Heart of Rebellion

Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

No story in todays devotional. It just talks about rebellion, and how it isn't always lashing out against someone or something. Sometimes it's having a manipulative, bitter heart.

I must confess, a few months ago, I had a manipulative, bitter heart. I had someone hurt me very deeply, I had several someone's hurt me, and my heart was hurt. I let it wander into manipulative territory, which then lead to bitterness in my heart. I found myself angry, and wanting vengence for the person and persons who had hurt me. I was hardly praying, and I was certainly not spending any time at all in the word. I was becoming self-righteous, and even when I was at church, the sermons weren't for me, they were for the other people.

I realized that my heart was causing me to drift away from God, and I was letting Satan steal my peace. I am still not completely where I need to be, and I still feel the pain of the hurt that was caused, but doing these blogs each day, has helped me. I am spending more time with God, and I have focused on changing my heart. I am taking a much different approach with people who hurt me. And that new approach is something that I find is coming naturally to me. I feel more peaceful about my decisions, and I am trying to "pray constantly" as the anchor verse says. I try to just pray without hanging up the phone to God, just have a long on-going conversation with Him all day in my head. Every thought is mostly geared toward God, and so therefore a prayer. I just talk to him, like I would any of my friends.

The devotional talks about taking time to reflect on the decisions I am making in my life. It says my decisions are like little mirrors, they reflect what is in my heart, and it's where my rebellion takes hold. I had never thought about it like that before. I want my heart to reflect God to others, not anger and bitterness.

Steps of Faith:
Father, please forgive me for the times I have rebelled against Your will and followed my own selfish desires. Help me to listen to the prompting of Your Holy Spirit and to obey.

Deeper Walk:
1 Samuel 28 NAS
Saul and the Spirit Medium

Now it came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Isreal. And Achish said to David, "Know assuredly that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men." David said to Achish, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life." Now Samuel was dead and all Isreal had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists. So the Philistines gathered together and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Isreal together and they camped in Gilboa. When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor." Then Saul disguised himself by putting on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, "Conjure up for me, please, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you." But the woman said to him, "Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?" Saul vowed to her by the Lord, saying, "As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing." Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me." When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul." The king said to her, "Do not be afraid; but what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up out of the earth." He said to her, "What is the form?" And she said, "An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe." And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did homage. Then Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" And Saul answered, " I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do." Samuel said, "Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary? The Lord has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. As you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the Lord will also give over Isreal along with you into the hands of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the Lord will give over the army of Isreal into the hands of the Philistines!" Then Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground and was very afreaid because of the words of Samuel; also there was not strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night. The woman came to Saul and saw that he was terrified, and said to him, "Behold your maidservant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. So now also, please listen to the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you that you may eat and have strenght when you go on your way." But he refused and said, "I will not eat." However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to them. So he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. The woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; and shw took flour, kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it. She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they arose and went away that night.