Obedience Day 2
1 Samuel 15:22 NLT ~ “But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”
Have you ever tried to make up for your disobedience by doing a good deed? Let me make this plain, you ignored God’s directions, and you tried to compensate by increasing your giving, your serving and by going to Sunday service more! Yes, these are good acts, but they don’t and cannot take the place of a surrendered heart to God! Psalm 51:16-17 (NIV) – “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”
In this passage, Samuel confronts King Saul after he disobeys God’s direct command. John 14:15 (NIV) – “If you love me, keep my commands.” God told Saul to destroy everything, yet he used his mind and made an executive decision on his own, to spare the best livestock. And then he tried to justify his actions by claiming he would offer them as a sacrifice to God. (You can’t give God what you want Him to have, it’s what He wants you to give Him!) When God says get destroy something, He means it!
Do you know what surrender means? Maybe that’s where the problem lies. Surrender means that you trust that God’s way is better than your own way. It means letting go of control, excuses, and anything that keeps you from fully obeying Him. No more sacrifices, no more substitutes, just choose to surrender!
God used Samuel to make it clear to King Saul that He values obedience more than any offering you could ever give Him. Stop trying to give God a substitute in the place of your obedience by doing religious acts like King Saul! King Saul thought he could substitute obedience with sacrifice by sparing the best livestock and then wanted to give it God! (You can’t give God what He told you to get rid of and then call it good!) Luke 6:46 (NIV) – “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Samuel reminded him that God desired obedience, not sacrifices!
You see when you offer God excuses or partial obedience, you have not surrendered fully to Him. God wants your hearts more than your ritual! True faith is walking in step with His Will, and not just performing an outward act of devotion. When God says step, you step and when He says stop you stop! If there is an area where you’ve been offering sacrifices and substitutes instead of surrendering, today is the day to repent and realign. Choose obedience, and trust that God’s way is always the best way!
God is not looking for negotiations, He is calling for your total Surrender! There have been so many times that you have try to offer Him something else in place of what He actually asked you for! You can’t give Him more time in ministry and ignore His command to love and forgive others! You cannot increase your giving and refuse to step out in faith when He calls you into ministry. I know these substitutions may look good on the surface, but they don’t even close to being replacement for what God called you to do, obey! obedience is better than sacrifice!
Stop trying to give God what you think will please Him instead of what He actually asked you for. He asked you to obey Him! Proverbs 21:3 (NIV) – “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” Stop offering Him your time, talents, and money, if you are going to continue being disobedient! He desires, your obedience not your sacrifices and substitutions! He’s looking for you to surrender! Saul’s mistake was not just disobedience; it was the belief that a substitute could satisfy God. Take heed, it didn’t work then and it’s not going to work now!
True obedience is not about doing what feels easy or good to you, and it’s not convenient, but it’s about yielding fully to God’s Will, even when it costs you something or someone. Are you holding onto something God has asked you to surrender? To let go of. And so instead of giving Him what He asked for, you offered Him a substitute instead of obedience? James 1:22 (NIV) – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” God doesn’t want your empty offerings; He desires your willing heart. Today, let go of your control, lay aside your excuses, and walk fully in surrendering to God as an act of love and obedience!
Let’s Pray:
Father, Thank You for this beautiful day! I come before You with an open heart, making my declaration that I’m choosing to obey You. Father, I am asking You for strength to walk in complete obedience to Your Will. Father, forgive me for trying it my way, trying to offer you a sacrifice and substitute for what You really want from me. Father, teach me to trust You fully, even when obedience is hard for me to do. Father, remove pride, fear, and hesitation from me so that I can follow You completely. Father, I surrender my will, my desires, and my excuses. No more empty sacrifices, no more empty sacrifices and substitutions, I am giving You my full obedience! Father, help me to recognize Your voice clearly and to respond with a willing heart. Shape me into a vessel that honors You, not just in my actions, but in my daily surrender. May my life reflect true devotion, rooted in faith and trust in Your perfect plan! In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!
Blessings…
Love, Minister Jean
Discover more from Transformed at the WELL Devotional Ministry
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
