The Issue With Self-Governance
- kingdomcitizensinc
- Nov 11
- 6 min read
the polygamous plight series
Welcome to the kingdom citizens blog!
Our faithfulness to Christ causes us to flourish, benefiting the relationships we have with mankind as well. Likewise, our unfaithfulness to Christ naturally reaps unfavorable outcomes with God and mankind.
What’s the air you breathe? What gives you life? Is it God or God’s creations? Is it both? When we consider what motivates us, what breathes life into our sails — does the answer include God’s plan for our life? Do we exclude our Creator from what excites us or is a close relationship with Him more than enough to get us going in the right direction? This type of thinking is intended to shake loose the foundations of our expectations.
Are we willing to submit to God’s will? Or…do we expect God to submit to our will? That’s the real question behind a faithful heart and a disobedient lover. Do you fancy yourself a god? Would you rob the Lord of His reign over your life? Out loud, we would never admit it even if our answer is “yes”. The way the Lord governs our lives puts us in the best possible position to succeed at what He created us to do. That’s the road to true fulfillment. 8
However, when we decide to dethrone Christ, replacing Him with our own ambitions, we derail the original and best suited train of thought the Lord intended to be our purposeful and glorifying reality. When we allow our foreign ideas of what we can do better than God, become our puppet master, we in turn become slaves to sin. Governed by our fleshly desires instead of by the Spirit of God, we trade out order for chaos; boundaries for barriers.
Defining Self-Governance
Self-governance, or self-government, is the capacity of individuals, groups, or organizations to regulate their own affairs without outside control. It involves the authority to make decisions, establish rules, and oversee resources independently. This principle is fundamental to the ideals of freedom, autonomy, and self-determination.
Some may say self-governance is good because it involves self-control, constructive work-ethic, and the ability to think freely and critically. This sounds nice but the reality is that self-governance is really a perversion of God’s rule; anarchy disguised in rebellion. The operative word in the definition of self-governance is “without”. You are not within the Lord’s government if you are without His control, rules, resources, and ideals.
Proverbs 18:1-2 describes perfectly the rebel who conceals himself from God’s Sovereignty:
“1 He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment. 2 A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in airing his opinions.” (BSB)
James 3:16 describes the heart of the rebellious person, as well as the anarchy that occurs as the result of their rebellion against the proper authority:
“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.” (BSB)
In Dave Meyer’s book, Freedom Is Costly, But Priceless, he states something that is so true but often overlooked. On page 106, Dave Meyer say’s, “Those who are ignorant about how government works will fall for false promises.” This is what happened to Adam and Eve and so many of us today. When we reject God’s governing authority, the default reaction is that we crown ourselves sovereign instead. In and of ourselves, we can do nothing apart from God (John 15:5). Yet, we behave as if we can snip away our Vine of Vitality, branch out on our own, and still thrive. What nonsense this is!
The Idols of Self-Governance
No earthly government, independent or otherwise, can replace God's Kingdom model. Even those who subscribe to God’s Kingdom can find themselves playing tug-of-war with the Lord’s will and their own personal ambitions. This is where polycentric governance really takes hold of the discontent believer. Instead of relying on a single centralized power (the Lord), polycentric governance encourages coordination and cooperation among various governing entities to tackle shared challenges and manage common resources effectively.
But how effectively can anyone operate in a system in which multiple independent decision-making bodies operate simultaneously, often with overlapping areas of authority. As co-heirs we may share overlapping areas of authority but how often do we really partner with the Lord in full surrender to do His will, and not try to sneak our desires under the radar? Instead what happens is the consideration of all our worries, insufficiencies, setbacks, and negative foreign influences lead us away from fully trusting in God’s plan. That’s when we privately prop up the idols of our self-reliance. These idols become opponents we’ve promoted to regents of false authority, tugging in a war they’ve already lost against God’s perfect plan.
What are those idols? They could be propositions of pride, a particular community, ethnic beliefs, codependency issues, self-righteousness, literal idols (artifacts or ceremonial charms), psychedelics, astral projections, witchcraft and sorcery. These are only a few of the idols that I’ve personally encountered others using to manipulate “energies”, the “universe”, and “manifestations”. There have even been long-time believers who have dabbled in some of these self-governing practices that offer false hope and chaotic deviant behaviors.
Not to jump off the bandwagon here, because polycentric government could be as simple as receiving a true Word from God but corrupting that Word with your own opinionated additions. When we wrongfully bestow royalty, righteousness, and rites upon men, women, and objects in the place of God’s Sovereignty, we turn our rescue attempts into idols. By committing these adulterous acts, we’re only stifling the hand of God from perfecting His creations in the power of His Word. Crown Christ as the Ruler over your circumstances. That’s always a win!
The Rejection of Moral Law
We were intended, by the Lord, to be vessels that display His Glory. Instead, we choose to be vessels that glorify self. Instead of being vessels for God to speak through, we’ve become idols that the doctrine of demons breeds through. Our unfaithfulness to Christ, is an affair with our rejection of moral law. To usurp God’s authority and downplay His government is a fatal flaw humanity has maintained long enough!
In this blatant disregard for our one True Lord, we’ve exchanged moral righteousness for immoral cultural conformity. Let the Lord wash away your defiance, guilt, shame, and worry. Put down the self-governing politics and embrace the radiance of Kingdom-mindedness in Christ. When the Lord inspects your heart, may He discover the benefits of His Word working in you like a billowing pillar of godly light blazing brightly for the world to witness.
Make sure to stay tuned in for this next blog post so you don't miss out on your word of instruction and encouragement...Our next blog will elaborate on the necessary proficiency of perseverance's perfecting work. Thank you and God bless!
Scripture of Emphasis:
Titus 1:5-9 (ESV)
“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
Thank You and God Bless!
Thank you for reading this blog. Your support and contribution is treasured here. Please continue to share this content so that God may work through us to be a benefit to others. I invite you to leave a comment and stay tuned in for the next blog. I pray that this blesses you and honor’s God. Let’s continue growing together as Kingdom Citizens in Christ. Show love, be kind, and trust in God. Thank you and God bless.
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