*DAILY SHOWER January 27, 2022 Devotion and declarations*
Prayer before the Word:
_ O God, I'm happy that You brought me into a new day. Please, help me not to disappoint You. Help me to study, listen and obey Your words in Jesus name, Amen_
*TODAY’S THEME: Obedience is better than Sacrifice*
Text: 1 Samuel 15:13-22
"[13]And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, Blessed are you of the Lord. I have performed what the Lord ordered.
[14]And Samuel said, What then means this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
[15]Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but the rest we have utterly destroyed.
[16]Then Samuel said to Saul, Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me tonight. Saul said to him, Say on.
[17]Samuel said, When you were small in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed you king over Israel?
[18]And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, Go, utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites; and fight against them until they are consumed.
[19]Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but swooped down upon the plunder and did evil in the Lord's sight?
[20]Saul said to Samuel, Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
[21]But the people took from the spoil sheep and oxen, the chief of the things to be utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.
[22]Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a 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."
*SHOWER:*
Obedience is an act of complying to an instruction or order, sticking to, insisting or observing an existing rule. It is among the prove that you loves, respects or cherish someone, etc. That's why God listed it among His ten commandments (Exodus 20: 2-17; Deuteronomy 5: 6-21) to man. Unfortunately, we always don't care about it. I can say that it's the most disrespected word by everyone. God gave instructions to King Saul to 'clear' the Amalekites due to their sins. But Saul due to fear or 'love or in preferance' to his people yearnings, decided to spare the king and some precious animals and goods. He said they were meant for sacrifice. Imagine! He forgot that the Person he was trying to offer sacrifice to stated otherwise. In fact He is the creator of the universe; has full access to all and can convert all to sacrifice. But He chose obedience. By this act, Saul did not only disrespected God but also absconded from his duty as a king or shelved his responsibilities to others. Like Saul, we often deviate from God's instructions to do certain things by deciding to carry-on our self-imposed projects. This is why the world is now ruled by excuses. Some have compromised their faith, break their covenant with God and so on just to feed themselves, appease their beloved or certain masters, to gain recognition and so on. God who knows that you can do it gave it to you...but you chose to allow people take decisions on your behalf, probably because of how convincing or enticing they appear to be. That is why some have left the businesses or services God bestowed on them to engage on other lucrative works. Then, struggles, do a lot of things to ensure they succeed on them. If you ask them why, they will blame the economy, government, families, environment, etc. At the end, they will rush to give out huge amounts to church as offerings, seed, tithe and donations. They may even decide to build mansions for God or engage on other charity works at less privileged homes. Of course all these are important. The church needs money to look good and carry-on the works of God. The less privileged are in dare need of your money and other gifts to survive; they are part of evangelism. But is that what God instructed you to do? Did you hear from God before embarking on those projects? Where or how did you make the money or wealth you're using for those projects? They may not be acceptable to God if they were not gueinely made. God may reject you and your gifts at the end if they were not the instructions He gave to you. Re-study today's text from verse 1 to the end. Then ponder over it, and seek the face of God. Obedience is indeed greater than Sacrifice!
*PRAYER/DECLARATIONS*
Oh God, I exalt You for the love and care You're showering me. I am sorry for disrespecting You. I hereby promise not to deviate again from Your instructions. Help and guide me to stand by Your words in Jesus name, Amen!
*1. I have come to discover that I deviated from the God's purpose for my life due to disobedience. God has forgiven me. He has taken over my life to rewrite me for excellence.*
*2. God's grace is upon me. His Mercy endures forever. Therefore, I am fully loaded and prepared for excellence.*
*3. Today, God is making a way for me where there seemed to be no way.*
*4. I hereby decree and declare that am a conqueror. My family is a conqueror. We shall conquer in all we do gueinely.*
*5. Therefore, I am going out to conquer my world in Christ, destroy evil attacks because Christ empowered me to do so and give Glory to him alone, in Jesus name Amen!*
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