Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due custom to whom custom fear to whom fear honor to whom honor.” (Romans 13:1-7). For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. But if you do what is evil, be afraid for it does not bear the sword for nothing for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same for it is a minister of God to you for good. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. The apostle Paul so clearly explained the importance and role of government, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. Their call has been to govern justly with good character and a pure heart posture, not to evangelize their city, state, or nation. However, so often we think that a Christian politician is going to save our nation’s spiritual condition when the truth is that is not their job. The Church often strays away from the conversation of politics because of the nature of the sphere, but the Lord has created people to step into these very spaces and bring supernatural solutions from Heaven. Yet, so often in our uncomfortability we deem things insignificant or even worse destructive. But, in the midst of our shortcomings is a God that isn’t scared of the imperfect structures we’ve created, rather He has selected people to lead nations and govern people. There are imperfect people in leadership across the nation and a system that often feels polarizing full of insufficiencies, gaps, and evil agendas. Evil spirits talk to you by giving you their thoughts.” ![]() Then he went on to explain, “Fear is a spirit! Some of you are thinking you are going insane, but you are just listening to the spirit of insanity! Not all your thoughts are your own. He quoted Paul’s exhortation to Timothy: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Yet, in the midst of the noise, I heard him say something that would forever change my life. ![]() The static was so bad that I could only make out about every third or fourth word of his message. We did not get very good radio reception in the mountains, but I thought I would try to find a late-night talk show to help get my mind off my condition. I got up about 3:00 a.m., turned the stereo on low and lay down next to the speaker so I would not wake my family. Then, early one cold winter morning, something startling happened. By the third year of this terrible storm, Kathy had had our second beautiful daughter, Shannon, but my life was becoming unbearable.
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