SUNDAY, 23RD FEBRUARY, 2025
STAY IN THE WORD – Pastor Chris
Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments…(1 Samuel 15:10-11).
Anyone can be suddenly transformed by the Spirit of God, and we’ve seen this happen many times, even in Bible days. But you have to stay rooted in the Word, established and founded in faith, as that’s the only way to sustain such transformation.
In 1 Samuel 10, for example, we read the account of Saul, the son of Kish, who was gloriously transformed by the Spirit of God and began to prophesy. The Bible says Saul was turned into another man. Read the words of the Prophet Samuel to him in 1 Samuel 10:6, “And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.”
When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart, and he began to prophesy among the prophets. This marked the beginning of Saul’s reign as king of Israel. Can you imagine a man receiving another heart instantly by the power of the Holy Spirit? However, in 1 Samuel 15, just five chapters later, God spoke to Samuel and said, “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night”(1 Samuel 15:11).
In 1 Chronicles 10:13-14, we learn that Saul died for his transgressions, particularly for not keeping the word of the Lord and for consulting a familiar spirit instead of seeking God. Even though Saul had such a great, miraculous transformation in his life, he didn’t sustain it because he didn’t keep the Word of the Lord.
So, be wise; sustain the work, the transformations that the Holy Spirit brings to your life, by staying focused on the Word. Be a doer of the Word. James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”*_ Whatever God does in your life is meant to stay and grow into greater glories, but that will only happen if you stay in the Word of God.
PRAYERDear Father, I thank you for the transformative power of your Word and the Spirit in my life. I commit to following you in, through, and by the Word. I stay rooted in your Word, established and founded in faith, steadfast, resolute, unshakeable, and unmoveable, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY
James 1:22-25
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Psalm 119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
Mark 6:1-29 & Leviticus 24
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
Matthew 17:1-13 & Exodus 4
