The Dangers of Overcontrol

1 Samuel 15:23

For rebellion is like the sin
of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have
rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.

A friend of mine who is a jet pilot once told me that whenever a jet goes out
of control and begins to spin, the only thing to do is totally take your hands
off the controls and the plane will right itself. This goes against our natural
inclination to control and manipulate in order to bring things back under
control. It is scary to be out of control. Or is it?

Saul was a man out of control. He was losing control of his kingdom to David.
He was losing the favor of God and the people. It began as compromises.
Eventually he was given a final test to obey the voice of God fully. He was
instructed to kill the Amalekites completely; but he failed to follow through.
The prophet Samuel delivered a hard word to King Saul, "Because you have
rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king" (see 1 Sam. 15:26).
Saul obeyed partially, but not fully. It was partial obedience that led to his
removal as king of Israel and his calling from God. But why did Saul do such a
thing? "I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them" (1 Sam. 15:24b).
Saul's fear and insecurity made him more afraid of the people and what they
thought than of God. At the core of Saul's disobedience was fear of losing
control. That fear of losing control led to partial obedience and the loss of
his reign as king.

How many of us are in danger of losing God's blessing due to partial
obedience? How many of us have such a need to control people and circumstances
that we fail to fully walk in obedience to God's voice in our lives? Saul
provides a great lesson for us as businesspeople. The need to overcontrol things
around us can prevent us from receiving all that God has for us. Today, take an
inventory of your control quotient.

Ask God if you are being fully obedient to what He has called you to do this
day, and avoid being put on the shelf for disobedience. "To obey is better than
sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22b).

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