Don’t Listen To People

1 Samuel 14:22 “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.”

Saul wanted to do God's will and please the people. We can't always do both. God should be our first and only choice. Saul lost his authority due to making wrong choices. As hard as it may seem at times, it is really the easy choice to decide to do things God's way rather than our own.

It's when we put our hope in man and pleasing him that we become unhappy and disappointed. Man (nor woman) can give us the pleasure and contentment God can give us. Man will always disappoint us because our expectations of others are not the same as their actions. They will do things unknowingly at times that cause us to become upset. That is when we need to remember our purpose in life is not judging others but serving them.

When we look to please others we will find out quickly we can’t please everyone. Someone will always be disappointed or upset with us. However, when we look to please God, we can know He will love us no matter what. We will find that when we do the things He asks of us, others will see us as men and women of God. They will know we are not ones to look for pleasures of the world and are not people pleasers. We will have both the respect of God and of people.

We need to take time now to determine if our actions are those of God or of people. Let’s look close at what we do today and be sure we are doing what God wants us to do. Let’s look close at what we are thinking today and be sure they are thoughts of God rather than of worry. Let’s look close at what we say today and be sure they are words of God and not of anger or jealousy.

God is all we need. Obedience is what He asks of us. When we choose to obey Him, he will take care of us. When we choose to listen to Him, He will show us the way. When we choose to read His word, He will give us a peace and sense of calmness in all we do. There is no other feeling like the feeling we can have when we are obedient to God.

When we take time to listen to God and find out what He wants us to do and obey Him, we will see changes in us and in others. God isn’t here for just the times we feel we need Him. God isn’t here for us to choose to listen to people rather tha
Him. God is here for us to listen to His plan for us and obey. We are to listen and obey God daily. When we do this, He will help us to make a difference.