There was a brother in Christ who told me that whenever his daughter would come to him with issues, he’d ask her if she had first talked to God. If she’d say no, he’d tell her go talk to God first then come back to him after. The earthly father was teaching something crucial here, “the principle of God first”.

There is so much anger and malice I’m reading these days that it is clear some of us aren’t following that principle. Particularly because the words spoken/written are contrary to the Word of God.

What part of pray for your leaders do believers not understand? What part of put away anger and malice is confusing? Our feelings are not always facts. Angry at your leader? Don’t like him/her? Pray for them. If you are a believer in Christ, it is your duty to represent the Lord as He calls us to. Nothing more shameful than believers acting worse than those in the world.

1 Timothy 2:1-3
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior…

Ephesians 4:31
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

This works in all cases. We need to consult God first in our lives. We can end up in all sorts of trouble otherwise and end up saying things that we only regret later on. Let’s take a page from Nehemiah from chapter 2. Notice when the king (who had reasonable authority to grant Nehemiah’s request) asked Nehemiah what he wanted, Nehemiah prayed to God before responding. Urge us (myself most definitely included) to do the same. Amen.

Nehemiah 2:4-5
Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”