SUNDAY April 7, 2019
Heed God’s Voice
“Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.’”
1 Samuel 15:1-2
Another clear observation I made about the character of King Saul was his disregard for what God instructed him to do. He did not heed God’s voice; neither did he give the Lord his complete attention. As the leader of the nation of Israel, Saul needed to listen to the voice of the Lord. It was crucial for Saul to listen and pay close attention to all the words of the Lord so he could be in tune with what God was planning to do.
God was about to punish Amalek––the nation of Israel’s archenemies. Why? They were the first nation to ambush Israel after their exodus out of Egypt. Saul had an incredible opportunity to wipe out Amalek, not only the archenemies of Israel, but they also represented his archenemy––the flesh. Saul, through God’s anointing, could rule over his flesh––his carnal desires––and have complete victory in his life! Saul was not heeding God’s voice, and he did not want to follow His orders.
Who is our greatest enemy? The flesh! Remember,Amalek in Scripture is a type of the flesh––our carnal desires––that we battle every day. The flesh is our greatest enemy. Sadly, many Christians like to baby their flesh; they yield to its temptations. How many times have you allowed this enemy to persuade you? The flesh is no good; it has to be killed––put to death––or it will kill you!
The problem with some Christians is they do not heed God’s voice through His Word. Honestly, if you do not listen to the Lord, then you are not going to grow and develop into the person God wants you to be.
Most Christians don’t hear God’s voice because we’ve already decided we aren’t going to do what He says.
~A. W. Tozer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!