"Who Am I? Part 3"
Daniel Valles

WITH WHOM OR WHAT ARE MY LOYALTIES ALIGNED?

I pledge allegiance to God - all powers that be are ordained of God (Romans 13:1).  I must obey God, even when the powers ordained of God command disobedience to God.  Deut. 13:4-8 clearly states:

"Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;
Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him"

Deut. 27:10 says, "Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the LORD thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day."  Romans 13:4-6 states, "For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing."  I am also subject to authorities on earth (kings, parents, etc.) as long as they do not require disobedience to the highest authority: God.  Daniel 3:18 says, "But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."  Daniel 6:13 says, "Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day."