Topic: Choose To Function In The Word [Sunday July 2, 2017]
“And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee….” 1 Samuel 13:13
God raised Saul up out of nothing and chose him to be the first king of Israel when he never expected to be anything. Now, he was faced with a battle or a challenging situation and the pressure was mounting. The scripture says the Philistines gathered thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horse men and people like the sand on the sea shore. Because of this the children of Israel were in distress and they began to hide themselves in caves, in thickets, in rocks and in high places and in pits. And Saul tarried seven days according to the set time that Samuel has appointed to be with him in the battle. But Saul didn’t see Samuel and the people were scattered from him.
Saul told the people to bring burnt offering and he offered it. And as soon as he was done, Samuel came. And Samuel said what is this that you have done? And Saul said when I checked that you did not come at the time agreed and I realized that the people are scattered. The Philistines were coming against me and I have not made supplication, so I forced myself. In other words, he was not led by the spirit of God. He allowed his senses to dictate to him. Then Samuel said to Saul you have done foolishly. You have not kept God’s word, his instructions and directives as a king that God has raised. He said to him: you should have obeyed God and put things in motion for God to respond to you.
Beloved, do not allow the devil to intimidate you into functioning in foolishness rather than in the will of God. When you do that you are going to fall for the enemy. But if you function in the will of God, no matter how many they are, they will fall before you.
Further Reading: 1 Samuel 13:1 – 23, Proverbs 21:16
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Job 22-24; Evening- Acts 11
Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.