November 26, 2025 • 29 mins
What if real spiritual authority isn’t achieved, but received through surrender? We dig into covenant alignment by tracing the promise to Abraham through its fulfillment in Jesus, then translate theology into practice with a clear, usable framework for daily life. From worship as obedience to the heart change promised in Ezekiel 36, we unpack how the Spirit transforms desire so discipline becomes a pathway, not a prison.
Stephen Crews returns to map six anchors for living under Jesus’ authority: trusting God through shared history, submission by design that honors Christ and appointed leaders, servant leadership that measures greatness by the towel, alignment with Scripture that guards zeal from error, accountable community that heals and refines, and the believer’s authority that flows only when we live under authority. Along the way, we revisit the centurion’s insight into chain of command, why good works are covenant signals rather than image management, and how “sent, not went” protects you from burnout and spiritual backlash.
You’ll hear practical prayer points to restore salt and light, soften hard places, and receive courage to take a step when the staircase is hidden. We press into ask, seek, knock as a lifestyle that enlarges your vision of Jesus—because the Jesus you know is the Jesus you get. If you’re hungry to reconcile faith and obedience, power and humility, mission and covering, this conversation offers clarity and a way forward.
Enjoying the show? Follow, share with a friend, and leave a review to help others find these conversations. Got questions or stories to share? Reach out at life are on the fire at gmail.com—let’s keep the dialogue going.
Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!
Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.
Shalom to you and your home.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (01:15):
Howdy folks, I want to welcome you back to another
episode of Life on the Fire.
And today we have again in ourstudio Stephen Cruz, who is
teaching on covenant alignment.
And it's really been a kind of ahigh point for us at Life on the
Fire to include Stephen in ourpodcast episodes because there's
(01:39):
something significant that hehas been given by the Lord to
share.
And so, Stephen, we want towelcome you back and just give
you free reign to go for it.
And thanks for coming on in.
SPEAKER_00 (01:52):
Thank you, David.
Welcome everybody to part threeof Covenant Alignment.
We are just going to do a briefrecap in case you missed the
other two.
In John chapter 5, verse 19,Jesus said, The Son can do
nothing of himself.
He can only do what he sees hisFather doing.
(02:15):
And so we always see inScripture that Jesus was always
in harmony with God's will andpurpose.
And covenant alignment isexemplified in the life of
Jesus.
And so why is it important towalk in alignment with God's
covenant?
Well, if we're following Jesus'footprint as disciples, as
(02:41):
apprentices, we need to be doingwhat he was doing, right?
We need to follow in hisfootsteps.
And so last two episodes, we wetalked about Abraham and
Galatians chapter 3, verse 16says, Now the promises were made
to Abraham and to his offspring.
(03:03):
It does not say, and twooffsprings, referring to many,
but referring to one and to youroffspring who is Christ.
And so Jesus fulfills the OldTestament covenants by being the
ultimate seed of Abraham throughwhom all nations are blessed.
And you know, there's there'sneither nor neither Jew or
(03:24):
Greek, there's neither slave norfree, male or female.
We are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you are Christ, thenyou're Abraham's offspring and
heirs according to the promise.
And so we were connecting theAbrahamic covenant and the new
covenant.
The scripture we were talkingabout was on Genesis 22, where
(03:45):
the offering of Isaac byAbraham, Abraham's beloved son,
is identical to God the Fatheroffering his only son, Jesus.
In John 3.16, we find, you know,for God so loved the world, he
gave his only one and uniqueson, that whoever believes in
him should not perish but haveeternal life.
(04:06):
And so it's a a propheticparallel that we see in
Scripture with Abraham and Isaacand with Father God and Jesus.
And it's been said that worshipis the culture of the kingdom,
and the culture is obedience.
And Abraham and Jesus were bothbeing obedient to the will of
(04:26):
the Father, and they weretrusting in the Lord's plan
above their own.
And so aligning with theFather's heart is a supernatural
transformation that positions usto walk in greater authority and
anointing.
Ezekiel says in chapter 36, Iwill give you a new heart and
put a new spirit within you,says the Lord.
(04:47):
I will take the heart of stoneand give you a heart of flesh.
I will put my spirit within youand cause you to walk in my
statutes, and you will keep myjudgments and do them.
God is declaring that ouralignment with his covenant
isn't achieved through ourstriving, but through surrender
to his transformative powerworking from the inside out by
(05:08):
the indwelling of the HolySpirit.
True covenant alignment flowsfrom a transformed heart, not
merely disciplined behaviors.
Additionally, covenant alignmentis similar to searching as for
buried treasure.
And as us, as believers, asChristians, as we prioritize our
(05:28):
relationship with the God ofAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with
our marriage covenant withJesus, we begin to understand
and know what he is like and whowe are in him.
And so if we aren't looking forthe kingdom of heaven, we will
(05:51):
never find the abundance thatGod wants for us.
The Jesus that that you know isthe Jesus that you get.
So if we have a limited view ora limited relationship with him,
well, that's the Jesus thatyou're gonna get.
So if you only know him as, youknow, certain aspects, just like
with any relationship, you know,if you don't know a friend that
(06:11):
well, well, that's the only sideof that person that you see and
that you know.
Well, there's depth to thatperson, there's history, there's
ins and outs to that person, tothat relationship.
So Jesus tells us in scriptureto ask, seek, and knock.
We need to start asking theright questions.
(06:33):
We need to start seeking hiskingdom first, and we need to
begin knocking on the correctdoors.
And so covenant alignment is ais disciplined choices that
demonstrate your spiritual DNAand invite others into the same
freedom that you've discoveredin Yeshua.
(06:55):
Matthew 5, verse 16.
In the Beatitudes on the Sermonon the Mount, Jesus says, Let
your light so shine before menthat they may see your good
works and glorify your Father inheaven.
Covenant alignment is about asurrendered life encompassed by
lifestyle of discipline.
(07:15):
And discipline isn't arestriction, but a pathway, a
pathway that reflects theFather's nature through
intentional kingdom-alignedactions.
And when we walk in thediscipline of letting your light
shine, you're not drawingattention to yourself, but
creating a path for others toencounter the glory of God
through your stewardship of hiswisdom.
(07:38):
And in the scripture, it'stalking about that they may see
your good works.
The Hebrew understanding of goodworks here refers to the acts
that flow from covenantalignment.
Discipline choices thatdemonstrate your spiritual DNA
and invite others into the samefreedom that you've discovered
in Jesus.
(08:00):
And so on that note, I wouldlike to move move on and to talk
about submitting to Yeshua'sspiritual authority.
And when we come underneathYeshua's spiritual authority,
there's a grace to do that,there's an empowerment of his
grace.
And so we're going to touch onsix different areas regarding
(08:26):
how to, what that looks like tosubmit to Jesus' spiritual
authority.
And I found it interesting againthat you know the number six is
the number of man.
And so we do have a role to playthat yes, he will give us a new
heart and a heart of flesh andput his spirit within us, but
what we do with that is up tous, and we have a role to play.
(08:50):
So the first step, if you wantto, if we want to call it that,
and submitting to Yeshua'sauthority is trusting God.
(09:13):
God does not merely approve oursteps, he establishes them.
He sets them in order.
When our desire is to walk inhis way, his path, his way of
life, his manner of life.
And this is a relational, thisis not mechanical.
And in the Hebrew thought,walking describes covenant
(09:34):
obedience and relationalfaithfulness.
God wants to find out if he cantrust us.
In the Hebraic worldview, thisis not God lacking information,
but God bringing something intoreality, turning potential
faithfulness into experiencedfaithfulness.
And simultaneously, we need totrust him and his leadership.
(09:56):
In Genesis 22, verse 12, Godsaid, For now I know that I can
trust you and do what I'mtelling you to do.
And so Abraham's obediencetransformed his heart's heart
posture into an embodieddemonstration that God is
telling him, Now I know that Ican trust you.
(10:19):
And so trust is formed throughshared history.
God wants to know that he cantrust us before sending us out
as faithful witnesses.
In order to build trust with myspouse, I need to build history
with her.
I mean, we there's a betrothalprocess, right?
We, you know, dated and then wegot engaged and then we got
(10:40):
married and then we moved intogether, you know.
That's covenant life, right?
Building is synonymous,synonymous with growing.
And to build is to establishpermanence through repeated acts
of faithfulness.
And so the equation would bebuilding equals growing and
covenant reliability.
(11:01):
And Apostle Peter in the secondbook of Peter, verse, uh chapter
13, verse 18, it says, Grow inthe grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory now and forever.
And Peter's in this verserevealing a profound kingdom
(11:21):
principle.
Our effective effectiveness inministry is directly
proportional to our personalgrowth in Christ's grace and
knowledge.
So we need to we need to grow inthe in the knowledge and the
grace of Jesus Christ.
And so the the second aspecthere of submission to God, we it
(11:52):
is by God's design.
And we, for the sake ofrelationship here, for
relationship to work accordingto God's design, we need to be
submitted to one another.
Likewise, we need to besubmitted to Christ's authority.
And so some questions here.
(12:13):
You know, have we renounced thekingdom of darkness and declared
our loyalty to Yahweh?
Do we believe the Bible is aninerrant word of God?
Do we believe Jesus is the Sonof God?
Do we desire to follow Godaccording to his standards?
Belief or unbelief in Jesus isof no consequence to who he is
or what standards he sets.
(12:35):
Agreement with him won't benecessary to be judged by his
standards.
Likewise, when we submit to God,we also submit to appointed
spiritual leaders within theecclesia, within the body of
Christ.
Apostle Paul tells us in 1Thessalonians to acknowledge
those who work diligently amongyou, who preside over you in the
(12:55):
Lord and give you instruction,and love hold them in highest
regard because of their work.
Live in peace with one another.
Jesus is talking about theimportance of recognizing and
valuing labor and leadership ofthose who serve in spiritual
roles.
And so when we submit to others,we're we're submitting to Christ
(13:21):
because He's appointed thoseleaders over the house of God,
over the ecclesia.
And the writer of Hebrews inchapter 13 says, verse 17, obey
your leaders and submit to them,for they keep watch over your
souls as those who must give andgive an account.
To this end, allow them to leadwith joy and and not with grief,
(13:45):
for that would be of noadvantage to you.
And so submitting to God lookslike submitting to others that
are been appointed in place inspiritual authority.
There is a couple examples inthe Bible about uh of dishonor
(14:08):
and disrespecting.
You know, there's a warningabout disrespecting God's
appointed leadership.
And number 16, the rebellion ofKorah against Moses and Aaron
serves as a cautionary tale ofthe dangers of challenging
God-appointed authority.
And the New Testament echoesthis same warning in Jude 1,
(14:28):
verses 8 through 11, where falseteachers are condemned for their
rejection of authority andslander against spiritual
leaders.
So the Bible does teach us toobey every ordinance of men for
the Lord's sake.
And anyone who rejects theauthority that God has placed
over them, whether it's civil orspiritual, must be ready to face
the consequences of theirdisobedience.
(14:50):
When we resist civil authority,we are really resisting the
Lord.
Matthew chapter 20, verses 26through 28 says, Whoever would
(15:13):
be great among you must be yourservant, and who would be first
among you must be your slave.
Even as the Son of Man came notto be served, but to serve and
to give his life as a ransom formany.
(16:47):
Do we believe the Bible andwhat's in there, what it says?
Galatians 5, verse 6 says,Kingdom, faith works through
love.
The Bible is the ultimateauthority in heaven and earth.
When we come into agreement withthe word of God, blessings begin
to flow and the favor of Godrests upon us.
(17:08):
Jesus is the way, the truth, andthe life.
And according to the Word ofGod, obedience is better than
sacrifice.
To be able to obey the authoritythat is placed over us, we must
trust in said leader.
Trusting Jesus' leadership isthe ultimate act of faith.
You know, I might not fullyunderstand what Jesus might be
(17:29):
instructing me to do, but trustis leadership and that his plan
is purposeful.
If the Lord has something for meto do, trust is the greatest
heart posture that I can have.
Walking by faith is not abouttaking us, walking by faith is
about taking a step when wecan't see the whole staircase.
(17:54):
We must walk worthy of him,walking in a manner worthy of
him without getting trapped byworks.
So walking worthily, walkingworthily means living daily in a
(18:15):
way that reflects the characterof the one you walk with.
We don't walk worthy by earning,we walk worthy by abiding,
trusting, and responding.
Faith is a steadfast trust andrelational loyalty.
Works is the visible fruit ofthat trust.
(18:40):
Galatians 2 16 says, We knowthat a person is not justified
by works of the law but throughfaith in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, a rule keep rulekeeping as a means of
righteousness is not the answer.
Rather, we obey the word of Godas an expression of covenantal
loyalty.
(19:00):
So the fifth aspect here isbeing accountable to God and a
community of believers.
We submit to Christ's spiritualauthority when we submit to
submit to him and we'reaccountable to him.
Romans 14, 12 says each of uswill give an account of God,
give an account of himself toGod.
(19:23):
We need to be self-aware andself-examined and repentant,
walking, bearing, keeping, youknow, bearing fruit and keeping
with repentance.
Being accountable in a communionof believers looks like
expressing a lifestyle of James5.16 where it says, Therefore
confess your sins to one anotherand pray for one another that
(19:46):
you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous manhas great power to prevail.
In God's kingdom, we are tosubmit to one another out of
reverence for Christ.
To give reverence, reverence orhonor is to place value on that
object of honor.
The younger are subject to theelder, the wife is subject to
(20:07):
the husband, the child issubject to the mother and
father, and everyone is subjectto Christ.
So honor is to be given to thosein authority over us as well as
those under us as well.
We need to give honor to thosethat are perceived as being the
weaker vessel in need of ourprotection and provision.
(20:29):
We can best honor those inauthority over us by obeying
them in submission and humilityand honor those under us with
protection and provision.
So the last, the sixth aspecthere is the believer's
(20:52):
authority.
The grace account on authorityis found in Matthew 8.
Verses five through 13.
The centurion understood howauthority worked.
And Jesus marveled at his faithbecause of his understanding.
(21:13):
The centurion soldier knew Jesushad true authority over his
creation, and he could commandwhatsoever he will through his
spoken word, despite hisproximity or his immediate
presence.
With a functional understandingregarding the military chain of
command, the centurionunderstood that hierarchical
(21:34):
authority demanded obedience.
Ultimate authority could flowthrough a yielded life to said
authority.
And the centurion understood howorders from the one in authority
were to be unquestionablyobeyed.
Consequently, the centurion knewthat whatsoever Jesus commanded,
it would be done because ofJesus' authority in the Spirit.
(22:19):
This authority is the ability tospeak, act, and live according
to the power and the guidance ofthe Holy Spirit.
And listening to the Holy Spiritis endlessly valuable to find
out what is tormenting hispeople and free them from
captivity.
In the kingdom of God, trueauthority can only come from
being under authority.
(22:44):
In Matthew chapter 28, the GreatCommission, Jesus said, All
authority in heaven and on earthhas been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciplesof all nations, teaching them to
obey everything I have commandedyou.
This indicates that Jesus hasthe ultimate authority.
This is the scripture that weall know as the Great
(23:05):
Commission.
It proves that Jesus has theultimate authority and he
delegates authority to believersto carry out his mission on
earth.
And so for us to operate in aposition of authority, believers
must know the word of God inorder not to be deceived by the
schemes of our adversary.
We must have our oil and knowthe truth in our hearts for us
(23:28):
to be able to pull it out, thesoar of the spirit, and use it
at any given moment.
If we are not spirituallyminded, we can be taken captive
to do the devil's bidding.
The person will think they arehelping the Lord, but really
going against him.
(23:49):
And so the six aspects here,when we submit to Christ's
authority, the first one.
The second, we need to submit toGod.
(24:11):
The third is servanthood,servant leadership.
The fourth is aligning withscripture.
The fifth aspect is beingaccountable to God and to a
community of believers.
And then the believer'sauthority.
(24:31):
And so today's episode is reallyabout being an ambassador for
Christ.
You know, an ambassador is adiplomat sent by a country as
its official representative.
An ambassador is one whocommunicates what their
government is saying.
Coming under Yeshua's authorityis essential for covenant
(24:52):
alignment.
We must never forget the missionthat we are on.
We are the sent ones, called tobe the salt and light of the
world and spread the good newsof the gospel of Jesus Christ.
For a believer to walk in thegreater works available by the
power of the Holy Spirit, onemust be in right standing with
God, covered by the blood ofJesus, sent under authority, and
(25:15):
invoke the name of Jesus toperform deliverance.
Hence the believer must be sent,not went.
If the believer is notpositionally correct and
empowered by the Holy Spirit,there is real danger for
backlash and retaliation fromthe demonic realm, thus invoking
warfare because we are not inalignment.
(25:37):
We've gone out on our own in hisname, and he hasn't actually
sent us.
We went.
We went and did our own thingasking the Lord to bless it and
back it.
And so, folks, as we wrap thisepisode up, if we don't catch
(26:03):
all things here said today, wecoming in alignment is about
seeking first the kingdom of Godand his righteousness.
What does that look like?
What is God telling you to do inthis season?
So some prayer points here forus today was asking asking the
(26:25):
Lord, asking the Holy Spirit torestore any errors where we have
lost our saltiness or our lighthas gone dim.
Asking the the Holy Spirit toempower us to stand firmly in
Covenant Atlanta.
Another prayer prayer pointwould be to ask the Holy Spirit
(26:50):
to soften our hearts, to softenany hard places, any places that
we have resisted or are wewalking in unforgiveness or
being self-reliant.
It's only when we come to himand acknowledge and allow him to
expose our hearts, right?
The word of God is a sword, is ait pierces through spirit and
(27:17):
flesh, joint and marrow.
It's only when we allow him inand allow him to to examine us
under the under his light, thathis covenant promise promises
can flow unhindered through usand to us and equip us with the
power.
SPEAKER_01 (27:39):
Thank you, brother.
Would you would you be so kindas just kind of uh have have a
word of prayer with us regardingthose points right here that you
just mentioned?
SPEAKER_00 (27:51):
Sure.
Father God, we just come to youin the name of Jesus and we lift
up everyone listening underneaththe sound of my voice, that life
around the fire, Lord.
We ask that you would move inour midst, Father God, that we
(28:13):
would see your glory, Lord.
We ask, Abba, that you wouldshow us where we have not
prioritized our relationshipwith you, Lord God.
Or we want to live a God-firstlife.
And so help us today, Lord, toprioritize and organize what is
(28:38):
important to you, Lord.
We ask that you would empowerus, Holy Spirit, by your by your
power, Lord, to help us walk incovenant alignment, that our
hearts would be tender to hearyour voice.
(28:58):
And that it's it's easy to bewith you, Jesus.
That you would reveal, and LordGod, that there would be a
courage and a boldness rising upin people to turn away and to
lay down things that you areexposing in their lives to walk
(29:20):
with you hand in hand, Allah,that you are with us in this
journey, Lord God.
You don't ask us to do somethingon our own, but you go with us.
And so I just pray for everyonelistening that if the Lord is
showing you to do something,that you would have the courage,
(29:40):
like Abraham, to just go, totake a step without seeing the
whole staircase, and you'll findout the reason why later on.
The Lord is leading you in pathsof righteousness for his name's
sake.
Trust in the Lord with all yourheart and do not lean on your
own understanding.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
SPEAKER_01 (30:00):
Amen.
Excellent.
Folks, we love you.
And if you have any thoughts,questions, concerns, please feel
free to drop us a line at lifeare on the fire at gmail.com or
you just type in Life Around theFire and look us up on the web.
We would love to hear from you.
In the meantime, God bless you.
(30:20):
Adios, amigos.
Howdy folks, I want to welcome you back to another
episode of Life on the Fire.
And today we have again in ourstudio Stephen Cruz, who is
teaching on covenant alignment.
And it's really been a kind of ahigh point for us at Life on the
Fire to include Stephen in ourpodcast episodes because there's
(01:39):
something significant that hehas been given by the Lord to
share.
And so, Stephen, we want towelcome you back and just give
you free reign to go for it.
And thanks for coming on in.
SPEAKER_00 (01:52):
Thank you, David.
Welcome everybody to part threeof Covenant Alignment.
We are just going to do a briefrecap in case you missed the
other two.
In John chapter 5, verse 19,Jesus said, The Son can do
nothing of himself.
He can only do what he sees hisFather doing.
(02:15):
And so we always see inScripture that Jesus was always
in harmony with God's will andpurpose.
And covenant alignment isexemplified in the life of
Jesus.
And so why is it important towalk in alignment with God's
covenant?
Well, if we're following Jesus'footprint as disciples, as
(02:41):
apprentices, we need to be doingwhat he was doing, right?
We need to follow in hisfootsteps.
And so last two episodes, we wetalked about Abraham and
Galatians chapter 3, verse 16says, Now the promises were made
to Abraham and to his offspring.
(03:03):
It does not say, and twooffsprings, referring to many,
but referring to one and to youroffspring who is Christ.
And so Jesus fulfills the OldTestament covenants by being the
ultimate seed of Abraham throughwhom all nations are blessed.
And you know, there's there'sneither nor neither Jew or
(03:24):
Greek, there's neither slave norfree, male or female.
We are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you are Christ, thenyou're Abraham's offspring and
heirs according to the promise.
And so we were connecting theAbrahamic covenant and the new
covenant.
The scripture we were talkingabout was on Genesis 22, where
(03:45):
the offering of Isaac byAbraham, Abraham's beloved son,
is identical to God the Fatheroffering his only son, Jesus.
In John 3.16, we find, you know,for God so loved the world, he
gave his only one and uniqueson, that whoever believes in
him should not perish but haveeternal life.
(04:06):
And so it's a a propheticparallel that we see in
Scripture with Abraham and Isaacand with Father God and Jesus.
And it's been said that worshipis the culture of the kingdom,
and the culture is obedience.
And Abraham and Jesus were bothbeing obedient to the will of
(04:26):
the Father, and they weretrusting in the Lord's plan
above their own.
And so aligning with theFather's heart is a supernatural
transformation that positions usto walk in greater authority and
anointing.
Ezekiel says in chapter 36, Iwill give you a new heart and
put a new spirit within you,says the Lord.
(04:47):
I will take the heart of stoneand give you a heart of flesh.
I will put my spirit within youand cause you to walk in my
statutes, and you will keep myjudgments and do them.
God is declaring that ouralignment with his covenant
isn't achieved through ourstriving, but through surrender
to his transformative powerworking from the inside out by
(05:08):
the indwelling of the HolySpirit.
True covenant alignment flowsfrom a transformed heart, not
merely disciplined behaviors.
Additionally, covenant alignmentis similar to searching as for
buried treasure.
And as us, as believers, asChristians, as we prioritize our
(05:28):
relationship with the God ofAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with
our marriage covenant withJesus, we begin to understand
and know what he is like and whowe are in him.
And so if we aren't looking forthe kingdom of heaven, we will
(05:51):
never find the abundance thatGod wants for us.
The Jesus that that you know isthe Jesus that you get.
So if we have a limited view ora limited relationship with him,
well, that's the Jesus thatyou're gonna get.
So if you only know him as, youknow, certain aspects, just like
with any relationship, you know,if you don't know a friend that
(06:11):
well, well, that's the only sideof that person that you see and
that you know.
Well, there's depth to thatperson, there's history, there's
ins and outs to that person, tothat relationship.
So Jesus tells us in scriptureto ask, seek, and knock.
We need to start asking theright questions.
(06:33):
We need to start seeking hiskingdom first, and we need to
begin knocking on the correctdoors.
And so covenant alignment is ais disciplined choices that
demonstrate your spiritual DNAand invite others into the same
freedom that you've discoveredin Yeshua.
(06:55):
Matthew 5, verse 16.
In the Beatitudes on the Sermonon the Mount, Jesus says, Let
your light so shine before menthat they may see your good
works and glorify your Father inheaven.
Covenant alignment is about asurrendered life encompassed by
lifestyle of discipline.
(07:15):
And discipline isn't arestriction, but a pathway, a
pathway that reflects theFather's nature through
intentional kingdom-alignedactions.
And when we walk in thediscipline of letting your light
shine, you're not drawingattention to yourself, but
creating a path for others toencounter the glory of God
through your stewardship of hiswisdom.
(07:38):
And in the scripture, it'stalking about that they may see
your good works.
The Hebrew understanding of goodworks here refers to the acts
that flow from covenantalignment.
Discipline choices thatdemonstrate your spiritual DNA
and invite others into the samefreedom that you've discovered
in Jesus.
(08:00):
And so on that note, I wouldlike to move move on and to talk
about submitting to Yeshua'sspiritual authority.
And when we come underneathYeshua's spiritual authority,
there's a grace to do that,there's an empowerment of his
grace.
And so we're going to touch onsix different areas regarding
(08:26):
how to, what that looks like tosubmit to Jesus' spiritual
authority.
And I found it interesting againthat you know the number six is
the number of man.
And so we do have a role to playthat yes, he will give us a new
heart and a heart of flesh andput his spirit within us, but
what we do with that is up tous, and we have a role to play.
(08:50):
So the first step, if you wantto, if we want to call it that,
and submitting to Yeshua'sauthority is trusting God.
(09:13):
God does not merely approve oursteps, he establishes them.
He sets them in order.
When our desire is to walk inhis way, his path, his way of
life, his manner of life.
And this is a relational, thisis not mechanical.
And in the Hebrew thought,walking describes covenant
(09:34):
obedience and relationalfaithfulness.
God wants to find out if he cantrust us.
In the Hebraic worldview, thisis not God lacking information,
but God bringing something intoreality, turning potential
faithfulness into experiencedfaithfulness.
And simultaneously, we need totrust him and his leadership.
(09:56):
In Genesis 22, verse 12, Godsaid, For now I know that I can
trust you and do what I'mtelling you to do.
And so Abraham's obediencetransformed his heart's heart
posture into an embodieddemonstration that God is
telling him, Now I know that Ican trust you.
(10:19):
And so trust is formed throughshared history.
God wants to know that he cantrust us before sending us out
as faithful witnesses.
In order to build trust with myspouse, I need to build history
with her.
I mean, we there's a betrothalprocess, right?
We, you know, dated and then wegot engaged and then we got
(10:40):
married and then we moved intogether, you know.
That's covenant life, right?
Building is synonymous,synonymous with growing.
And to build is to establishpermanence through repeated acts
of faithfulness.
And so the equation would bebuilding equals growing and
covenant reliability.
(11:01):
And Apostle Peter in the secondbook of Peter, verse, uh chapter
13, verse 18, it says, Grow inthe grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory now and forever.
And Peter's in this verserevealing a profound kingdom
(11:21):
principle.
Our effective effectiveness inministry is directly
proportional to our personalgrowth in Christ's grace and
knowledge.
So we need to we need to grow inthe in the knowledge and the
grace of Jesus Christ.
And so the the second aspecthere of submission to God, we it
(11:52):
is by God's design.
And we, for the sake ofrelationship here, for
relationship to work accordingto God's design, we need to be
submitted to one another.
Likewise, we need to besubmitted to Christ's authority.
And so some questions here.
(12:13):
You know, have we renounced thekingdom of darkness and declared
our loyalty to Yahweh?
Do we believe the Bible is aninerrant word of God?
Do we believe Jesus is the Sonof God?
Do we desire to follow Godaccording to his standards?
Belief or unbelief in Jesus isof no consequence to who he is
or what standards he sets.
(12:35):
Agreement with him won't benecessary to be judged by his
standards.
Likewise, when we submit to God,we also submit to appointed
spiritual leaders within theecclesia, within the body of
Christ.
Apostle Paul tells us in 1Thessalonians to acknowledge
those who work diligently amongyou, who preside over you in the
(12:55):
Lord and give you instruction,and love hold them in highest
regard because of their work.
Live in peace with one another.
Jesus is talking about theimportance of recognizing and
valuing labor and leadership ofthose who serve in spiritual
roles.
And so when we submit to others,we're we're submitting to Christ
(13:21):
because He's appointed thoseleaders over the house of God,
over the ecclesia.
And the writer of Hebrews inchapter 13 says, verse 17, obey
your leaders and submit to them,for they keep watch over your
souls as those who must give andgive an account.
To this end, allow them to leadwith joy and and not with grief,
(13:45):
for that would be of noadvantage to you.
And so submitting to God lookslike submitting to others that
are been appointed in place inspiritual authority.
There is a couple examples inthe Bible about uh of dishonor
(14:08):
and disrespecting.
You know, there's a warningabout disrespecting God's
appointed leadership.
And number 16, the rebellion ofKorah against Moses and Aaron
serves as a cautionary tale ofthe dangers of challenging
God-appointed authority.
And the New Testament echoesthis same warning in Jude 1,
(14:28):
verses 8 through 11, where falseteachers are condemned for their
rejection of authority andslander against spiritual
leaders.
So the Bible does teach us toobey every ordinance of men for
the Lord's sake.
And anyone who rejects theauthority that God has placed
over them, whether it's civil orspiritual, must be ready to face
the consequences of theirdisobedience.
(14:50):
When we resist civil authority,we are really resisting the
Lord.
Matthew chapter 20, verses 26through 28 says, Whoever would
(15:13):
be great among you must be yourservant, and who would be first
among you must be your slave.
Even as the Son of Man came notto be served, but to serve and
to give his life as a ransom formany.
(16:47):
Do we believe the Bible andwhat's in there, what it says?
Galatians 5, verse 6 says,Kingdom, faith works through
love.
The Bible is the ultimateauthority in heaven and earth.
When we come into agreement withthe word of God, blessings begin
to flow and the favor of Godrests upon us.
(17:08):
Jesus is the way, the truth, andthe life.
And according to the Word ofGod, obedience is better than
sacrifice.
To be able to obey the authoritythat is placed over us, we must
trust in said leader.
Trusting Jesus' leadership isthe ultimate act of faith.
You know, I might not fullyunderstand what Jesus might be
(17:29):
instructing me to do, but trustis leadership and that his plan
is purposeful.
If the Lord has something for meto do, trust is the greatest
heart posture that I can have.
Walking by faith is not abouttaking us, walking by faith is
about taking a step when wecan't see the whole staircase.
(17:54):
We must walk worthy of him,walking in a manner worthy of
him without getting trapped byworks.
So walking worthily, walkingworthily means living daily in a
(18:15):
way that reflects the characterof the one you walk with.
We don't walk worthy by earning,we walk worthy by abiding,
trusting, and responding.
Faith is a steadfast trust andrelational loyalty.
Works is the visible fruit ofthat trust.
(18:40):
Galatians 2 16 says, We knowthat a person is not justified
by works of the law but throughfaith in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, a rule keep rulekeeping as a means of
righteousness is not the answer.
Rather, we obey the word of Godas an expression of covenantal
loyalty.
(19:00):
So the fifth aspect here isbeing accountable to God and a
community of believers.
We submit to Christ's spiritualauthority when we submit to
submit to him and we'reaccountable to him.
Romans 14, 12 says each of uswill give an account of God,
give an account of himself toGod.
(19:23):
We need to be self-aware andself-examined and repentant,
walking, bearing, keeping, youknow, bearing fruit and keeping
with repentance.
Being accountable in a communionof believers looks like
expressing a lifestyle of James5.16 where it says, Therefore
confess your sins to one anotherand pray for one another that
(19:46):
you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous manhas great power to prevail.
In God's kingdom, we are tosubmit to one another out of
reverence for Christ.
To give reverence, reverence orhonor is to place value on that
object of honor.
The younger are subject to theelder, the wife is subject to
(20:07):
the husband, the child issubject to the mother and
father, and everyone is subjectto Christ.
So honor is to be given to thosein authority over us as well as
those under us as well.
We need to give honor to thosethat are perceived as being the
weaker vessel in need of ourprotection and provision.
(20:29):
We can best honor those inauthority over us by obeying
them in submission and humilityand honor those under us with
protection and provision.
So the last, the sixth aspecthere is the believer's
(20:52):
authority.
The grace account on authorityis found in Matthew 8.
Verses five through 13.
The centurion understood howauthority worked.
And Jesus marveled at his faithbecause of his understanding.
(21:13):
The centurion soldier knew Jesushad true authority over his
creation, and he could commandwhatsoever he will through his
spoken word, despite hisproximity or his immediate
presence.
With a functional understandingregarding the military chain of
command, the centurionunderstood that hierarchical
(21:34):
authority demanded obedience.
Ultimate authority could flowthrough a yielded life to said
authority.
And the centurion understood howorders from the one in authority
were to be unquestionablyobeyed.
Consequently, the centurion knewthat whatsoever Jesus commanded,
it would be done because ofJesus' authority in the Spirit.
(22:19):
This authority is the ability tospeak, act, and live according
to the power and the guidance ofthe Holy Spirit.
And listening to the Holy Spiritis endlessly valuable to find
out what is tormenting hispeople and free them from
captivity.
In the kingdom of God, trueauthority can only come from
being under authority.
(22:44):
In Matthew chapter 28, the GreatCommission, Jesus said, All
authority in heaven and on earthhas been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciplesof all nations, teaching them to
obey everything I have commandedyou.
This indicates that Jesus hasthe ultimate authority.
This is the scripture that weall know as the Great
(23:05):
Commission.
It proves that Jesus has theultimate authority and he
delegates authority to believersto carry out his mission on
earth.
And so for us to operate in aposition of authority, believers
must know the word of God inorder not to be deceived by the
schemes of our adversary.
We must have our oil and knowthe truth in our hearts for us
(23:28):
to be able to pull it out, thesoar of the spirit, and use it
at any given moment.
If we are not spirituallyminded, we can be taken captive
to do the devil's bidding.
The person will think they arehelping the Lord, but really
going against him.
(23:49):
And so the six aspects here,when we submit to Christ's
authority, the first one.
The second, we need to submit toGod.
(24:11):
The third is servanthood,servant leadership.
The fourth is aligning withscripture.
The fifth aspect is beingaccountable to God and to a
community of believers.
And then the believer'sauthority.
(24:31):
And so today's episode is reallyabout being an ambassador for
Christ.
You know, an ambassador is adiplomat sent by a country as
its official representative.
An ambassador is one whocommunicates what their
government is saying.
Coming under Yeshua's authorityis essential for covenant
(24:52):
alignment.
We must never forget the missionthat we are on.
We are the sent ones, called tobe the salt and light of the
world and spread the good newsof the gospel of Jesus Christ.
For a believer to walk in thegreater works available by the
power of the Holy Spirit, onemust be in right standing with
God, covered by the blood ofJesus, sent under authority, and
(25:15):
invoke the name of Jesus toperform deliverance.
Hence the believer must be sent,not went.
If the believer is notpositionally correct and
empowered by the Holy Spirit,there is real danger for
backlash and retaliation fromthe demonic realm, thus invoking
warfare because we are not inalignment.
(25:37):
We've gone out on our own in hisname, and he hasn't actually
sent us.
We went.
We went and did our own thingasking the Lord to bless it and
back it.
And so, folks, as we wrap thisepisode up, if we don't catch
(26:03):
all things here said today, wecoming in alignment is about
seeking first the kingdom of Godand his righteousness.
What does that look like?
What is God telling you to do inthis season?
So some prayer points here forus today was asking asking the
(26:25):
Lord, asking the Holy Spirit torestore any errors where we have
lost our saltiness or our lighthas gone dim.
Asking the the Holy Spirit toempower us to stand firmly in
Covenant Atlanta.
Another prayer prayer pointwould be to ask the Holy Spirit
(26:50):
to soften our hearts, to softenany hard places, any places that
we have resisted or are wewalking in unforgiveness or
being self-reliant.
It's only when we come to himand acknowledge and allow him to
expose our hearts, right?
The word of God is a sword, is ait pierces through spirit and
(27:17):
flesh, joint and marrow.
It's only when we allow him inand allow him to to examine us
under the under his light, thathis covenant promise promises
can flow unhindered through usand to us and equip us with the
power.
SPEAKER_01 (27:39):
Thank you, brother.
Would you would you be so kindas just kind of uh have have a
word of prayer with us regardingthose points right here that you
just mentioned?
SPEAKER_00 (27:51):
Sure.
Father God, we just come to youin the name of Jesus and we lift
up everyone listening underneaththe sound of my voice, that life
around the fire, Lord.
We ask that you would move inour midst, Father God, that we
(28:13):
would see your glory, Lord.
We ask, Abba, that you wouldshow us where we have not
prioritized our relationshipwith you, Lord God.
Or we want to live a God-firstlife.
And so help us today, Lord, toprioritize and organize what is
(28:38):
important to you, Lord.
We ask that you would empowerus, Holy Spirit, by your by your
power, Lord, to help us walk incovenant alignment, that our
hearts would be tender to hearyour voice.
(28:58):
And that it's it's easy to bewith you, Jesus.
That you would reveal, and LordGod, that there would be a
courage and a boldness rising upin people to turn away and to
lay down things that you areexposing in their lives to walk
(29:20):
with you hand in hand, Allah,that you are with us in this
journey, Lord God.
You don't ask us to do somethingon our own, but you go with us.
And so I just pray for everyonelistening that if the Lord is
showing you to do something,that you would have the courage,
(29:40):
like Abraham, to just go, totake a step without seeing the
whole staircase, and you'll findout the reason why later on.
The Lord is leading you in pathsof righteousness for his name's
sake.
Trust in the Lord with all yourheart and do not lean on your
own understanding.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
SPEAKER_01 (30:00):
Amen.
Excellent.
Folks, we love you.
And if you have any thoughts,questions, concerns, please feel
free to drop us a line at lifeare on the fire at gmail.com or
you just type in Life Around theFire and look us up on the web.
We would love to hear from you.
In the meantime, God bless you.
(30:20):
Adios, amigos.
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