“How does the believer properly submit to authority?” Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it whichever way He wishes. Recognize where authority comes from and that God can and will shift the person in authority to His pleasure and design. Daniel 2:21 It is He who changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise And [greater] knowledge to those who have understanding! 22 It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him. 23 I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, For You have made known to us [the solution to] the king’s matter. God establishes and also removes authority God will give you wisdom and solutions for dealing with people in authority Sometimes God gives you wisdom on how to best deal with those in authority over you Sometimes God gives you wisdom and solutions for the people in authority over you Wisdom and solutions will make room for you and bring earthly favor upon your life Solutions are rewarded, complaints are ignored Be the person the authorities over you want to see coming 1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves to [the authority of] every human institution for the sake of the Lord [to honor His name], whether it is to a king as one in a position of power, 14 or to governors as sent by him to bring punishment to those who do wrong, and to praise and encourage those who do right. 15 For it is the will of God that by doing right you may silence (muzzle, gag) the [culpable] ignorance and irresponsible criticisms of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover or pretext for evil, but [use it and live] as bond-servants of God. 17 Show respect for all people [treat them honorably], love the brotherhood [of believers], fear God, honor the king. 18 [e]Servants, be submissive to your masters with all [proper] respect, not only to those who are good and kind, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if a person endures the sorrow of suffering unjustly because of an [f]awareness of [the will of] God. 20 After all, what kind of credit is there if, when you do wrong and are punished for it, you endure it patiently? But if when you do what is right and patiently bear [undeserved] suffering, this finds favor with God. Submission is done for the sake of the Lord Doing right will silence the criticism of the ignorant Doing right is doing what is asked of you by those in authority over you- the only caveat is when the request violates the law of God. we are not exempt when it simply violates our opinion or desire. Be respectful of all people- submission to God always involves respecting His prized creation Submission means loving God’s church submission means not just tolerating but actually honoring authority. submit to authority not only when they are kind but also when they are unreasonable Patient Suffering under unreasonable leadership brings Gods favor upon you- God is always watching and He will not allow His Kids to be mistreated without rewarding them openly. Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God [granted by His permission and sanction], and those which exist have been put in place by God. 2 Therefore whoever [a]resists [governmental] authority resists the ordinance of God. And those who have resisted it will bring judgment (civil penalty) on themselves. 3 For [civil] authorities are not a source of fear for [people of] good behavior, but for [those who do] evil. Do you want to be unafraid of authority? Do what is good and you will receive approval and commendation. 4 For he is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, [you should] be afraid; for he does not carry the [executioner’s] sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an avenger who brings punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be subject [to civil authorities], not only to escape the punishment [that comes with wrongdoing], but also as a matter of principle [knowing what is right before God]. 6 For this same reason you pay taxes, for civil authorities are God’s servants, devoting themselves to governance. 7 Pay to all what is due: tax to whom tax is due, customs to whom customs, respect to whom respect, honor to whom honor. Resisting Authority resists God It is not our job to deal with leaders and authority- they are judged on a much higher standard by God Leaders are judged based on their obedience to authority and obedience to God we are judged based on our obedience to authority and obedience to God- it is not our job to correct the authorities that God has put in place in our lives. Submission to authority should not be hard. Proper position makes proper submission easier-submission is easier when I know I am where I’m supposed to be. Submission begins with making Jesus the Lord of our lives