ROOTED RENEGADE

King Saul is a perfect example in the Bible of rebellion towards God in 1 Samuel 13-15. He was an impatient man who cared way too much about what people thought of him. He was more concerned with outward perceptions than his inward relationship with God.

And he made it clear when he decided to move forward without the prophet Samuel there to do the sacrifices. He thought he knew better and his pride got in the way of being obedient. 

Rebellion is disobedience to God. Samuel told King Saul, in 1 Samuel 15:23 “Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”

Basically, being disobedient is like telling God that you don’t care what He says, you are going to do it how you want, when you want, and whatever way you choose to do it. If God were physically in front of you, it would be like slapping Him in the face and spitting on Him.

And we have all done it in some way. That is why it is so important to practice the art of obedience. 

I recently heard Priscilla Shirer say, “Finding God’s will for your life looks like being obedient for the next 20 minutes.” We need obedience to walk in God’s will.

Jesus knew this well when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He surrendered but it took Him three times. It wasn’t easy to make the choice to die on a cross for all the sins of mankind, but He did it anyway.

Can you imagine if Jesus would have said, “Look Dad, I really don’t want to do this, so I’m gonna bounce and you can find someone else. I would rather not go out like that!” There would have been a much different outcome than what we know.

I believe that the reason Samuel equated it to witchcraft, is because witchcraft is partnering with satan. It’s the opposite of everything that God designed and it uses His creation against His creation.

As someone who has danced with witchcraft before, I can tell you that it sucks your soul dry and consumes your mind. You think more about the next fix, like someone on drugs, than you do anything else. It’s all about yourself and what you can gain, or what you can do to someone else, than it is about honoring God’s creation, including His people.

It is very dishonoring towards God. It is like slapping Him in the face and telling Him that you could care less about Him. It’s hurtful and very harmful to all involved.

I am so glad that the Lord rescued me from myself and the things I was involved in. He can rescue you as well. He does not want you trapped in witchcraft or rebellion. And He is so gracious to bring someone out of it and change their lives.

I will end with this…when we are tempted to rebel or be disobedient, we need to ask ourselves a few questions.

1. Why do I not want to do what God is asking me to do?
2. Why is it that I don’t trust God and think I know what’s better for me than He does?
3. How can I be obedient to do what He asks of me and not delay in doing so?
4. How can I be obedient for the next 20 minutes of my life, then repeat it?

I encourage you to sit with Holy Spirit and ask Him how you have been disobedient and how you can get back on track. Be open and willing to listen to what He tells you, then respond by doing what He asks. God will never ask us to do something that we are not capable of doing. He knows our limitations and He knows what He has put in us. We just have to trust Him and stay focused on Jesus each day.

Faythe