God: Did I Not Make Myself Clear?

Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.  So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering.  Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.  And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash,  then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. - I Samuel 13:7b-13

Samuel Anointing Saul

In order for this teaching to have a clear foundation there are some things you need to know. First, the prophet Samuel had anointed Saul the first king of Israel and it had now been quite some time. The backdrop is a war is about to start. Saul, now 30 years old is leading Israel into battle against the dreaded Philistines. The Philistines had gathered at a place called Micmash to come against the Jews. A major key to understand is that Jehovah (God) was directing Saul through the prophet Samuel. Samuel had previously instructed Saul to go ahead of him to Micmash. He told Saul that he would follow in seven days. Once Samuel arrived, as was God's requirement, he, Samuel, would then present a burnt offering on behalf of the people of Israel to God.


But, as with all great leaders, Saul was beginning to feel the pinch of leadership. The real pressure began to build as the Philistines gathered around Micmash preparing for battle. The people of Israel began to freak out. With such a huge enemy within eyesight, seeing how big and angry they were, the Jews began to scatter throughout the countryside. 
It didn't help that Saul was also afraid. 


To make things worse for Saul, Samuel did not show up on the morning of the seventh day. With no more personal strength, fearing the worst, an impending attack, Saul decided he would offer the burnt offering. And, as is the custom of all good tales of victory and defeat, Samuel shows up after he had done this.


..."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. 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 -1 Samuel 13:13-14.

Saul believed he needed to take control of the situation. Whenever we try to take control of a situation that God had provided previous instruction, we demonstrate the power of fear in our lives. 

Saul's Disobedience - He was NO Priest!

We've all heard it said, "Desperate times call for desperate measures." But, is that really true?
Jesus came so that the balance of personal leadership and godly direction would be restored to our lives. You and I can know direction, just as it had been given to Saul. We can know what we are to do. Often we do not seek God's guidance. If that's the case then we make life a crap shoot. 

Samuel Upbraiding Saul

However, often we know how God wishes us to react and respond. We know what results our leadership should create and moreover what atmosphere within our workspace, school, church or other sphere of influence. 


I will give you a hint. What does the Bible say about God, Jesus, love and fear? 


HIS love for you and I cast's out fear. If your leading, decisions, options and actions are fear driven then you have left the great Leader behind as you are attempting to navigate this life. Don't control what God has not given you rule over. Do obey and follow, often patiently for God's timing and command.


Do you see any signs of over control in how you relate to others? This is a sign of "leadership by fear." How about this, can you, as a leader,  allow others the freedom to fail? Do you find yourself changing directions in midstream when you see something you don't like or that isn't perfect? Are you fearful of failure? Don't be! These are all symptoms of a Saul-control spirit. 
Such a season I've been going through. It drives me crazy. But God is prepping my heart for leadership roles where knowing His direction and waiting on Him is essential. It is the big payoff! 


So, for both you and I lets Pray that God will allow us both to walk in the freedom of trusting in hearing Him, trust Him and trusting that God is also working in and on those around us. 
I remain...

InHISgrip,
   ~J~

I Freak Out! HE Just Handles It - POWERFULLY!

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. - King Hezekiah, Psalm 46:1-11

The backdrop of Hezekiah's writing was the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians. Hezekiah was King but only over part of Israel, the Southern Kingdom. It was a time of great social and political stress and strife. The nation of Israel itself was doing "better." After years of following false gods or practicing a form of nationalistic agnosticism Hezekiah, at least in part, have brought revival to the land. 

However, the Assyrians, having conquered and dispersed so many other lands and peoples had set their eyes on Israel and more specifically Jerusalem. The Assyrians were a larger army. They had superior weaponry. They had strategic strength and swagger. Well, you can get more great information on this in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37. It is a powerful story. In part and lesson one is that half the battle against any enemy is standing in the confidence of your God, His word to you, His testimony in and through you and His strength; and do so in silence. 

The outcome of these battles and the pursuing Song of Victory that Hezekiah wrote and sung in Psalm 46 gives us great insight into how we handle the problem of stress.

But, let me give you three additional practical thoughts regarding this matter of God's strength through stress, as found in Psalm 46.

First, the personal emotional and spiritual strength God provides to us is immediately available. Our God is ...very present... We must know that our trials are not superficial or irrelevant to God. But they themselves are often not the issue. They are vehicles of grace that God uses to bring us growth and from them comes forth from His people supernatural and massive power and vision. 

We need to learn to see our lives from God's perspective. Superficial problems call for superficial solutions. But most of us live in a very real world. Real life isn't superficial is it? No, real life is headaches and stresses that go deeper than the right top with the right pants and whether a certain color of beige will destroy our family life as we know it should we cover the family room in its utter grossness. 

The stresses of life go right down to the bone. They touch the nerve areas of our security. But God says He is a present help in trouble. He is immediately available. Do you realize that wherever you go, whatever life situation you find yourself in and whatever the time of day, week, month, year, decade it is, you can call and He will answer? He's a very present and immediate help. Along with this is something sobering. If you are not experiencing that question self first, not God. 

We ask the wrong question and we asked it way too often. I have been the worst offender. The wrong question? "God, why is this happening to me?" It is the tone and not the question that is the problem. For me, when I am stressed, the way I ask it is accusatory. I am blaming God for having a blind spot. He certainly must not have seen what was about to come my way. Perhaps He was on break or vacation or worse. If you and I are asking God, "Lord, why me?" It better be because we want to best understand how He plans on using us and to give us HIS vision for what everyone else would deem a major catastrophe in our lives. 

A better "next step" is to fall more deeply in love with Him because daily, you are having a fresh revelation of His love for you! When we start to truly "get" the depth of His love that question will be obliterated from our thinking for we will know He is always in control and nothing has escaped Him at all, least of all our life.

The second thing I observe about God's power in this psalm is that it is overwhelmingly powerful! It's a shelter that can stretch over any stress - in fact God's power is custom made for the stress that you are going through; the army that has come against you is just the stress, the battle that He will either prepare you to fight or that one He will fight on your behalf! 

Of course, the end of the story regarding Israel and Assyria was the triumph of God's people. You could have called it couldn't you? But if you have ever experienced a David whooping a Goliath or a mother lifting a car off of her baby or a people of God crying out for a blessed miracle that would honor their God and King and having it come forth then you begin to understand God's power. 

Furthermore (and number three), His power is not dependent on our help. 

If you are any type of New Testament believer in Jesus you should have already embraced our part and God's part. Our part is to realize He made us, loves us and plans on delivering us. HIS part is to do just that because only He can do it! We're weak, remember? Can we save ourselves into eternity? No. Have you had your walls of fortification pummeled lately? Probably. Have you felt any weakness? I have. The Holy Spirit would say to you, "Child, it's time you say, 'Lord, I love You. Through Your strength I will stand fast and firm! You and I, together, we are enough. Because of your great love Father God I will not fear. I hold on to You. I will count on You to build that shelter, those walls and gates and buttresses and most of all realize the foundation of Your Son Jesus, all of this,  around me and protect me from the darts, arrows, bullets and bazooka's of the enemy.'"

God says, "Cease striving, and know that I am God. Cease lamenting and know your victory is at hand because your deliverer is standing by!"

You and I WE remain...

InHISgrip,

  ~J~