Disobedience has consequences of all sorts, but it is when God repents/turns away from someone that is the most horrifying fact of scripture. What does it mean to disobey God. Saul as king thought he was wiser then God, maybe even more knowledgable then God, perhaps had even come to a place that he thought it matter not if he obeyed God but pleased the people he served with the traditions of sacrifice with animals that were not pleasing to God. If one cooks a meal for someone the course of the meal better be some of their favorite foods if you are trying to get on that person's good side. Yet if everything you fixed is not tasty to them, you might of lost the goaled you set to try and please them. God required holy sacrifice not just any animal offering would do from any tribe. King Saul not only did not destroy the enemy but he took the best portion of spoils from the tribe and consider them holy enough to sacrifice to God, as if he knew what was best. Why was a tribe of idol worship distasteful in the eyes of God, one the tribe had turned away from God. Two the things of that tribe either animal or otherwise were used for idolatry and not holy unto God. God is holy and his holiness requires holy sacrifice, His Son sacrificed for our sins was a holy sacrifice one required by God. Sacrifice of old and new testament can weigh a person down in regards how do you legalize a human death if it was unholy sacrifice in Old Testament and not in New Testament. Why would God forgive in the New Testament of sin against his Son. It has to do with God's authority, power and righteousness. What did God require for sacrifice?

God throughout history at times turned away from people. Saul would not be the last or the first man God turned away from or repented of. God was not sorry in the least he made Saul king. He was not sorry He removed his Spirit from Saul, because Saul had made his choice in regards to who he would obey and this is why Adam and Eve were kicked from the garden for no less a crime as disobedience. Saul's disobedience was public as well as before the people of the land causing them to sin as well. Saul's sin of unholy sacrifice was the same as Cain, but his misfortune came when he refuse to destroy evil which is the opposite of Cain whose killing of a innocent man that God favored because of Cain's jealousy of the man's obedience in sacrificing of a lamb. To not destory evil and to destroy good both have consequences of being marked by God in the since of not being able to repent of that sin. Saul though wanting to repent did not want to do what was necessary for repentance so Samual killed the king Agag of the Amalekites to demonstrate Saul disobedience but not the disobedience of Israel. Samuel rectified the error for the people.

It is a hard story to swallow in regards to killing the enemy and yet God does not want any evil in our life. God does not want corruption in our life. Saul words of repentance was also not his heart of repentance, and so King Saul would then loose the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God was replaced with an evil spirit. Can a child of God loose the Holy Spirit. The answer is no. Once we are sealed we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. We are marked by the hand of God as his child. Several things we must understand Saul was appoint as king and was a choice of God. Just like Solomon yesterday, who was actually a king that came much later after King Saul, who chose disobedience to God by sacrificing to idols, chose disobedience to God despite his appointment by God. Just because God calls us to a task does not mean, we are saved by that task. Our works of appointment does not save us. Our call of God to perform a duty is not always one of honor but may appear of honor for a time. It is when it becomes dishonor is when the true nature of the person is revealed, by the sin of not in submission to God. It is the horror of the story of seeing a person that idolized not truly worthy of the idolization to follow toward God. Saul was not a king to follow as far as religious model. He was one of dishonor to God, but he was able to perform the sacrifices that pleased the people that did so in ignorance based on their understanding of the sacrifice. Moses hit a rock twice once but was only suppose to hit it once and it cost him the promise land but his disobedience still caused blessing on the people of fresh water. God uses all kinds of people to demonstrate not only his holiness, but the cost of disobedience.

What the point if our disobedience may be only affecting us, not the people we minister too. Saul sin cost him not the people. Our government when they sin might only effect them and not the people for at least a short amount of time. When the corruption falls past the government level and to the common people there is a great problem in the land. Let me continue for a moment Samuel was a holy man/prophet and he killed king Agag of the Amalekites before Saul to demonstrate to King Saul, his disobedience to God was wrong still. It is easy for us to disobey God in all areas of our life and still honor God on Sunday. No, for what we do is not in mockery but as if nothing is wrong the rest of the week, we make ourselves dressed and ready for church go in without the sackcloth and ashes describe of repentance in scripture and look to the congregation as if all is okay. The repentance needs to be before the church door if possible of the week before. The heart needs to be in right standing as we enter the center of worship. Are we bring people in only to be just as guilty daily in our life of similiar sin before God. If you give the devil an inch in your life, he going to take a mile until you say no more. As a Child of God born again by the Spirit, not just anointed by and given the Spirit just to do the will of God, but we must be literally born again of Christ Spirit. By being born again we are given new birth by receiving Christ as Savior and then we are transformed by God's Spirit in the likeness of Christ, and are given a new heart that desires to please God. Do we still sin after new birth by the Spirit, of course, but our sin is only because of our humanity. Yet our strive should be to please God in all we do and say.

I once had a goaled of wanting to prove my imperfection, and the error in my thinking was probably think that I was really that good or perfect. Perhaps it might be better to say I wanted to see my own humanity or my faults. Yet the question might be better asked do I want to remain in my faults or do I want those faults purified. I share this because there some reading in all the humanity of righteousness that read and are in church every sunday doing the perfect will of God and are not in the perfect will of God. Living in the attitude of sacrifice of praise on their lips but are not. The lips sing the words and even speak the words and yet their heart toward God is not there, and yet they live the humbleness of life and in dedication to God because this is what they were taught to do. Yet it is the heart that either pleases God or does not, and our actions speak of our heart but is not always our heart. A person convicted of accidently manslaughter might have a heart of gold towards God but their crime is still murder. A person might have a evil heart toward God and still sing his praises. Saul wanted to still sing his praises to keep up his image of how the world seen him, and yet here in scripture he is marked for life of his sin and the consequence of his sin, because an evil spirit would infect Saul's soul til the end of his days before he is killed in battle.

Something to note as a believer there are evil spirits out there, the Bible speaks of it and we are to leave these things alone. The art of witchcraft as no power in a believers life, The disciples learn from Jesus how to cast and remove these spirits. Yet the spirit that possessed Saul was not cast out for God had turned him over to it. Saul's heart was not right with God even with proof of God reign and power in Israel. Saul could not see the greatest or power of God, for his own power had gone to his head.

Where are you today, are you a born again beleiver in Christ or are you finding yourself with the lips of praise without the heart of praise. Are you finding yourself in sin and being born again of God's Spirit, then confession and repentance is all that needed as a believer. Turning from that sin and do not give the devil anymore room in your life. Allow God to work in your life in that area you are struggling with. Yes it easier said then done. Your love for God must be greater then you sin. It takes time sometimes to reach that point of honoring God. Yet if you born again sin can not remain within you, once fully realized.

Dear Heavenly Father remind us daily how important the sacrifice of praise must come from the heart in obedience and honor to you, not just in lip or custume service. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study for Devotion: Ephesians 5:1-11 KJV
1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.