May 25

1 Samuel 15

Saul breaks the Law of the Lord then offers sacrifices to the Lord.

INSIGHT

Saul’s fall is fast and far. His spiritual leadership is destroyed before he really gets a good start. Such a profound disparity between how he starts and how he ends is difficult to explain. It stands as a warning, however. None of us is above falling, no matter where we are in our spiritual walk. Our regular prayers ought to include what Jesus teaches us to pray: “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Again, Jesus says, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). The price of our spiritual welfare is eternal vigilance.

PRAYER

Offer your praise to the Lord for His protection from evil:
All the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts….
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness (Psalm 96:5-8, 11).

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
O Lord, correct me, but with justice;
Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing (Jeremiah 10:23-24).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.
And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

• A stronger desire to be like Christ
• Local churches around the nation
• Whatever else is on your heart

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power.
Amen (1 Timothy 6:15-16).