Preparing for your Season of Blessing by Dr. Dennis Mugimba.
PREPARING FOR YOUR SEASON OF BLESSING
Living Under Authority - The Blessedness of Being Subject to Authority:
Introduction:
God’s Plan for Man is that every soul should be under authority; we see this in Romans 13:1 where it is written that, “1Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.” Therefore, being under authority is one of the foundational principles that we ought to observe because in obedience, there is a blessing that comes along.
We also understand from God’s Word in Romans 13:3-4 that authorities that we are made subject to are there to minister to us - “3For 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. 4For he is God’s minister to you for good.” God does not place us under authority so that we are tormented; but rather to be blessed. The following are the various ways that we get ministered to by being subject to authority:
1) God places us under authority so that we can live better:
When God intervened in the affairs of a fallen world during the times of Noah, the first thing He did was to identify a person to whom He would entrust His authority to save the living creatures on earth. Having identified Noah, God said to Him in Genesis 6:18-19, “18But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.” Whatever God placed under Noah’s authority, lived a better life having been redeemed from destruction.
Just like in the times of Joseph in Egypt, the essence of sending the household of Jacob the Patriarch to Egypt was not for Joseph to revenge his being sold into slavery by his brothers but to save his father’s household from the destruction that came through the famine that ravaged the land – “20But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” It was through the authority that God gave Joseph in Egypt through Pharaoh that the lives of not only the Egyptians but the household of Jacob the Patriarch was spared from destruction that comes with famine.
Therefore, it is important to know and appreciate that God does not places us under authority to do us harm but to give us a better life because it is through the authorities He has established on earth that He brings good things to us. What happened in the times of Noah and Joseph was a type of what Jesus Christ brought to the earth when He says in John 10:10 that, “10The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” When we subject ourselves to the authority of Jesus Christ, we receive abundant life.
2) God places us under authority so that He can bless us:
When God called Abraham the Patriarch to Himself, He did so in order to give Him authority to become a blessing to all on the earth. God told Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3 that, “2I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” When God delegates His authority, with it comes the ability to bless those over whom that authority He has given is to be exercised.
When God was blessing Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He said to them - Genesis 1:28 that “28… “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” From what God said in Genesis 1:28, we learn what being blessed looks like; it carries the following cardinal characteristics: fruitfulness, increase, overcoming, and authority. Therefore, when we subject ourselves to God’s authorities on earth, He will bless us and His blessings will bring along fruitfulness, increase, ability to overcome challenges, and He also gives us authority. You will never receive authority from God if you cannot subject yourselves to His governing authorities on earth – God does not bless a rebellious spirit.
3) God places us under authority to rescue us in times of trouble:
Though Abraham and Lot were cousins, Lot was under the authority of Abraham. The authorities that God may place us under are not necessarily only those in the formal workplace settings, Church hierarchy, or secular administration. God may want you to be under the authority of your younger sibling – recall the situation of Esau and Jacob. In Genesis 14:14-16, we are told that, “14Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.” In God’s omniscience, He does place us under authority so that in certain points of trouble that lies ahead of us; these authorities He has placed us under can come to our rescue.
There is a lot that lies ahead of us; in our lives, in the present, near and distant futures. Often, even when God has revealed it, many a time, human beings do not perceive the calamity that lies ahead. It takes obedience to revelations from God for human beings to perceive what God is revealing about our future. However, sometimes, God may not necessarily show you why He wants you to be under certain governing authorities in your life but from the life of Noah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, and later Jesus Christ, we surely see that God brings people under authority to primarily protect or rescue them from their troubles. Therefore, do not be quick to reject or despise the authorities that God is bringing you under for you do not know the trouble God is shielding you from.
4) God places you under authority so that you may be interceded for:
God responds to intercessions of the governing authorities He has placed on earth; whether such authorities are believers or not. Governing authorities play an intercessory role – but many; followers and those in authority alike, may not be aware of this vital role.
In Genesis 18:19-33, we are given an account of how Abraham interceded for righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah when he was told by the LORD that the cities were going to be destroyed. In verse 31, Abraham says, “31“Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” Those whom we are under authority have the right to take it upon themselves to intercede for those they lead. In Abraham’s intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah, he was aware that his brother Lot dwelt in Sodom; and he didn’t want him to be destroyed with the wicked for we are told in 2 Peter 2:7-8 that Lot was a righteous man, “7… and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8(for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—”.
Moses; the leader of Israel, twice interceded for the children of Israel not to be destroyed’ Deuteronomy 9:18-20, “18And I fell down before the Lord, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you committed in doing wickedly in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. 19For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the Lord was angry with you, to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me at that time also. 20And the Lord was very angry with Aaron and would have destroyed him; so I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. ”
Jesus Christ is continuously intercedes for those who submit to His authority; Hebrews 7:23-25, “23Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Therefore, when we reject or despise the governing authorities that God has placed over us, we are rejecting those that God has given the power to intercede; intervene, on our behalf.
5) God places us under authority that we may fulfill life-purposes:
The forty-first chapter of the Book of Genesis gives an account of the circumstances that led to Joseph’s ascendance to the second most powerful governing authority in Egypt. Joseph’s rise had other people playing their part within their respective realms of authority; and these included the Chief Guard of the Prison where Joseph was imprisoned for the former gave him authority of the other prisoners. Among those prisoners was Pharaoh’s Chief Butler who later was restored to his role through a dream that Joseph interpreted for him.
Later, after the Chief Butler had been restored to his job of serving Pharaoh, the latter had the troubling dreams that pertained to the seven years of plenty and seven years of famine in Egypt – dreams that were interpreted by Joseph after he had been referred to Pharaoh by the Chief Butler.
A lesson to take from the three main characters; the Chief Butler, Pharaoh, and Joseph is that each one them exercised their authority rightfully for the other to be able to fulfill their purpose. The Chief Butler made it possible for Joseph to get into Pharaoh’s presence just as Joseph used his spiritual authority in the prison to rightfully interpret the dream that restored the Chief Butler back to his role.
And; definitely, Pharaoh used his authority to have Joseph ultimately ascend to his purpose in life as per the earlier dreams he had been receiving as enumerated in Genesis 37:5-10, “5Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” 10So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”” Therefore, the authorities that God has placed you under have a role to play in your next destination on your way to your God-given destiny and purpose.
The Chief Butler, Pharaoh, and Joseph utilized their natural positions of authority to fulfill God’s purpose. It is important; however, that we do not confuse the platform of authority with the purpose of the authority. For example, the Chief Butler job was a mere platform that God used to bring to stage His servant Joseph because of His children; Israel. In the Book of Esther 4:13-14, Mordecai; Esther’s uncle told her that in the Book of Esther, “13... “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”” God used the platform of Esther’s marriage to the King to redeem the Jews from extermination by Harman – rescuing Israel was the purpose of Esther’s marriage to the King. By being under the authority of the King by virtue of marriage, Esther was able to fulfill God’s purpose of preserving an entire nation; Israel. When you despise authority, you could be the pathway to fulfillment of you purpose for existence.
6) God places you under authority so that you may access places you would ordinarily not be able to access:
In Exodus 24:13, we get to learn that Joshua was able to stand in the Presence of God when Moses went up the Mountain by virtue of him; Joshua, being an assistant to Moses – “13So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.” The lesson here is that there are some places you may not be able to access if it were not for the authorities that God has put you under. Many people have dined with Queens and Kings or been to the most revered places simply because they are tagging along their boss. Therefore, never underestimate the opportunities that the authorities you are subject to can bring your way through ways that are even difficult to comprehend.
Moses; the great leader of Israel, got to live in Pharaoh’s palace by virtue of the authority of Pharaoh’s daughter who chose to take him up and raise him as her child; Exodus 2:5-10, “5Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. 6And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?” 8And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. 9Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”” There are some places along your God-given destiny that you won’t be able to enter into until you learn the discipline of submitting to the authorities that God has placed you under for such authorities hold the key to your accessing those places.
7) God places you under authority so that you can be mentored:
Being under authority is a time for mentorship; which in itself is a time of preparation. The Bible is full of accounts of personalities that were mentored by the authorities they were placed under – Elijah mentored Elisha, David was mentored in King Saul’s palace, Daniel received mentorship from Ashpenaz the Chief of King Nebuchadnezzar’s eunuchs; Daniel 1:3-4, “3Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, 4young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.”
Jesus’ disciples were under His mentorship for slightly over three years before He entrusted them with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20, “16Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” The simple Biblical principle here is that there are certain realms of our God-given purpose we can only ascend to after going through mentorship by an authority over us.
8) God places us under authority so that we may learn stewardship:
There is no better place to learn about stewardship than being under authority. It is only through stewardship that we can prove our degree and measure of faithfulness. In Luke 12:42-44, Jesus said, “42… “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? 43Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.” In this portion of scripture, we see that being given more responsibility and authority is premised on being a faithful steward with what has been entrusted with you now.
9) God places us under authority so that they can speak into our lives:
In Romans 13:1, we see that, “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” God allows His authorities to be His mouthpieces; so to speak – all are not necessarily His prophets or prophetic but they have been entrusted with a certain measure of His secrets. Because God desires that His appointed authorities minister to His people in righteousness, He reveals His Word to them – whether they perceive it correctly is another matter altogether.
For example, it is said; in the Book of John 11:49-52 that Caiaphas prophesied not because he was a prophet, prophetic, or a follower of Jesus Christ but rather he was in the office of the authority of the High Priest at the time, “49And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 51Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.” Therefore, rather than disregarding as not being of God the words that non-believers who are in authority say, we are better off asking God to grow our ability to discern whether what those in authority say is the Word of God or not. Despising what leaders say as not being from God simply because such leaders or authorities are not believers is a terrible mistake.
For instance, parents have a God-given responsibility to speak God’s destiny into the lives of their offspring. We see in Genesis 49, Jacob spoke prophetically into his sons lives; and what he spoke into their lives came to be the defining legacy of each of the twelve tribes of Israel. This is why honoring one’s mother and father is the only commandment among the Ten that God gave a promise along with it; the promise of long life; Exodus 20:12, ““Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” .
In Conclusion:
God’s intention of placing you under authority is to do you good through the ministering of the authorities that He places over you. Because all governing authorities that exist are appointed by God, they are there to be channels of blessings to you and not evil. When you understand that as God sends your way a new season, He prepares an authority to steward that season; you will appreciate the importance of submitting to the authorities that God places you under. There are some heights that you will assail and depths you will come out from only when you have accepted to be subject to God’s governing authorities in the various spheres of your life. Some of these authorities do hold the key or platform to your seasons of life; it matters how you respond to those authorities in light of God’s Word.
Maranatha!
Amen!