Honour the authorities

This episode is a pastoral encouragement for anyone struggling to submit under a system, authority, or structure that feels uncomfortable, unfair, or difficult to honor.

Drawing from Romans 13:1–2, 1 Peter 2:13–17, Romans 12:3, and 1 Peter 5:6, this message reminds us that God can ordain a system for our growth even when imperfect people operate within it. The pain of mistreatment, delayed promotion, or unfair treatment does not always mean God is absent from the process.

You will be encouraged to seek God’s conviction, not forced submission; to honor what God has established without losing your integrity; and to trust Him to exalt you in due time.

This episode is a call to choose humility, honor, and obedience before God, even in difficult environments. May the Lord give you grace to do good under pressure, remain humble under authority, and trust His timing for your lifting.

Transcript

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There are seasons when the place God has ordained for your growth may not feel comfortable, it may not feel fair, it may not feel favorable, yet the pain you feel under an authority does not always cancel the purpose God has hidden within that system. Good morning and welcome to this episode of Igniting Your Day with Bami Daily or Lona Tobacch. This morning I have a word of encouragement for someone. It may be brief, but I do not believe it should be kept back because I sense the struggle involved. My prayer is that the person for whom this word is meant will find encouragement, clarity, and strength in the name of Jesus. There is someone who is currently struggling to submit. You are finding it difficult to submit to a particular authority. On the surface, that authority appears to be part of a system created by people. You can clearly see human beings operating there. Yet, what I sense is that God is aware of that system. I believe that this system, though it may look human on the outside, is part of God's orchestration to prosper you. But right now, it does not look that way. It does not feel that way, it does not even appear that way. I see the struggle in your heart. Should I continue here? Should I leave? Should I stay? Should I move on? And while you are wrestling with these questions, deep down, you know that somehow God is involved in the makeup of that system. Yet the struggle remains. I do not know the exact context for you. It may be in a workplace, it may be in ministry, it may be in a family structure, a leadership environment, or some other kind of system. But one thing I can say is this there is something for you to learn there. There is something God wants to develop in you through that group, through that environment, or even in that system. No matter how small it may seem, there is something to learn there. I can see clearly that this system was ordained by God. Yes, the people operating within it are human. They may have weaknesses, they may not always act rightly, they may not always understand you, but somehow you can also agree that if not for God, that system should not be standing. Yet, because of your present reality, you find it hard to submit. I want to encourage you this morning. Do not simply take my word for it. Let God Himself reveal this to you. Let Him engage your heart, let Him convince you, let Him show you what to do. We will look at Scripture and then we will pray. Romans chapter 13, verse 1 to 2. The Bible says there, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Friends, in this place, Apostle Paul was teaching believers how to live responsibly under civil authority as people who belong to God. But the word of God also carries a prophetic application, so pay attention to the text and let the Lord speak to you. The prayer is that the Lord will engage you and teach you exactly what to do. I do not want you to submit against your will or without conviction. But one thing is clear from the passage that authority was ordained by God. And if that authority was ordained by God, then you need an encounter with the Father so that he can teach you how best to walk in it. The fact that you have been mistreated under that authority does not change the fact that the authority was ordained by God. The fact that you sense unfair treatment towards you or towards your friend under that authority does not remove your responsibility to honor what God has ordained. You might have been cheated, you might have been treated unfairly, but as long as that system was ordained by God, you and I have a responsibility, a responsibility rather to display honor. We have a responsibility to do well under that system. I do not know who you are, but sincerely I see your struggle. And this morning, the best I can do is to bring you the word of God and remind you that if that authority was instituted by God, then you have a responsibility to honor it. Let's also read 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 13 to 17. 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 13 to 17. The Bible says here, 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 bonservants of God, honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Peter here was teaching believers how to live faithfully as God's people inside the society that may not fully understand, accept, or favor them. You see, there are times we find ourselves in systems that may not fully understand us, systems that may not fully accept us, systems that may not fully favor us. Yet Peter teaches us how to live responsibly under that system. Verse 15 says, For this is the will of God that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. There are people watching you. Some of them do not have the full picture of your current struggle, they may not understand what you have endured to even get to where you are. But because of that, they may say whatever they like. But the scripture gives us the path by doing good. You silence the ignorance. Let me say that again. The Bible gives us a pathway to success here. It says, by doing good, you silence ignorance. Your submission, your honor, and your right conduct become a testimony. They become a way of preserving the name of the Lord and guarding the witness of your life. The Bible says, honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. If you make it your duty to honor every individual in that system, it becomes easier for you to honor the authority in that system. Let me say that again. If you make it a duty to honor people, it becomes easier to submit to authority. I have brought you the word, but it is the Holy Spirit who convicts. I do not know the exact place where this applies to you. I do not know the capacity in which you need this help. But I see the struggle, and I pray that the Lord will reveal himself to you. Romans chapter 12, verse 3 says, For I say, through the grace given to me to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. One of the things that can make it difficult to submit to those kinds of authorities, especially when you have felt unfairly treated, is thinking too highly of yourself. I understand what they did to you was painful. I understand that what they said to you was below the belt. I understand that you may not have deserved the treatment you received. But I'm praying for you. May you not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. May you see yourself the way God sees you. May you see your place, your process, and your season through the eyes of the Lord. Another thing that can make submission difficult is when you have been denied necessary promotion in that same system. There may be something you clearly deserve, but you have not been given. Because of that, the system now looks ugly to you. But hear the word of the Lord in 1 Peter chapter 5, verse 6. The Bible says, Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Please do not exalt yourself. Let the Lord do it for you. Let the Lord lift you in his time. Let the Lord vindicate you in his time. Let the Lord bring you forward in his time. You may have been overlooked, but you are not unseen by God. I do not know who this is for, but this is the burden. There is a system you are finding hard to submit to right now. We do not disregard the fact that you may have been unfairly treated in that system, but by revelation, I also know that that system was ordained by God. Therefore, the Lord does not want you to dishonor the authority in that system. He does not want you to give people who are not reasoning rightly something to say about you or something to say about him, your father who is in heaven. In closing this morning, I'd like to charge you. Ask God to help you submit to every authority he has placed over you. Ask him to help you look beyond how you feel. Ask him to help you look beyond the pain of injustice. Ask him to help you look beyond yourself. Ask him to teach you how to honor what he has ordained without losing your soul, without losing your peace, and without losing your integrity. I pray for you that may the Lord help you see clearly. May He give you the grace to do good under difficult systems. May He keep your heart humble. May He keep your conduct honorable. And may He keep your eyes fixed on Him. And in due time, my friends, may the same God who sees your obedience exalt you according to His will. Amen. I believe you have been blessed by what you heard this morning, and I like to pray for you again that today, today, today, you do well in all things in the name of Jesus. I wish you an amazing day ahead. God bless you.