Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
(Eph. 4:2-3)

Rebellion is no joking matter - especially to God. Rebellion is the product of pride. But the blessings of God will only flow from unity and love.

That is the picture that God paints in Psalm 133:1, 3: "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity …. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore."

The Earliest Of Sins
Rebellion and pride were the original sins committed by Satan while his name was Lucifer (he was one of God's most beautiful of angels) and they are the most cursed of sins. Pride is the elevation of a perception of one's self and opinions above what is true.

That describes Satan. He elevated his perception of himself above God and convinced other angels he was worthy of following. Thus, he along with his deceived followers, were cast from Heaven.

That sin of pride, which resulted in rebellion, is what Satan used to tempt Eve and then Adam. In Genesis 3:5 we see Satan's lying words to Eve, "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." They succumbed to his deception and sin was the result.

Since that time, the sin of pride has touched every life that has lived upon this earth.

Pride is the catalyst of rebellion. Most rebellion is subtle. So subtle in fact that most people don't realize they are being seduced into it even today.

Let me explain.

The establishment of authority is God's idea and plan. Romans 13:1-2 says,

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God….

It is obvious to all that there are seemly good people in authority but also evil people in authority. It's important to understand that the good are established by God and the evil are allowed by God.

(This may be over simplified, but I have limited space to write and will not be able to address all the questions this might generate, so please bear with me.)

The authority people end up with has a direct bearing on their obedience and walk with God. When people walk in God's ways and pray, God is able to answer their prayers and usher in godly authority. Second Chronicles 7:14-15 can help us get insight to this. It says,

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

When God's people walk outside of God, they are participating in the same sin and trash as the world. There is little or no sincerity in their relationship with God and they really have no more faith in God and in prayer than they do in a good luck charm. They only get serious with God when they are in trouble.

Because they are living in sin they end up with leadership that reflects their walk outside of God. But, when they humble themselves and begin to seek God and pray and turn from sin, God answers and brings godly leadership.

When God establishes leadership, He expects us to be unified behind that leadership. No leader is perfect. They must yield to God like anyone else.

A leader is given the privilege of seeing a bigger picture - more of all the facts than anyone else. He is required as a leader (accountable to God) to make the best decisions possible for the sake of the people. God expects prayer to be lifted, trust given, and unity maintained to those He places in authority.

When voices speak against the decisions of His leaders, it is the same as rebellion. But, if we as people under authority, honor God and pray for those whose authority we are under, then He can work in their hearts and guide their decisions and outcome. Godly leadership succeeds through faith, trust, and unity and if we pray, God can bless us and protect us no matter what decisions are made.

It is pride and arrogance when those who don't have all the information act like they know better than the person who has been given all of the authority and information. Consequently, Romans 13:2 goes on to tell us "he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."

How Pride Gets In The Way
In the story of Moses and Korah, Moses was an extremely humble man and chosen leader of God's people. Korah was a prideful discontent who thought he was just as holy as Moses and that his decisions would be better than those of Moses. Korah worked to undermine Moses by recruiting others in leadership to his way of thinking.

When he had recruited enough followers, he got arrogant and bold enough to pridefully confront Moses. We see it in Numbers 16:3. It says,

They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy; every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?

Moses was the most humble man. He did not argue. He simply fell on his face and prayed and then said they would let God decide this. The story goes on. Korah and all his followers were swallowed up in an earthquake or consumed by fire.

No matter who tries to lead you in any form of rebellion against any leadership, whether it be personally or through media, don't go there. Don't lift up words of discontent. Pray and walk in unity. It's where protection and blessings flow. God bless America. God bless our President.

Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.
(Exo 23:21-22)

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