“You HAVE to obey the government!”
“You can’t say anything negative about the president!”
“If you rise up against rulers, you are sinning because God chose them to be our leader!”
These are just a few quotes I have heard from friends and folks I know in church and online. And a confused, messy train of thoughts never ceased to follow…
But what about German’s under Hitler’s regime? Stalin?
Were the people who refused to kill and force innocents into concentration camps sinning?
What about those preaching the gospel in countries where it is outlawed?
What about runaway slaves or MLK and the Civil Rights Movement? Slavery and segregation were the law…
And they never had an answer for me. They would just shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, that’s what the bible says.”
I got to one of those verses today in Jude. The author was warning the church about an immoral group of people and said, “In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.” 1:8
There it was. Reject authority. The same questions popped into my head and hallelujah, today the Lord answered them!
The Greek word for ‘authority’ used in that verse can be used for both God’s authority as well as governmental authority. He explained to me that it is like a hierarchy. It is good to follow the leadership and law of the land, however, when the state’s commands conflict with God’s commands, we must obey The Lord.
Jesus is the ultimate authority, so if a leader or government encourages or tries to force you to sin, you do not have to submit yourself to that. As Christian, you are not sinning if you do not comply with a government that is obstructing the Kingdom of God.
That is why secret churches exist in countries where Christianity is illegal. It is why the disciples kept preaching the word of God even though it was outlawed, why Mishach, Shadrach, and Abednego refused to worship idols, and why Esther petitioned before the king to save the Jews from mass genocide.
What then, is the correct way for Christians to stand up against an unjust and ungodly government?
Well, the pain and the hurt we feel and see are symptoms of a spiritual issue. They are the side effects of a battle that is taking place in the realm of the spirit that we do not see. So, fixating on one person, president, leader, etc. is not going to fix the spiritual issue. The demon of racism, violence, or murder, for example, will just go and find another willing vessel.
Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
This is why prayer is the #1 most effective weapon we have, because it attacks and disrupts the root of the issue. The more you wage war against the spirit of racism, the prejudiced individuals who uphold racist systems will begin to see the errors of their ways.
If our leaders experience the love of God, compassion, and freedom from hatred, they will become passionate about uprooting the unjust systems in our society. This is why we must pray for them.
Compare the power of prayer with only protesting in the natural. With enough activists, a great law could get passed that protects people, but there will still be individuals who are under demonic bondage. They will still be fighting to uphold violent or racist systems in our government because they have not had a change of heart. Change can come through riots and protests, but change can’t be transformative or truly just without the Spirit of God.
So, should we only pray for those who are suffering right now? Of course not! Prayer is the most powerful response, but educating ourselves, having difficult conversations with folks who don’t look like us, signing petitions, posting to bring awareness, attending peaceful protests or prayer walks is love in action! It is putting your money where your mouth is. Faith without works is dead. In a similar way, if you say you hate racism but do nothing to advocate for change, I do not believe you really hate racism.
It might seem extremely overwhelming to pray for the change we want to see in our world. It feels like everyday we are bombarded with more bad news. If you don’t know where to start, my encouragement for you today is to pick up that prayer journal and ask the Lord what he needs to change in you. Are there any ideologies that you have come into agreement with that contradict God’s word?
Change always starts with us. From there, we should begin to pray against the strongholds of prejudice, hatred, and racism that have been plaguing our friends and family. Then, the next step would be to pray for the nation and its leaders. Lastly, you can pray for the nations.
It is time we stand up to racism, violence, murder, hatred, fear, and sickness. You have the bold and fiery Spirit of the living God inside of you! Your prayers and your voice matter. Let’s raise awareness and cry out for mercy as the church. We can raise awareness and fight for change while being merciful, patient, and compassionate with one another.
If you see friends and family members posting hurtful or racist content online, you don’t have to delete them and write them off as a lost cause. Interceding and praying for their souls instead will result in transformation and freedom. The truth is, we have to pray and press into Him in order to make it out of these days as conquerors.
I hear you, I see you, and I love you.
My heart and my prayers go out to you and your families during this time.
With love,
Tailah