Being a Person Under Authority

After nearly 30 years in the military, I understand being under authority. As an enlisted man you always worked for someone. Perhaps it was your flight chief or the aircraft commander or the squadron commander, regardless, you took orders from someone above you. There are no positions in the military, officer or enlisted, that allowed you absolute authority, even the presidents have to answer for their actions.

At times, I worked for people who had little interest in me as an individual, for them it was about power and the ability to move up the chain to the next position of authority. We always use to say if you don’t like your commanding officer wait 18 months and he or she will be gone. You did not have to like them to get the job done, you simply had to do as directed and follow lawful orders. When I found myself working for this type of individual, I put my faith in the system, not the person.

As a Christ follower I fall under the authority of Jesus Christ and ultimately our heavenly Father. The big difference between the military and our Father is His ultimate goal, the desire to mold us into the image of Jesus. At times that may seem hard to believe when we fall ill, hit difficult times or have a close friend or family member die. Yet it has been my experience that placing my faith in Him and listening and following His guidance has never failed me.

The biggest difference between man and our Lord is His absolute love for us. As a father I want nothing but the best for my children, God is no different…you can trust Him. Next time you struggle with the path the Lord has you on remember these words in Hebrews 11:1-2 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ”

Blessings

Being a Person Under Authority
by Os Hillman

…”I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” – Matthew 8:10

The centurion came to Jesus and told Him of his servant who was paralyzed and in terrible suffering. He came to Jesus because he believed He could heal him. He told Jesus of the matter, and Jesus was willing to come with the centurion. But the centurion would not have it. He knew that Jesus, being under the authority of Heaven itself, did not have to see the servant to help him. The centurion understood authority. He understood that he himself had certain rights that his position granted him to have power over situations and people. He also was a man under authority. The centurion understood Jesus’ position and what power that position held in Heaven – the power to heal his servant if He chose to exercise that authority.

When Jesus saw that the centurion understood this principle of authority and that He did not have to visit the servant to heal him, He acknowledged the centurion’s faith. Jesus knew it took great faith to understand authority and whether He had the authority to do what was being asked.

God has placed a system of authority in our world that requires faith to operate under its boundaries: fathers over sons and daughters, employers over employees, government leaders over the people, church leaders over church members. These are authority structures God has placed in our lives to protect and guide us to His will. Some confuse position with worthiness or qualifications of that position. It is the position that God works through. The fact that an authority may not be a Christian may have no bearing on whether God can work through him as your authority. It is only when that authority counsels against a biblical mandate that we should not follow that person’s guidance. The heart of the king is in the hand of God.

Today, we find few who understand this system of authority God has ordained. It requires great faith to operate in this realm. Yet Jesus said that when we understand this, we demonstrate the kind of faith that He rarely sees. Be a person of rare faith. See the authorities placed in your life as those God is using to protect you.