1 Samuel 23:7 (NLT) Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!”

Saul was a man who had been anointed by God to be the first king of Israel. He started off as a shy and humble man, but after tasting the power of sitting on the throne of Israel, he became haughty and proud. With his pride came disobedience to God and because of this, God rejected him as king. The Spirit of God had been with him but because of his rebellion, the Spirit left him. Now he was on his own.

People get very strange when they start out serving the Lord and then veer off the course. They begin imagining things such as Saul was imagining in the verses above. Even though he knew full well that God was with David (1Samuel 18:12, 1 Samuel 24:20), he still allowed himself to believe the lie that God had handed David over to him so that he could kill him. He knew that God had chosen David over himself and yet he went along in the belief that the Lord had handed an innocent man to him to be murdered.

Hearing from God is a serious thing, and we cannot take it lightly. Some people are too quick to say that God said this or that God said that. Some of the things you may hear people say who are far from God (and may not know it) totally contradict His Word. I once had a brother tell me that the Lord had given him a beautiful woman to marry...even though he already had a wife and four children! I surely let him know that he was totally deceived as King Saul was, but he didn't listen. And yes, he did wind up with lots of regrets for his deception.

Even when you are walking with God, you must be careful about what you say that God has said. I fear the Lord too much to speak so definitively of what the Lord has said or is saying unless it is coming straight from His Word. Otherwise, I say that I feel impressed in my heart that the Lord is leading this way or that way. If it is the Lord speaking, He will confirm His Word and it will come to pass. There is no need to speak for God if He is not speaking. As a matter of fact, it is unwise to do so as God does not take kindly to someone speaking for Him when He is not speaking (Job 42:7). Be very careful when speaking for God and make sure that what you are saying is first of all Biblical and that it is something that God is indeed speaking as He confirms and reaffirms His Word in your heart.

Pastor Joey Vazquez