Kingdom Life - Alignment to Authority, Words, & Spirit

-

Several years back I was not in peace with the instructions from my manager. I struggled a lot and attributed it to the the unbeliever status of my manager. And, was finally convicted by Holy Spirit to accept my misalignment to the faith in Christ. Subsequently, I studied the flow the authority, words, spirit, and alignment in the bible passages.

In Christ, Authority, Words, Spirit, and Alignment are all inter-related and work closely to produce order and peace in our heart as well to our key stakehollders. The act of "taking deviations" or modifying instructions is rarely seen as creativity; it is often diagnosed as a spiritual misalignment.

In the biblical framework, Authority releases Words; the Spirit empowers the hearer to receive those Words; and this produces Alignment. When one deviates, it breaks this chain.

Here is an analysis of how these four concepts work together and why deviation is considered a breach of authority.

1. The Biblical Logic: How the Four Work Together

The Bible presents a specific "chain of command" in the spiritual realm that applies to earthly relationships (Colossians 3:22).

  1. Authority (The Source): God delegates authority to leaders to set a direction.
  2. Words (The Container): The leader speaks Words to convey their will/intent.
  3. Spirit (The Connector): The follower must have a "submissive spirit" or "quiet spirit" to receive the specific intent of the words without filtering them through their own pride or logic.
  4. Alignment (The Result): When the Spirit of the follower yields to the Word of the Authority, the result is Alignment (Order/Peace).

The Breakdown: When an employee receives an instruction but "deviates," they are essentially saying, "I accept your authority in title, but I reject your Word in practice." Biblically, we cannot separate a person’s Authority from their Word.

2. Authority and Words: The Centurion Principle

The clearest example of the link between Authority and Words is found in the interaction between the Centurion and Jesus.

Matthew 8:8-9 (NIV)
"The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.’"

  • The Interrelationship: The Centurion understood that Authority flows through Words. He didn't need Jesus' physical presence; he needed Jesus' specific instruction.
  • The Lesson: Submission means honoring the specific Word given. If the soldier decided to "Go" but took a detour to a different city, he would be in rebellion, even if he eventually went where he was told. Precision in obeying the Word is the proof of submission to Authority.

3. Spirit and Alignment: The Warning of King Saul

The most profound example of "taking deviations" from instructions is found in 1 Samuel 15. King Saul was given a specific instruction by God (through the prophet Samuel) to destroy the Amalekites completely. Saul went, but he deviated—he saved the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to God.

He thought he had a "better idea" while still technically accomplishing the main mission.

1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NIV)
"But Samuel replied: 'Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.'"

  • The Interrelationship:
    • The Word: "Destroy everything."
    • The Deviation: Saul saved the best (partial obedience).
    • The Spirit: Samuel diagnoses this deviation not as "initiative" but as a spirit of rebellion and arrogance (idolatry).
  • The Lesson: When we deviate from instructions because we think our way is better, the Bible calls it Idolatry—because we are worshipping our own intellect above the Authority’s Word. True Alignment requires a Spirit of humility that values the specific instructions given.

4. The Role of the Spirit in Alignment

How do we stop deviating? We need the right Spirit. Alignment is impossible if the human spirit is proud or independent.

Ezekiel 36:27 (NIV)
"And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

1 Peter 2:13, 18 (NIV)
"Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority... not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh."

  • The Interrelationship: The Spirit is what provides the internal power to align with external instructions.
  • The Lesson: Deviations often happen because the Spirit is restless or prideful. A person with a "quiet and gentle spirit" (1 Peter 3:4) finds it easy to align with words of authority because they are not fighting for control.

5. Jesus: The Perfect Model of Alignment

Jesus demonstrated that true authority comes from total alignment with the Father’s words. He never deviated.

John 12:49-50 (NIV)
"For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken... So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."

John 5:19 (NIV)
"Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does."

  • The Interrelationship:
    • Authority: The Father.
    • Spirit: Jesus was led by the Spirit.
    • Word: Jesus spoke/did only what the Father said.
    • Alignment: Resulted in the salvation of the world.
  • The Lesson: Jesus had all the power in the universe, yet He did not take deviations. He viewed "doing exactly what was asked" as His highest glory.

Summary: How they work together

To correct the behavior of deviating from a boss's instructions, we must understand the spiritual mechanism:

  1. Authority provides the Covering. (If we step out from the instructions, we step out from the covering).
  2. Words provide the Boundary. (The specific instructions are the safety fence).
  3. Spirit provides the Power. (A humble spirit allows us to submit our will to the boundary).
  4. Alignment provides the Peace. (When Spirit matches Word, and Word matches Authority, there is success).

Conclusion: Taking deviations is a sign that we value our own Words (logic/ideas) over the Authority's Words. To fix this, we must ask for a Spirit of humility to come into Alignment, realizing that in the Kingdom of God, partial obedience is viewed as disobedience.

 

Comments

Post a Comment


Popular posts from this blog

Bible demeans women. Really?

-
Image
The charge that the Bible demeans women is a prominent and potent critique in contemporary discourse, powerfully articulated by leading secular thinkers. Figures like Dr. Richard Dawkins, in his book The God Delusion, point directly to Old Testament laws treating women as property and New Testament commands for their submission as clear evidence of the text's misogyny. Similarly, the late Dr. Christopher Hitchens frequently referred such passages to support his claim that religion is fundamentally "contemptuous of women," while neuroscientist Dr. Sam Harris argues that relying on these ancient texts for moral guidance is dangerous, with the subordinate status of women serving as a prime example of how religious dogma can perpetuate social harm and inequality.  Together, their critiques frame the Bible not merely as a historical document with outdated views, but as a source of ongoing moral and social problems, focusing the debate squarely on the content and impact of its ...
Read more

How to cope with impending expiry date?

-
Image
Following is a conversation thread among a group of friends.  V: bros how are you all coping with the nearing expiry date. R: nearing ‘expiry date’? I’m looking for organ donors V: Ha ha. R: V, on a serious note, the % of days that I wake up and feel old is slowly increasing - constant aches and pains don’t help either. R: And I keep thinking I should make a will one of these days before it’s too late. V: Yes man and the news of apparently health folks dying of cardiac arrest in their 40s is not helping either.  Looking for some tips to cope S: yes after u go. what if you are in hospital and funds are needed and you are not awake? M: Cope with such news or cope with heart attacks? 😬 V: Open with the impending end… looks like none of you are effected or have come to terms J: Does it really matter, V? The way I figure, may be 3 or 4 people would think of me for any period longer than a day or so after we kick the bucket, and after that, except for the inconvenience caused becau...
Read more

Accountability to One Another in Christ

-
Image
  Few years back, my understanding of accountability and judgement got mixed up. If you had asked me a question related to what I did & why I did, I'd immediately think that you were judging me. And, I'd feel vulnerable in responding openly and transparently to your question. I'll often want to know why you want to know & how you are going to use the information.  But the grace of God overflowed for me. Holy Spirit showed me how these worldly principles had been set in my heart causing my passive aggressive behaviors.  Passive aggressive behaviors are the subtle and shrewd things I did or said to smartly avoid answering difficult questions.   Then, I dug into bible to learn the principles of Christ related to accountability in a church community.   Accountability is the fact of being responsible for what I do and able to give a satisfactory reason for it, or the degree to which this happens. Several bible verses speak to the concept of accounta...
Read more