Psalm 21:1 The king rejoices in your strength, LORD! How greatly he rejoices in your yeshuah!

If only the Presidents and kings of today rejoiced in the salvation (Yeshuah) of the Lord. That's just not the case is it? All of us suffer because our leaders no longer love God.  Yet we are called by God to be obedient to our leaders. That does not mean, however, that we have to follow them.

Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, there was a time when our government leaders regarded God as the All Mighty Creator of Heaven and Earth and believed that every right of humans was given by Him. The government was founded on this belief and God blessed the nation and it's leaders. I'm sure there were some leaders who did not believe but the overwhelming majority of the founding fathers did. Had they not, this nation would have started off looking a lot different than it did. To deny these facts is simply ignorant.

These days it's probably a rare thing to find an office on Capital Hill with a Jesus Follower behind the desk ... Maybe a Christian, but these days going by the title "Christian" does not necessarily mean one is a Jesus Follower. In the politics of this nation using the title "Christian" gets votes. I would imagine if a politician used Jesus Follower instead of Christian they would be labeled extremist and lose votes.

God blessed this nation with the ability to choose leaders and what have we done but elect those who tickle our ears with false promises and lies. Like water we want to take the easiest path to riches and when officials dangle the prospect of free and easy before us we latch on like hungry little piglets. I'm praying that God will send Nathans (2 Samuel 12) to our leaders for true godly counsel. 

Do we have to obey godless leaders? Well, the Bible says yes (Romans 13). We are to obey the government that God institutes over us (and He institutes all authority). There is a difference between obedience and following, though. Obedience to authority does not mean we have to conform to godlessness. We can live obediently within the laws of the land without following government down the path of godlessness. 

2 Peter 2:13-17 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Should government require us to violate clear teaching of scripture that is when we must choose to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29). There are only two occasions which warrant the Jesus Follower to defy the governmental authority he is under and that is:

1. If government commands he not do something the Bible commands and

2. If government commands him to do something the Bible forbids.

Even then we are to do so in an attitude of humility and prayer, making certain that our actions in no way taint our witness to those around us. 

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