Being Obedient to God

1 Samuel 13:1-14 (NIV)

1 Saul was [thirty] years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel [forty-] two years. 2 Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes. 3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, "Let the Hebrews hear!" 4So all Israel heard the news: "Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines." And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal. 5 The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. 9 So he said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings. " And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. 11 "What have you done?" asked Samuel. Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, 12 I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering." 13"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command." 

Saul was in a very difficult situation. His men were deathly afraid of the Philistine army and were hiding everywhere they could.  He waited on Samuel for the seven days that Samuel commanded.  When Samuel didn't show up on time and Saul's men started to scatter, what did he do?  He went and did his own thing.  He decided he would offer up the burnt offering himself and have God's favor.  Right after this Samuel shows up.  He tells Saul that had he been obedient and just waited his reign over Israel would have been permenantly established that day.  Even though everything seemed to be against him and the odds were overwhelming, God was going to establish Saul permenantly that day for all time. But, Saul disobeyed.

How many times have we came to a point in life where it looked like we were done for and God wasn't showing up "on time" for us like Samuel?  Then we go and panic and just decide we're going to have to do it on our own and save ourselves.  I think we can learn from this story about Saul's failure that if we will wait in faith on the Lord and be obedient to what he tells us to do, then he's going to deliver us from whatever it is that we're up against.  This happens over and over in the Old Testament.  Time and again it looks like Israel will be defeated, but there's always a man willing to obey God no matter what.  And time and again when His people obey Him, God delivers them from their enemies.  

If you got something going on and it seems like there's no way out and no way of overcoming it, just wait in faith on the Lord.  Do no try to do it on your own.  Be obedient and He will deliver you.  He doesn't operate on our time.  He never shows up late.  He is always, ALWAYS on time.  Just wait.  I know it's hard to do, but I've read it over and over in the Old Testament.  When it looks as all is lost, one man obeying God will bring deliverance.  I want to be that man for my family.  I want to be the one who does whatever it is God is asking and brings blessings and deliverance to my home.  

Hope

Philippians 1:6
"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."


What I want to write about today is something I've heard preached about in my church not that long ago.  Sometimes you don't feel saved.  Sometimes I don't feel saved.  There's still a lot of issues I have to work out and get better at with myself as a Christian.  Some days it feels like I'll never get better or that really I'm no better than I was before I got saved.

For a long time I dealt with doubts about whether I was saved or not.  Honestly, I know now I wasn't.  I tried to be for years and tried to convince myself and others that I was.  Just over a month ago my daughter passed away.  I had really been having doubts and confusion about my salvation before it happened.  After she left us to be with God I had had enough of the confusion and doubting.  I had to know for sure.  I had to know that one day I was going to see her again in Heaven.  My heart was broken and I had to do something.

That Sunday morning before her funeral in my men's Sunday school class I expressed my doubt and my desire to know right then if I was saved and was going to be reunited with my little girl again one day.  I broke down.  My pastor and the other men there prayed with me and walked me through the plan of salvation.  I begged Jesus to come into my heart and save me and give me assurance that I was saved.  I gave my whole being to Him.  And a peace came over me and I knew I wasn't lost anymore and I knew I would see her again.  This is not to say that I only wanted to be saved so that I could see her again.  Her passing brought me to the place I needed to be to surrender it all to Him and truly accept Him as my Savior.

But, since then there's been a lot of days I've felt like I'm no better than I was.  I've felt like I'm still just as filthy as I was.  I've learned though through my pastor's teaching that you're not always going to feel saved.  It's not about feeling anything.  When you're saved you're saved and the devil will take every opportunity to throw up your past and cause you to doubt.  It happens to everyone, which is a very comforting thought.  Being still new to this, I have a long way to go.  There's a lot of room for growth.

So, I think when you feel like you're no different that you were before you accepted Christ it's good read verses just like this one in Philippians.  It reminds you that yes you are still a sinner and you will fall, but God isn't done with you.  What He started that day or night or whenever it was you got saved, He will finish.  He's continually working on you, if you let Him.  That's what sanctification is.  You work through your problems and sins and you get better by His grace.  You become set apart from the world and farther from where you were when you started.  You won't always feel saved or like a good Christian, but God will finish the good work He started in you when He saved you.  Day by day through prayer and study of His word you will get better.  He has a good and perfect plan for you and He is always faithful.