"For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes..." (Matthew 8:9) Imagine you are standing inside a house during a violent rainstorm. Inside, you are dry and safe.
The roof takes the beating of the rain and wind so you don't have to. The roof is your Covering . But what happens if you get angry at the roof? "This roof is blocking my view of the sky! I want to do what I want!"
So, you walk out the front door. Now, you are "free"—but you are also getting soaked, cold, and struck by lightning. This is the Secret of the Centurion . The Roman army commander understood a deep truth: To have authority, you must be under authority.
He could command 100 soldiers only because he completely obeyed his own boss (Caesar). If he rebelled against his boss, his soldiers would stop listening to him. Many Christians want to do great things for God, but they constantly rebel against their pastors, their bosses, or their parents.
It doesn't work that way. If you step out from under the roof (rebellion), you lose the authority to command the storm. You are just a person standing in the rain, yelling at the wind.
Digging Deeper
In God's Kingdom, there is no such thing as an "Independent Christian." God’s Kingdom is built on order and submission. Jesus submitted to the Father. The Church submits to Jesus. We submit to one another.
When you gossip about your leaders or constantly undermine authority, you are actually stripping yourself of your own spiritual weapons. You cannot use the King's sword while you are fighting the King's generals.
Reflect on this: Are you "Under the Roof"? Who is your covering? Who in your life has the right to look at you and tell you "No"? If the answer is "Nobody," you are in extreme danger. You aren't free; you are totally exposed.
👣 Take a Step Action: The Submission Check. Think of a leader in your life (a boss, a pastor, a mentor) that you struggle to respect. Do one thing to honor them this week. Send a kind text. Do a task quickly without complaining.
Get back under the roof.
Respond
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