.  Living Hope Fellowship Church....Sermons by the Pastor 

Spirit of Disobedience

by Pastor Kevin Badgley

            1 Samuel 15:16-23 says, “Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

            These days are the days of the great falling away of the church world.  Much of what is called Christian isn’t Christian at all.  In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

            In the passage quoted from 1 Samuel, we see the prophet Samuel telling King Saul that obedience to God in every detail cannot be substituted with offerings of bribery.  God respects sacrifice above persons, but demands obedience as our motive in our service to Him.  We cannot replace or counteract upon God’s commands.  God’s commands have a specific purpose, and can either bless or curse, depending on how they’re followed.  Consider someone who receives medication from a doctor for their heart problems.  If they do not follow the directions given, not only will their problems remain, but their problems will increase to the point of death, if not corrected.

            Indeed, if we are given instruction of God and reject it, then there can be no hope of a solution to our trouble.  Satan is always telling people that they need not go all the way with God when it comes to His commandments.

            In Ephesians 2:2 it says, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”

            There is a spirit of disobedience; the devil does not want you to follow God.  He was there in Eden persuading Eve to disobey God.  He talked to King Saul to not go too far with God, lest the people couldn’t tolerate it and rebel against him.  Saul thereby became a man pleaser rather than a godly king who walked with God.

            In Psalm 15 the question is asked how that a person can dwell in God’s presence continually, and the answer comes that even if it means our own loss, we must go God’s way only, for whosoever does these things shall never be moved to sin, and will stand strong in the evil day.

            Today, if there is anything in your life or ministry that speaks of compromise, correct it now!  Do not go the way of the unprofitable servant, for if the Lord is not building your house, you labor in vain.  If you have not been faithful in another man’s work, who shall give you that which is your own?

            Let us all purge ourselves of all disobedience in every form.  Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick. . . .” so do not disappoint God and limit His Spirit in your life.  Ask forgiveness, move forward in God, and God be with you in His great work.