” 23. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou has rejected the word of the LORD , he hath also rejected thee from being king. 24. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 25. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. 26. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.”
Witchcraft, iniquity, and idolatry can easily be judged as wickedness in the eyes of a Christian, but rebellion and stubbornness is easily looked at as a light thing. Rebellion is open resistance to lawful authority according Webster 1828. There is no ruler or authority higher than the Almighty God and His Word should be the guidebook to the life of every Christian. King Saul has made a terrible mistake. Through the voice of Samuel God tells Saul that he must go to the Amorites and kill every living thing within this wicked nation. Through the battle, Saul chooses to fear the people rather than God. He spares king Agag and all of the finest animals. That wasn’t what God told him to do! Even after his sin king Saul still had opportunity to get right with God, but if you read the context you’ll notice he was trying to find favor with Samuel the prophet rather than God. In his own pride he desired for Samuel to magnify him above all the people. A repentant heart is humility, not; “Lord lift me up.” Verse 30 of this same chapter reads: “Then he said, I have sinned: yet hounour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.” This is Saul’s request to Samuel. Notice how Saul has no relationship with God at this point, he gives reference that God was the God of Samuel and not his God(“that I may worship the LORD thy God”). King Saul is no longer in favor with God, he has become a wayward child with a broken relationship. When Saul dies in battle, in later chapters, the Bible tells us that he goes to paradise after death, but the end of Saul’s life is nothing more that rebellion, stubbornness, and a broken relationship with the Almighty Creator. The reason churches are falling apart today is because there are many believers that are choosing a rebellious lifestyle just like Saul chose. God pulled Saul from his throne! You may not be a king, but God will demote you to some low times in life if you are living as a rebellious believer. Sunday is for worshipping Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth, not for the deer stand or lake. The bars are for lost sinners, not believers. Adultery, drugs, hunting, fishing, gambling, video games, baseball, football, soccer, etc. are destroying churches, believers, and families because rebellion is the way Christians are choosing to live. Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Saul lost the kingdom. If you don’t turn from your rebellious ways; what will you lose? God loves you! Remember that rebellion and stubbornness is just like witchcraft, iniquity, and idolatry. There is no joy in that lifestyle and there is a price that will have to be paid!
Memory Verse Week 10/22/18
Galatians 6:7
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Samson was a judge for twenty years over the nation of Israel. Israel was in bondage to the Philistines until Samson came along and rescued them from their bondage. Samson is known to be the strongest man that ever lived! God was doing a great work in Samson’s life, but as he saw more victory he began to be lifted in his own pride. God commands us to walk a separated life from the world and its ways. II Corinthians 6:14 ” Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” The devil likes to attack the weakness of a Christian. Samson’s weakness was a woman from a wicked nation. Samson had no business desiring a lost woman, but as God began to bless his strength he began taking matters into his own hands and found himself in a world of trouble. Samson’s strength was in his hair. Since the time he was born it had never been cut, but as he falls in love with a harlot named Delilah he tells the enemy where God had blessed his strength, it was in his hair. Shortly after he disobeys God the Philistines show up, cuts his hair, and then cuts out his eyes. There is always a penalty for sin. If your saved today and not living for Jesus Christ there is great chastisement headed your way. The best way for believers to walk with God is to walk a separated life. Your lost friends have more of an influence on you than you have on them. Are you dating someone that is not saved? “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers….” The devil’s desire is to pull you away from the will of God and he will use your weakest link to do it. Maybe its not a man or a women, but maybe even a friend. There are a lot of Christians that get tangled up with a hunting group that does everything but serve the Lord. Who are your hunting buddies today? Are you more likely to skip out on church and go hunting with them than you would be to actually show up at church. God commands us to have separation in every area of our life. He doesn’t tell us to shut them out. We need to love the lost and pray for them to accept Christ, but walking with them is a different story. How can you hang around someone who is always using bad language? Is alcohol and smoking really pleasing to God? Do you think God wants you to be in that crowd? There are a lot of men that cant even stay faithful to their wives and all they do is make inappropriate comments toward other women, but yet Christians walk with them as friends! God has given us His Word to live a happy and victorious life. Witness to them when you can, but don’t allow them to influence your walk with Christ! Walk separated! II Corinthians 6:17 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” Its not worth having your eyes cut out!
Israel has accomplished some great battles under the leadership of Joshua, but more importantly through the power of God. Israel has inherited much of the land God promised, but as Joshua becomes older in age he gives guidance that following the Word of God(law of Moses) and courage is still necessary to complete the mission and inherit the rest of the land. Verse 7 also gives clarity not to walk with or join in with the ungodly nations. The day a soul accepts Christ, there is a great victory that is won, but there are still battles ahead. It will take courage to continue moving forward and conquering every battle of life. There are only two paths in the Christian walk, either growing or dying. What path are you on today? Verse 6 of the context is the most important part of today’s devotion; “Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses,….” Its easy to think that keeping sin out of your life will cause you to live a victorious life. Keeping sin out is a great thing to do, but that wont necessarily cause you to grow in the Lord. For example the law tells us in Exodus 20 that lying is a law that we should desire not to break, also taking God’s name in vain, stealing, coveting, etc. Its easy to think that if you don’t smoke, and don’t drink, and don’t curse, and go to church on Sunday you will live a very successful life as a Christian. Our relationship with God is not defined by the things that we don’t do, but is by the things that we do. Lets say your hunting buddy has been a friend for a long time. Over the course of your life he has noticed that you go to church on Sunday, you don’t hang at the bars with others, and your language is cleaner than any other friend he has had. You could be a good honest friend trying to keep God’s law in every thing you do, but the truth is, if you never tell him about Jesus Christ he will die and go to hell. Today as a Christian you may be keeping the law, but the bigger question is; Are you doing the law? Mark 12:30 “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” If you don’t tell your friends and family about Jesus Christ, how are they ever going to know they have to be saved to have true victory? You don’t have to be mean or harsh about it, just ask God to give you the courage and wisdom to share the gospel with them. God wants us to live a holy life, He wants us to keep the law and not allow sin in, but more importantly He wants us to do the law. If your not giving the Lord your all, your probably not growing and your surely not doing. Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” The word go is an action of moving, going from one place to another. Are you putting your best foot forward? Are you doing? Are you filling the church pew or are you worshipping the King of kings and the Lords of lords? Keeping the law is necessary, but doing the law is what strengthens your walk with Christ! Where is your heart today?
Israel has fallen into some deep sin. Idol worship is destroying God’s chosen people all across the land. Through God’s anger He brings the king of Assyria down to Samaria to take captive all the children of Israel. At that point the king of Syria brings in different cities that are very wicked to inhabit the land. When you pick up reading here in verse 25 we can see that the wickedness of these foreigners do not belong in the land of Israel. God not only punishes his own children(Israel) for their sin, but now He is also destroying these wicked men from a foreign country. God uses many different ways to correct His children and punish the lost, what we can see in this passage of scripture is that the lion is the tool God uses for destruction. The thought here today is very simple; “the lions.” How did the lions get into the city of Samaria? The Bible says the LORD sent them. How could God send lions? Wouldn’t He have to be in control of them? As these wicked men are destroyed, the rest of the city quickly identifies that these lions are from the God of the land. Not just any god, but the God of creation. As hunters, its easy to get sucked into this world of materialism, but if believers would truly set their affection upon the Lord, their success would be unlimited. Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” When was the last time you told someone about Christ? When was the last time you passed out a gospel tract? When was the last time you went to church? Where are your affections today? II Kings 17 shows us that God always judges sin, but it also shows us that He is in control of all. If God controls the lions, do you think He controls the whitetails? What about the elk, turkey, squirrels, and waterfowl? God loves it when His children desire a relationship with Him, and He rewards His children when they act upon those godly desires. God controls the lions and He also controls your success. Sorry to burst your bubble, but your success is not defined by your bow, boots, or broadheads. Its determined by whether or not God is going to reward you. If he doesn’t want you to kill a big buck this year, you wont. If He doesn’t want you to see a big buck from your stand this year, you wont. If He doesn’t want you to hunt at all this season, there is no way you will. God gave us hunting to enjoy life, whether your the best hunter in the world or the worst, your success is determined by God because there is nothing that He doesn’t control. How is your life as a Christian? Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
There is coming a day when there will be no excuse. In this context of scripture we read about a place called the Great White Throne of Judgment. As mankind stands before a Holy and Perfect God they will be judged according to their works. The devil easily wants to deceive and make you think that your good deeds will cut it at this judgement, but its important to realize that the Bible says whoever is not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire which is eternal death and destruction that will never end. There is no excuse for anyone to be cast into this place, but the Bible says many will be! A lot of hunters are getting excited about the upcoming deer season. If you live in Ohio you know that September 29th is opening day of archery whitetail season. Its amazing how many hunters fail to pick up the regulation booklet to see the laws that they must abide by. There are some hunters today that are still hunting according to laws from 10 years ago. There is only one way to put it: “no excuse”! No matter what state you hunt in, its your responsibility to read the law book. There should never be a reason to have a bad run in with the game warden. If you get into trouble, it’s your fault! Pick up the rule book, read it, and abide by it! You will never have to worry about trouble! Not sure about other states, but one good thing Ohio does in their rule book is outline the changes in red. One change this year would be that you can only harvest one antlerless deer on public hunting areas, also antlerless deer cannot be taken after December 2nd on public land which is the end of the week long gun season. Its important to read the book, but yet there will be hunters guilty of breaking these game laws because they refuse to read the regulations. Going back to the Great White Throne of Judgement there will be no excuse for man before they are cast out forever. One huge difference between the hunting regulation book and the Bible is that God never changes. He is always the same, He hates sin today as much as He did yesterday and as much as He will hate it tomorrow. God gave man the law to prove that not one person is good enough to keep it. When you break God’s law the Bible says your guilty of death. Many say today that religion, good works, and baptism will keep you from the lake of fire, but the Bible says in Romans 3:10 As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. Religious rituals don’t make you righteous according to the Bible, neither does good works or baptism. So what will keep man from being judged for their works? You must do what the Book tells you to do! Its the only way to keep out of eternal trouble. The Bible doesn’t tell us that if we follow all of God’s laws we will be clear, but it does tell us that the book of life only comes by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was God Himself in the flesh. He became a man for one purpose; to die on the cross for your sins. Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Mankind deserves hell because of sin, but God made a way of forgiveness. So what does the Book(Bible, Word of God, Scriptures) tell us? Jesus Christ died for all of mankind. At this Great White Throne of judgement there will be no excuse for being cast out. The Books says we must be saved. Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for their is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Salvation is only by putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, it’s no work, no religion, and certainly not by baptism. It’s by faith with the heart. Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Do you want to be cast into the lake of fire or do you want to be saved? Call upon him today and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. If you get stopped by the law this fall for breaking the law, there will be no excuse! If you get judged eternally for your sin, that’s on you! The Bible says Jesus Christ is the answer!
Fruit is a wonderful thing. Whether you enjoy eating it or even use it to lure in that big monster buck! Apple trees can be a great success to early season if you can find trees producing good fruit. Do you enjoy stopping at the market store and getting a rotten apple or banana to eat? Of course not! Dumping out a bunch of rotten apples wont help you in the woods either! What kind of deeds are you producing as a Christian? Could you say that you’re producing a good healthy fruit that everyone appreciates, or would you say its more on the rotten side? Looking at this passage of scripture we can see that the S in Spirit is capitalized. That would mean its referring directly to the Holy Spirit of God. If you’re a born again believer you have the Holy Spirit of God living within you. When your fruit is rotten, the Bible says you grieve the Holy Spirit: Ephesians 4:29-32 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Some of the hardest people to get along with sometimes are other believers, maybe even your spouse, but don’t allow your fruit to be rotten when you deal with them. A great reason every Christian should daily read their Bible is because the flesh is wicked and it always wants to produce that rotten fruit of harsh words and retaliation. Do you have the fruit of the Spirit today? Do you express love, joy, and peace to everyone, regardless of what they might do to you? What about longsuffering? Do you express gentleness, goodness, and faith? Do you show meekness and temperance? Temperance is patience or calmness. Being a Christian is being like Christ. As He hung on the cross He makes a huge difference in the life of a thief as He speaks to the hateful crowd with compassion, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” How is your fruit today! Is it fruit of the Spirit or fruit of the flesh?
Herod the king is beginning to bring great persecution to the church. James the brother of John has been killed and Herod enjoyed how it pleased the Jews in what he was doing. Peter, a man of God, is now next on the list as he’s been locked into prison. Reading the main verse of scripture is the key element to all prayers we offer to God; “prayer was made without ceasing.” The word cease is easily understood as stopping, but it shows the church(believers) continued in prayers without stopping. I Thessalonians 5: 17 “Pray without ceasing.” Many Christians fail in this area of their life more than they would like to. For some it may be a lost family member or friend, but he Bible says “pray without ceasing”, a better job that will bring more joy and a better family life, “pray without ceasing”, a spouse to fill the void in your life, again the Bible says “pray without ceasing.” Don’t give up on God! You may be someone who wants to be a better hunter, kill bigger bucks, or even just find success. Prayer is the key to all your problems and lack of success. Your answer is not new hunting equipment, your answer is a better prayer life! Pray for the things you desire, just don’t allow your desires to become bigger than what God wants for your life. Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” God is always faithful, but don’t give up on your prayer life. God will save your lost family member, He will give you a spouse that will be by your side the rest of your life, He can bring a better job your way, and He can surely help you hang that first big buck on the wall. Stay faithful in your prayer life. Its absolutely amazing what God does with Peter! The night before his appointed death, an angel shows up and released his chains as he laid between two soldiers, he thought he was dreaming, but as he made it to the outskirts of the prison he realized it was not a dream, but an angel. Acts 12:12 “And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surename was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.” As Peter nocks on the door a young lady recognizes his voice and runs to tell all the others in the house, but they thought she had lost her mind. They said to her “Thou are mad.” Meaning your crazy, Peter’s not at the door, he in prison about to be killed. Here, a whole house of people are praying for Peter’s rescue, God answers the prayer, but yet no one wants to believe it. Its amazing when God moves! Don’t give up on whatever situation you may be praying about, let God give you an answer. When he speaks, you will probably stand in awe and amazement when God does the impossible! Acts 12:16 “But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.”
What exactly does abomination mean? According to Webster’s 1828 it would be defined as extreme hatred. Unfortunately, balance is a great struggle many people deal with. This would be another great reason why believers need to read their Bible everyday. The Word of God continually reminds us how to have a true and righteous relationship with God. The anticipation is beginning to build, squirrel and dove season is just around the corner, if you live in Kentucky, deer season might even be boiling at your finger tips because the first part of September is the start of their archery season. As the hunting seasons begin to open its important to remember one important thing! BALANCE! Many homes are broken today because there is no balance. The family is neglected almost as if dad was hooked on some type of drug or alcohol. Don’t let hunting destroy your family, but even more don’t let it destroy your relationship with Jesus Christ. He suffered and died so Sportsmen along with the rest of the world could have happiness. A lot of people today say that they have church in the deer stand, but you cant have church in the deer stand according to the Bible. Church is a gathering of believers to worship the King of kings and the Lord of lords. There is nothing sinful in hunting as long as its not an idol in your life. Don’t get out of balance! The Bible says God has extreme hatred to those who live an unbalanced life. It may not even be hunting, it could be sports, or your job, or many other things. You may say “I don’t have a family.” Do you have a true walk with God? God hates an unbalanced life, but when we look at the rest of the verse its says: “but a just weight is his delight.” As the hunting season begins, try to keep a balanced life: God, family, and then whatever else it is you like to do! What will it be? A false balance or a just weight?
bster’s 1828 dictionary defines the term wait as to stay or rest in expectation; to stop or remain stationary, till the arrival of some person or event. Wait doesn’t mean no, it doesn’t mean yes either. What it does mean is to allow some time to pass and let God show you how he wants to answer your prayer. The Bible always teaches us the exact opposite of what the world says: society says if you want it today, buy it today, all you need is a credit card. Another big term you here in our society is follow your heart. When Noah stepped off the ark God made a promise to Noah and the rest of the world that He would never flood the entire earth again. During the departure from the ark God made a clear statement about the condition of man’s heart; “for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth,” but yet everyone says follow your own heart. That’s a terrible decision to make! Let the Word of God guide your decisions! He will protect you from a broken home, a car that is junk, a tough financial time, and many other things. If you are dealing with any tough situation today, and not sure what to do, just remember that God already knows the outcome to the situation. Don’t be quick in your decisions! Wait on the Lord! This verse in Psalm 27 tells us the result of patience; “he shall strengthen thine heart,” Do you want to be miserable like most people are today? Or would you rather have a strengthened heart? You make the decision, its either God’s Word or your own way. What will be the outcome? Sometimes its tough to pass up younger deer, but when the wall hanger hits the dirt, the wait will be well worth it!