Acceptance from the World through The Story of King Saul In 1 Samuel 15
We see God telling Samuel to inform Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites, they were a tribe that enforced fear because they were large in power, they inflicted fear to the Israelites, coming out of Egypt they attacked the ones who had fell behind, they continually wanted to destroy the Israelites, God wanted all of them to be destroyed they're men, women, and children, including the sheep, cattle, and donkeys, and so Saul gathered up the men to carry out the mission, he then advises the Kenites to leave before he destroys the Amalekites, for this was a tribe that showed favor with the Israelites they treated the Israelites with kindness, he then set out what God had asked him to do but he did the things that he wanted to do.
Saul and his army spared the King Agag, King of the Amalekites, he also spared the best sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, the Bible says everything that was good he spared, and everything that was despised and weak he destroyed.
So, Saul did the opposite of what God had told him to do,
When Samuel approached him and asked why he didn't do what God had told him to?
Saul said, "I have sinned I was afraid of the men and so I gave into them."
because of his disobedience God took Saul's rights to be King, the Spirit of the Lord departed from him,
and God sent an evil spirit to torment him. The story goes on to say that God had Samuel to anoint David as King, the spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.
This passage of Scripture shows us how when we choose our own ways just to find acceptance from others, we find out in the end, it never works out, seeking validation from others compromises our faith and trust in God, and causes us to miss out of what God intended to do through us, for His glory
People will fail you, but God never fails. If we continue to be people pleasers God cannot use us for His Glory, He will find someone else that will not be double minded, that will do the will of God.
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?
Or am I trying to please people?
If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
When we accept Jesus Christ, we have the pleasure of receiving favor from God, He moves us from glory to glory,
We don't need validation from the world anymore.
Philippians 3:8, says
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things, I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.
Accept what Jesus has to give not the World.
Your obedience to the Lord out ways your sacrifice to the world
Transparent Moment
There were times more than I can count when the Lord has told me to say something, to someone, the Holy Spirit would come upon me and I would feel like a bubbling up in my gut and the words to say out of my mouth, but I would buckle up, afraid of what it would look like if I did, afraid of the people and wonder what they would say, are they going to think I'm crazy?
Will they talk about me? or laugh at me? Did God really tell me to say that?
On that day God took me to
2 Corinthians 5:12-13, which states,
We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart. For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.
He conveyed to me that if I had spoken as He directed, even at the risk of appearing foolish, it would have served His purpose and glory. While some might have ridiculed or gossiped, it's possible that lives could have been changed that day. I would never know the outcome of that or have seen the power of Jesus Christ at that moment, but since I chose not to say what He told me because of fear that I had of the people I have missed the mark, I clearly displayed disobedience towards God. I know that through Jesus's working power in my life and my obedience to Him there is nothing that is impossible, I had to display faith over fear and not the other way around,