God’s throne is established upon authority. All other authorities are appointed by God (Romans 13:1). No one in the whole universe has authority except God. It does not matter where you are: office, business or market place, church, etc. This is why we need to learn to submit to God’s authority only then can authority be bestowed on us. 

Our service to God is not a matter of voluntary sacrifice or self-denial rather it is a matter of accomplishing God’s will (Romans 12:2). If we truly want to represent God, we must first be acquainted with Him through His Word and also by the dealing of the Holy Spirit. All our authority is based on our knowledge and learning before the Lord. If we have sufficient experience and understand His ways according to John 15, only then can we have authority, execute it and others will submit to your authority as well. Satan is afraid of us submitting totally to the authority of Christ (God’s will). 

Now there is a possibility in God’s work that we can stand in principle on Satan’s side while we stand in doctrine on God’s side and we may think that we are still doing the Lord’s work. This means that while we may be teaching that Jesus Christ is Lord (doctrine), we may still see it as nothing when we go on sleeping with women believing it’s alright (values) as long as God is answering our prayers and the gift of God in our lives are being made manifest. When this action is in play Satan no longer respects or fears us because He knows we are treading on dangerous grounds that can get us killed at any time (Proverbs 14:12). This is one of the reasons many leaders in the church have lost authority given to them by God without knowing it. Authority is not something to play with and anyone who authority is bestowed on should submit himself for the Lord’s sake to every human institution and to be ready for every good deed. It is so sad to see some people misuse authority given to them thereby causing people to discredit others who are in the same line of work. Beloved, righteousness exalts a nation  but sin is a reproach (Proverbs 14:34). The verse does not say that our past righteousness will exalt us today or tomorrow, nor does it say that our current sin will one day in the distant future be a reproach. 

The administration of the whole universe is under God and the greatest demand God has on man is not bearing the cross, offerings, consecration, or self-sacrifice but SUBMISSION (Obedience). Obedience is the highest expression of response to God’s will. The Kingdom of God is an order of government established by divine authority. It is the only legal government that can exist in any part of the universe.

Many winners have reached their success by climbing a special ladder called “Never Give Up”. However, there are also many who have lost the opportunity to achieve success because they gave up too soon. This can happen in every area of life: family, education, friends, church, business, etc. Perseverance and relying on God’s word is the key to victory. Apostle Paul persevered despite persecution and affliction (2 Timothy 3: 10 – 11). He viewed life with realism, but most especially with the eyes of the spirit. As followers of Christ we will suffer persecution and affliction, this is no longer news. We need to arm ourselves like warriors with the same purpose Christ had, being willing to suffer for doing what is right and pleasing God because when we suffer in the flesh we are done with sin (wilfully sinning). Whenever troubles of any kind come our way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. I know some of you will be like…… “talk is cheap”. I’ve learned to trust God and I’m being reminded when my faith is tested, I have a chance to grow and be more mature spiritually. I must confess that during the trial it’s not always easy. What we need to do during these periods is to ask God for the grace to go through it and as well look into the Word of God that is like a mirror that will show us a way out as we keep trusting and relying on God.
The Word of God will definitely give you the assurance and also the insurance to know that God is there with us even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of pain, we shall continue to allow our patience to grow. And when it grows, our spiritual muscles develop and this enables us to have more understanding of spiritual matters and how to relate with people at any given point no matter how difficult they may be. In any situation you come up against, ask the Holy Spirit what to do even if you know what to do (this comes from a relationship with God). No matter how right the facts of your solution may be, trusting and obeying God is far more because He knows the end from the beginning and the beginning to the end. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours. Even Satan had to admit that God blesses us and can give us maximum protection……. “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land” (Job 1: 9 -10). I must tell you that God is not a magician and does not condone laziness as many would be thinking in their heads that’s why some of His promises of blessings are not forthcoming. Beloved, even when delays of your blessings happen either by Satan or by natural disaster or whatever, if God chooses not to allow it to happen it won’t but sometimes God allows things to happen so that our faith might be strengthened the more so we can know our true friends, see for ourselves how weak and the need for us to depend on Him.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8)

The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting our mountain top experiences in the valley. It is a wonderful thing to be on the mountain with God, but a person only gets there so that he may later go down and lift up the demon-possessed people and heal the sick in the valley (see Mark 9:14-18; Matthew 8: 14 – 16). If we only have the power to go up, without the power to descend from the mountain then something is wrong. For example, when you are in a secluded place during a fasting and prayer time for like 3 days, there are things we experience such as what we hear God say to us, what we learn and also our approach to spiritual matters becomes more mature, etc. You must also be able to bring into application what we’ve learned during our time with God on the mountain top to our day to day living with all humility. Winning souls to the kingdom are one of the primary objectives of all our spiritual experiences. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life (day to day living), and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength. Yet our spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mountain. Have you not felt like that before? As in to always feel as to remain there whenever you remember your time alone with God. I have been there before but thank God, He weaned me of such. We feel that we could talk and live like perfect angels if we could only stay locked up in a place praying and fasting, but we must not allow our spiritual selfishness from wanting to make them the only time.

We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain when we have seen things from God’s perspective and have wanted to stay there. But God will never allow us to stay there. If we are ever going to be made into wine, we will have to be crushed—you cannot drink grapes. Grapes become wine only when they have been squeezed. Just like crude oil, it needs to be processed to become oil or diesel for car use (John 12:24). We have to be placed into God (mountain experience) and brought into agreement with Him before we can be broken bread in His hands. We don’t produce fruit on the mountain top experiences rather it’s in the valley (day to day living). And our relationship with God will allow us to express the life of Jesus each time we come up against any kind of challenge by being patient, love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control know the right and right place to apply our mountain top experiences in the valley place (day to day living).

Excerpts from utmost.org