Warning - Danger Ahead
Have you ever passed the “Danger Ahead” sign on the actual road and really wished for one in your own life? Good news, we are going to take a deep dive into more of the story of Saul and learn how to be attentive to that “Danger Ahead” warning. We can learn the warning signs and take steps to be prepared. We have and we will all face situations that are spiritually, emotionally or physically dangerous because of our own choices. The road isn’t always obviously dangerous, maybe it starts out great. “It’s a slow fade” as the song by Casting Crowns goes. Our disobedience can lead us to a place of desperation and further disobedience or it can lead to a place of repentance. As we continue to look at Saul’s life and choices, hopefully we are learning some things that keep us out of the danger zone.
Monday:
1 Samuel 28:3-6 (NLT) Samuel has died and Israel mourns. The Philistines have gathered and are a continual source of frustration for Israel. We read that when Saul sees them, “he becomes frantic with fear.” Saul has continually disobeyed God and God is silent when Saul decides to call on him. God is not silent because He is mad at Saul, but rather due to his disobedience He doesn’t answer. And Saul, rather than wait on God (and repent), he becomes desperate. Pastor Adam said, “Disobedience often leads us to a place of desperation.” Desperation can lead us to repentance, however Saul wanted to get a medium to tell him what to do. Remember that Saul had banned them all in verse 3 because he knew better.
Have you found yourself facing a place of desperation and you can trace it back to disobedience and feeling frantic with fear? Has there been a time when it led you to repentance?
Tuesday:
In his sermon Pastor Adam made the statement, “In moments of desperation, we’ll do things that we said we would never do.” I Samuel 28:3, Saul gets rid of the mediums and by verse 5 he is frantic with fear and by verse 7 he says “Find a woman who is a medium, so that I can go and ask her what to do.” In verse 3 he had taken a step in the right direction and then he allowed what he saw shake him so much that he decided to take care of matters in his way. Have you found yourself facing something and fear filled you so much that you began to try and figure out the solution yourself and in direct disobedience to the Lord’s instructions?
Wednesday:
A couple of weeks ago when we looked at 1 Samuel 15, where Saul obeyed the Lord partially when he was instructed to kill ALL, he decided to save some. BUT, he justified his actions, saying he would use the animals for sacrifice. (Remember partial or delayed obedience = disobedience). Samuel tells him in 1 Samuel 15:22 ….”Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,”... And then he says in verse 23, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,” God knew where Saul was heading a few chapters later and already had a warning for him. Who are we trying to convince more, God or ourselves, that what we did/are doing is for the ultimate good?
Thursday:
Disobedience starts with one step in the wrong direction. Pastor Adam said “Our choices are incrementally leading us to a destination? The enemy will not lead you from A-Z, rather A-B- “not so bad”, B-C-” just a little doesn’t hurt anyone”, and before you know it you’re at z and trying to figure out how you even got there. Matthew 5:27-28 is a warning about this very thing. Casting Crowns wrote a song a few years back called “Slow Fade”. Here is the chorus:
“It's a slow fade
When you give yourself away
It's a slow fade
When black and white have turned to gray
And thoughts invade, choices made
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day”
Here is a link to the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASREBVDsLk). Take a few minutes to listen and think about the words and your own life.
Friday:
We see Saul goes to the witch in disguise in 1 Samuel 28:8-10. “Desperation will lead us to very dark places.”(Pastor Adam) She knows King Saul has banned mediums and freaks on him a bit saying that he is just trying to have her killed. Saul has the audacity to use the Name of the Lord to assure her that He will not hurt her. Saul asks for Samuel to be brought up and Saul is then exposed but he wants her to keep going. Samuel simply reminded Saul that all that the Lord had already said He would do would come to pass and that the kingdom would be torn out of his hand because of Saul’s disobedience. Pastor Adam said Disobedience leaves a wake of destruction behind us.” Disobedience hurts an individual, others and God. BUT it doesn’t change God’s love for you and His desire to be in relationship with you. When faced with a choice we can respond like Saul or like David. Pastor Adam’s example was that when faced head on with his sin, Saul got out of his royal clothes and disguised himself and went looking for a witch. David on the other hand, put on sackcloth and ashes in brokenness. Take some time to reflect. Where are you? What choices are you making?
Saturday:
Take some time to read Psalm 51 (Titled;”Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God.”) Focus in on verses 1-7. Ask yourself these questions in reflection of what we have been learning from Saul:
What area in my life am I degree off? A step off the path?
Where from A-Z am I ?
Am I trying to justify my sin?
Am I frantic with fear and trying to fix it myself?
Now, simply confess it to the Lord. Repent. Now confess His Word-1 John 1:9 You are forgiven!!!