by Edgar Arold

Created on: November 02, 2009   Last Updated: November 04, 2009

The first part of Hebrews 13:17 says "obey them that have the rule over you." Psalm 75:6 says "promotion doesn't come from the south, west, or east (implying it comes from the north)." Psalm 75:7 says "God putteth down one and setteth up another." Shimei in II Samuel 16 cursed King David and later on in I Kings 2, he loses his life as a result of the punishment given that he disobeyed in I Kings. God is very serious about being critical of authority and commands obedience as noted in Hebrews 13.

I live in Thailand and have for the past 16 months! In Thailand, if you say anything about the King, you are in some serious trouble. The people just do not criticize him at all. In fact, he is revered very much by the Thai people. I realize that in America, we have the freedom of speech but God never stamps his approval for us to disobey and criticize the authorities. The best thing we can do that would make Jesus happy is to pray for our authorities. God can change their hearts if their hearts are not in line with God's. Aaron and Miriam criticized their leader Moses and God cursed them. Jesus said in the Bible to give unto Caesar what is Caesar's! He was saying that his respect is earned, even if he doesn't do things the way we see it.

Keeping a good testimony with the authority and praying for them on a daily basis can help out when a church needs something from the community, God just may give it to them through the authority because of their testimony. If you look at I Timothy 2:1,2, the Bible says that "...supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority..." It is very clear that leaders can sometimes go the wrong direction and every Christian should vote that has the legal right to help change direction, but if the leader that may not be your choice, gets elected, he is set there by God and that person deserves our prayers. That is Bible!

We can never make every leader that steps in office to do right, but we can do right by praying for them and obeying them as the law dictates. That is how Jesus Christ was when He walked the Earth and we should be striving to be like Him!

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