Faith & Authority

Obviously, I have been doing a lot of thinking on God's authority this week...

To be quite honest, I wrote the previous four posts in one sitting this past Sunday night. I was motivated, so I made a cup of Dunkin' Donuts Coffee in my Keurig. After adding my favorite holiday inspired creamer, Chocolate Carmel, I sat down at my husband's laptop and began to type. The girls were in bed. The house was quiet. The next thing I knew it was approaching midnight.

For this momma that rises a little after 5:00 in the morning that was a pretty big deal. So I prayed that God would provide the energy, strength and patience that would be required of me the next day and into the evening when Daddy would be at a ministry meeting. I knew there would not be even the slightest window of opportunity for even the smallest of power naps. Would I be able to make it?

Perhaps it was a fleece of some sort.... If my into-the-late-night writing session was Holy Spirit led, then God would indeed provide all I needed not just to make it through my Monday, but I would, in fact, thrive. If not, if I couldn't get through the day without biting off at least one of my daughters' heads or collapsing of exhaustion then maybe, just maybe, my Sunday evening writing spree had been done only on the fuel of my sugary, caffeinated beverage....

It is now Thursday night. The house is again quiet. I am still reflecting on God's authority....

Yes. He is THE authority. He is ultimately The Boss, a good Boss setting up the various levels of authority over us, including the POTUS. We should be amazed by his teaching because of His authority, not taking it for granted....

The question that I can't get outta my mind is this, "Why don't we more willingly submit to His authority?"

The answer I feel God has led me to: A lack of faith.

We don't willingly submit to God's authority due to our sinful, lack of faith.

• By not trusting God with the future of our nation, we worry about the outcome of the election and what it means for our family and churches and all the unborn babies....

• By disregarding God's law, we try to decide on our own what is right and true and good only to find our lives lacking purpose and meaning.

• By neglecting the reverence Jesus' teaching deserve, we miss the intimacy of walking through life with our Savior the way He intended.

When we actively practice faith in God's authority, our lives look very different.

• By trusting God's authority with the the outcome of our election, we can look at the days ahead with confidence and with hope.

• By understanding the authority of God in the scriptures, we will strive to live our lives by them and, I turn, are able to find and fulfill the purpose God has created us for.

• By seeking and searching the Word with reverence and awe, the Holy Spirit is given an open window to grow our faith in amazing ways as we become better acquainted with Savior and our God.

If we are going to better submit to His authority, we need more faith.

 Lord, help our unbelief!

Monday, the day after my late-night writing spree, was a good day. I did thrive. No Vinson daughter lost her head on account of my being tired from my lack of sleep.

As I look back, I believe that God led my Sunday night typing. My faith is that He heard and honored my prayer. I believe that by His authority alone I was able to write on Sunday and then live as He intended on Monday. It's a small example of trying to submit to His authority - over time, my physical needs and simply being obedient. Yet, when we can submit to His authority in the small things, it becomes easier to do so in the big things.

I guess if I had to bring all my ramblings on God's authority to a conclusion, it would be this:

The relationship between a growing faith AND acknowledging God's authority through trust is a very real thing. We can't have one without the other....