Men Live Under Authority

Guest: Neal Jeffrey

If I Can, Y-yyou Can! Giving All You’ve Got to Become All You Can Be (actual title) - great book about the life and testimony of Neal Jeffrey

From NealJeffrey.com:

NEAL JEFFREY, former All-American quarterback at Baylor University and quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, learned the meaning of overcoming early in life. A stutterer since childhood, Neal had to find a way to "get through what he couldn't get over" to achieve his lifelong dreams. Today, he is one of America's most powerful and passionate communicators, speaking for corporate conferences, national conventions, sales organizations, sports teams – twice for the New York Yankees – school districts, student groups and churches from coast to coast. Everywhere he goes he inspires audiences to go "higher, swifter, stronger" in the critical areas of life. In addition to a busy speaking schedule, Neal serves as a speaking/teaching minister at the 28,000-member Prestonwood Church of Dallas, Texas, where he has served for over 25 years. He and his wife Sheila live in the Dallas area and have three grown children. His new book, If I Can, Y-Y-You Can! is available nationwide and at info@nealjeffrey.com

We live in a world where nobody wants to live under authority.

Truth is, if I’m left up to myself, it’s not going to be good. I’m self-serving. I have appetites that can lead me to a place where the world says you ought to go, but if you go there, it’s going to be a disaster!

How do you learn to live under authority? It helps to have an older man model living under proper authority. For some, it may be their biological father. Others might see this and learn these principles from a good coach. For everyone, learning how to live under authority from God’s Word is available.

It is valuable to learn to live under authority before you are placed in a position of authority.

Living under the authority of God means that you say “Yes, sir” to whatever God has for you. You can trust the goodness and plan of God for your life - and you can find out more about God’s will for your life by spending time reading God’s Word.

To read more about the faith of the centurion, read the passage found in Matthew 8:5-13.

One of the greatest ways that a man can honor God is to honor his wife, to cherish her, to love and care for and provide for her. You have an authority in heaven that you will answer to.

Men, you need to have others around you that you will listen to as you make important decisions in life. We all need someone that we allow to hold us accountable, to speak truth into our lives, to “slap us upside the head” and bring a sense of clarity to a situation.

What about the guy who has been under “bad” authority? God isn’t a bad authority, but a loving and perfect authority. God can help you forgive and move past the experiences of bad authority by the power of His grace.

Compare the self-sacrificing example of Jesus to the self-serving actions of others. Jesus led by serving others, even the “least of these.” That’s an “authority” that you can place your trust in and delight in.

Two take-aways:

1. If you’re not under authority, you need to consider coming under the loving authority of God.
2. If you’re in a position of authority, are you using your position and power in a self-serving fashion or are you leading by example, serving others, working to make those around you better?