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To gain influence in the world, you have to prove you are something. To gain influence in the Kingdom of God, you have to be obedient. – Natalie Davenport
The Israelites wanted a King “just like all the other nations had.” (1 Samuel 8:5b), so God gave them Saul to be their King. Saul began his reign by seeking God for instruction and guidance. As time went on, though, he started to make decisions based on his own reasoning. He wanted to prove how great he was to the people of Israel rather than giving complete obedience to the instructions of God.
How often do you find yourself being asked for complete obedience from God, only to realize that the sacrifice will cost more than you think you can give? Maybe you feel you will be viewed as that “crazy faith person” by the people around you. Or perhaps you won’t fit in with the “popular crowd.”
If you feel you have been asked to be obedient and sacrifice more than you ever imagined you could handle, you are not alone! The sacrifice is far better than losing your promise or influence in the Kingdom of God. King Saul thought he could get away with practicing “half obedience” but ended up losing his Kingship. When confronted by the prophet, Samuel, King Saul defends himself, exclaiming,
“What are you talking about? I did obey God. I did the job God set for me. I brought in King Agag and destroyed the Amalekites under the terms of the holy ban. So, the soldiers saved back a few choice sheep and cattle from the holy ban for sacrifice to God at Gilgal–what’s wrong with that?” Then Samuel said, “Do you think all God wants are sacrifices–empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to Him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production. Not doing what God tells you is far worse than fooling around in the occult. Getting self-important around God is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors. Because you said no to God’s command, He says no to your Kingship.”
1 Samuel 15:20-23 (MSG)
Just like that, Saul’s Kingship was taken from him. I pray that I would constantly choose the sacrifice over the chance of walking in the consequences of my foolish choices. A quote that I learned from my friend and fellow Sanctioned Love worship leader, Megan, is,
“What you don’t sacrifice, you will lose.”
It is better to assess the cost of your sacrifice and do things God’s way. When God asks you to give something that seems too important for you to lose or He asks you to be obedient in an area that seems too risky, God will always reward it with something far greater than you could have ever imagined. Maybe God is asking you to give away something to someone else that means the world to you, but yet, it would be a greater encouragement to them. Maybe He’s asking you to leave a second job because He wants you to make yourself more available for the call He has placed on your life while showing you that you can rely on Him to bring in the finances needed each month. Maybe He’s asking you to let go of bad habits because He has a healthier, more stable life for you to live. It makes me think of the picture with a little girl holding a small teddy bear. God is asking her to give it to Him. Little does she know, God is holding the biggest teddy bear she could only dream of, but first, she must be obedient. She must let go of what she currently possesses to gain the great thing God has for her.
I’m living this teaching out right now in many areas of my life. Many things I can’t go into detail until God has brought the full picture into focus. But I want to encourage you. If you are struggling to let go because you are scared you will go without or that He is asking too much of you, don’t let that keep you from receiving the full measure of what God has in store for your life.
Obedience is worth the sacrifice.
You may not gain influence in the eyes of man, but you will gain influence in the eyes of God. If He can trust that your heart is obedient, He will increase your influence in the world. It will be a Godly influence, not tainted by greediness or the scratching and clawing to get the top. But in the right season, your influence will be known in the Earth for the sake of the Gospel and all for the Glory of God.
As for myself, I choose to surrender all!
Natalie Davenport
