King Saul was chosen by the prophet Samuel at the request of the people who wanted a king to rule over them like other nations. It was their way of not wanting to deal with God directly. The choice proved to be devastating. Eventually, Saul imploded upon himself (and eventually upon his own sword) and left the nation of Israel in ruins. He would have been established as King over Israel forever had he not disobeyed God in breaking His commandment.
11 And Samuel said, “What hast thou done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash,
12 therefore said I, ‘The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord.’ I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.”
13 And Samuel said to Saul, “Thou hast done foolishly. Thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God which He commanded thee, for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. 1 Samuel 13:11-13
This is the pattern that is followed when one is headed from great to irrelevant.
We do so when all that matters is how “we” feel about what “others” think. Saul’s entire identity was woven into the fabric of the people he was anointed to lead according to God’s directives. However, he was always concerned about what the people wanted and demanded of him. He was never capable of fully obeying God. This is why time and time again, he disobeyed a direct command by God.
Greatness to irrelevance is what happens when our interest, and not the purpose for which God has made us becomes confused as one and the same. They are not. God made us for His will to be fulfilled. We are NOT that will. We are to discover His will and then give our lives to fulfilling it.
Lucifer confused what he was made for into becoming infatuated with being made. His greatness became irrelevant therefore he was cast out of heaven as lightning. Today he deceives billions into following his pattern by enticing them into believing their uniqueness is not enough. They have to do more than please God, they have to please themselves by pleasing others.
Ask yourself a few questions.
- What am I doing that is leading me to irrelevance?
- Who am I thinking about when I start my morning?
- Do I really speak freely around people or do I speak in hopes of being accepted?
- Am I easily silenced into the majorities thinking or will I make my view known regardless of what people think?
There are always tell tell signs and if we are honest we can see them, feel them and if we are listening to our conscience throughout the day.
I encourage you to give deep and prayerful consideration as to what threatens the greatness that God has placed within you. If you see yourself capitulating to the forces that want you to conform, there is only one solution to resolving this.
Stop it!
And you can stop with the overwhelming grace of God through Jesus Christ by identifying your life with his life and discover your true authentic self. Remove yourself from the approval of people and aligned yourself with pleasing only the one who knows you perfectly. God!
Remember, you can only stop through the life found in Christ!