Are You Really Obeying the Lord? How Can You Know?

Is it better to obey God? How can you know?

[0:00] Intro

[3:45] Obedience vs...

[12:40] Sacrifice - 1 Samuel 15

[24:00] Final thoughts

Bible Verses:

1 Samuel 15

Psalm 139:23-24

1 John 1:5

Isaiah 64:6

1 John 1:9

Intellectually, we understand that it’s better to obey God rather than do our own thing. However, we still turn from God to go our own way. Why is that? This podcast episode is based on 1 Samuel 15. Can we please God with our sacrifices despite our disobedience to him? Let’s find out.

In 1 Samuel 15, Saul disobeyed God's command to destroy everything and kept the best of the spoils. This led to God rejecting him as king. Saul made excuses for disobeying God and blamed the people for his mistakes. Samuel rebuked Saul for prioritizing his own desires over God's commands. Samuel emphasizes, “obedience is better than sacrifice,” highlighting the importance of listening to God. Saul admits his mistakes and acknowledges he has not obeyed the Lord, but there are consequences to his disobedience.  

It’s easy to see Saul’s mistakes, but we can be like Saul. What things are we “sacrificing” to God while also disobeying Him? Let’s go beyond our sacrifices to the Lord and obey God's Word in our daily lives. If you need to, pray for God to reveal areas of disobedience in your life. Humbley confess your sins to God and turn to Him. God receives and desires intimate fellowship with His children.