We live in a world full of clay pots—cracked vessels trying to hold the weight of power, influence, and leadership. It’s not new. From Israel’s kings to today’s political figures, humanity has always wrestled with flawed leadership. The question for believers isn’t whether our leaders are perfect—it’s whether we still choose to honor what God has ordained, even when the vessel is imperfect.

That tension can be uncomfortable. We read about David, an adulterer and murderer, yet still called “a man after God’s own heart.” We celebrate Paul, once a persecutor of the very Church he later helped build. And yet, when it comes to modern figures with visible flaws, we often withhold honor altogether.

Let’s talk about that. Because what God is asking of His people in this hour isn’t blind loyalty—it’s spiritual discernment.

Honor doesn’t mean approval. It means recognizing that God, in His sovereignty, works through imperfect vessels to fulfill His purpose.

The Principle: God Ordains Authority — Romans 13 and the Posture of Honor

Romans 13 confronts us head-on with a command that tests our spiritual maturity:

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”
(Romans 13:1–2, ESV)

Paul wrote this to believers living under Rome’s rule — a government that was far from righteous. Yet he made it clear: God establishes order through authority, even in a broken world.

Honor is not about political agreement or personal admiration; it’s about recognizing structure that has been instituted and allowed by God. The authority may be human, but the order is established by God.

When we choose honor, we’re saying, “God, I trust You more than I trust man.”

Verse 4 continues,

“For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” (Romans 13:4, ESV)

Even flawed governments play a role in restraining evil and maintaining stability. God can use leaders — righteous or not — as instruments in His redemptive plan. The call to honor isn’t about the perfection of the leader; it’s about the perfection of the God who allows them to lead.

Thankful for God’s Order: Understanding the Dual Meaning of Prophecy and Government

We often forget that government itself is an act of mercy. Without it, chaos reigns. Lawlessness is not freedom—it’s destruction. God instituted authority to protect, guide, and restrain evil until Christ returns to rule in full righteousness.

When Paul says, “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad” (Romans 13:3, ESV), he’s pointing us back to God’s design for government as a stabilizing force in a fallen world.

That means even when leadership is flawed, we can still be thankful for the existence of structure, laws, and justice systems that—though imperfect—mirror the order of heaven in part. It’s a reflection of God’s heart for peace, not confusion.

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:33, ESV)

We should give thanks that God has not abandoned humanity to anarchy. His Word teaches that institutions of governance are not human inventions but strategic arrangements. They serve a temporary but vital purpose until His Kingdom fully manifests.

And here’s where prophecy has dual meaning: when God speaks about kings, kingdoms, or rulers in Scripture, there’s often a now meaning and a not yet meaning.

• In the now, prophecy applies to earthly systems — how nations rise and fall, how leaders are raised up and brought low (Daniel 2:21).
• In the not yet, prophecy points us to the ultimate government of Christ — “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:7, ESV)

So even when we see corruption or injustice, we can still worship with gratitude that God’s prophetic Word is unfolding—that every headline, every election, and every regime change is still moving under the sovereign hand of the King of Kings.

When we reject government altogether, we are rejecting the order of God. When we thank Him for it, even amid imperfection, we align our hearts with heaven’s government and live prophetically in peace.

Malnourished Judgment: When Discernment Is Replaced With Opinion

We’re watching a generation of believers speak with strong conviction but shallow discernment. Many have traded the meat of the Word for the fast food of opinions. You’ll hear phrases like,

“They aren’t saved, so they can’t make righteous laws,”
“God wouldn’t use them,” or
“You can’t legislate morality if they don’t know Jesus.”

But Scripture never said God only uses saved people. In fact, some of the most influential leaders God ever used weren’t followers of Him at all.

• God called Nebuchadnezzar “My servant” (Jeremiah 25:9).
• He anointed Cyrus, a Persian king who didn’t even know Him, to rebuild Jerusalem (Isaiah 45:1).
• He raised Pharaoh to display His power through judgment (Exodus 9:16).

If God can use pagan kings to fulfill prophecy, He can use an unbelieving politician to preserve righteousness or restrain evil.

When believers judge through their emotions instead of the Spirit, they start confusing salvation with assignment. A person doesn’t have to know God personally to be positioned by Him providentially.

This kind of malnourished judgment reveals a Church that has not feasted on the full counsel of God’s Word. Hebrews 5:14 reminds us,

“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Maturity allows us to discern the difference between a vessel and the hand that holds it. God can move through anyone He chooses — saved, unsaved, willing, or unwilling — because the earth is still His and the fullness thereof (Psalm 24:1).

When we declare that God can’t use someone because they’re “not a believer,” we limit the sovereignty of the very God we claim to trust.

While we pray and hope for the salvation of those who are in government, we also stand and agree with what God has said He is doing through them. That’s what mature intercession looks like—holding both realities: the eternal desire for salvation and the present recognition of assignment. You can pray for a leader’s soul while still agreeing with God’s hand at work through their position. You can honor the office and discern the moment.

If God can use an unbeliever to carry out His strategy, then we, as believers, must have enough spiritual maturity to say, “Lord, I may not agree with everything they do, but I agree with everything You are doing through them.”

This is the posture of a mature Christian. It doesn’t mean we excuse sin—it means we acknowledge God’s sovereignty.

A Kingdom Lens, Not a Color Lens

As Christians, we must also refrain from viewing any part of God’s Word—or how it’s executed in the earth—through the lenses of race. When we read Scripture or discern world events through the filter of skin color, we risk distorting truth into bias.

God does not divide His authority by ethnicity, and He does not fulfill His promises according to the politics of men. From Genesis to Revelation, His authority is filled with redemption that transcends tribe, tongue, and nation.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, ESV)

The Kingdom of God is not colorblind—it’s color-honoring. Diversity was His idea. But when race becomes the lens through which we interpret His Word or His work, we end up defending culture instead of advancing Kingdom.

Jesus never once catered to racial identity to validate truth. He healed Romans, Samaritans, and Jews alike. His disciples were a mix of zealots, fishermen, and tax collectors—all equal at His table.

When believers let racial loyalty outweigh Kingdom loyalty, we stop seeing God’s hand in motion and start labeling it “unfair,” “biased,” or “political.” But God’s sovereignty has never been bound to human categories.

Our allegiance is not to skin tone, political tribe, or national heritage—it’s to the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of all nations.

“……To mature in faith is to stop asking, “Who looks like me?” and start asking, “Who looks like Christ?”

– Pastor Sandy Edwards

Obedience Has a Line: When Authority Crosses God’s Word

Romans 13 doesn’t call us to blind submission—it calls us to biblical submission. Honor never excuses sin. Obedience ends where disobedience to God would begin.

When human authority demands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, our allegiance must be clear: we obey God first.

The midwives in Exodus refused Pharaoh’s command to kill Hebrew boys (Exodus 1:17). Daniel continued to pray even when prayer was outlawed (Daniel 6:10). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, declaring,

“We will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18 ESV)

And when the apostles were forbidden to preach, Peter said,

“We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29 ESV)

This is not rebellion for rebellion’s sake—it’s obedience with holy conviction.
We honor the role, but we refuse compromise. We walk in respect, but we stay rooted in righteousness.

The Mandate: What God Expects From Us

Our obedience in this area isn’t about political allegiance—it’s about spiritual maturity. The call is the same for every believer:

Pray for Them

Paul said it plainly:

“I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions.” (1 Timothy 2:1–2 ESV)

We pray for wisdom. We pray for justice. We pray for salvation. We don’t curse them—we cover them. Prayer is not passive; it’s a prophetic act of obedience that stabilizes the atmosphere and invites God’s will into governmental spaces.

Obey Them

Scripture is full of examples: Joseph serving Pharaoh (Genesis 41:39–41), Daniel honoring Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 6:3–4), and Jesus Himself paying the temple tax He didn’t owe (Matthew 17:27).

They didn’t compromise holiness—they modeled humility. But when authority crossed the line, they didn’t waver in their loyalty to God.

Romans 13 ends with a charge that captures this balance perfectly:

“Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” (Romans 13:7, ESV)

The Call to Maturity: A Faith That Won’t Shake

This level of understanding is not elementary—it’s the “solid food” of the Word (Hebrews 5:14 ESV). God is inviting His people to grow up in how we handle power, politics, and people. Because the days ahead will require believers who are both bold and balanced—grounded in truth but governed by humility.

Maturity looks like this:

• It protects our witness. When we respond like the world—angry, tribal, and anxious—we forfeit our credibility. But when we pray and walk in peace, we prove that our hope is anchored in a Kingdom that cannot be shaken.
• It prepares us for persecution. Rebellion will never produce revival. But humility, obedience, and quiet strength will outlast every culture war.
• It cultivates peace. When we know that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Daniel 4:32 ESV), our hearts can rest—even when the headlines are screaming “to do” otherwise.

Reflection

Take a moment to pause the noise and pray—not through frustration, but through faith. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see authority the way God does. Ask Him to purify your heart of cynicism, pride, or prejudice—and renew your mind with peace.

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

1 Peter 2:13–17 (ESV)