FAITH CAPSULE: Watch out never look outside of God’s direction.

1 Samuel 13

Looking away from God is taking a position away from God. It is a wrong decision not to be in position for God. Life is a journey taking position outside of God will terminate man’s journey. Terah, the father of Abraham must have looked away from God in his journey and not arrive at his expected end of journey. The bible recorded, “Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.” (Genesis 11:31) Abraham’s father (Terah) must have a reason to engage journey to. However, Terah did not live to arrive at Canaan because he decided to settle in Harran where he later died. Why are you looking away from arriving at expected? Terah looked away from getting to Canaan when God called Abraham to Canaan. In the journey of Abraham, he did not look away from God’s calling on him to Canaan. Looking away from God is not focusing on God.
Turning away from God’s direction is looking away from God. Lot’s wife turned away from God’s direction for her journey of deliverance into journey of self-destruction. When it was time for God to judge Sodom and Gomorrah, He called Lot and his house out of a pending destruction, “As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” (Genesis 19:17) Condition for escape was not only to flee but also not to look back. However, Lot’s wife made a wrong decision to look back against the word of God and she became permanently terminated. The word recorded, “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26)
Making decision that is based on what seems right in the place of God’s direction is a set for self-destruction. Proverbs 14:12 buttressed, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” Let you decision be rooted in the word of God and be a victim of self-decision.
King Saul’s decision was based on what seemed right to himself to disobey God’s command. In a war against Philistines, Saul disobeyed Samuel’s direction for him to wait for burnt offering on the seventh day. Before Samuel’s appointed time, “…the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets…” (1Samuel 13:6) Saul reacted to the challenge and made a wrong decision by offering the burnt offering which was against the command of God. Saul could not wait for Samuel’s appointed time to violate the word of God. Watch out never look outside of God’s direction.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to remain focus on His direction all the days He has given you.