves us...
Father in Heaven,
I confess I do not chase off the enemy with Your authority. I listen too much without my guard up. Have mercy on me in my weaknesses.
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