The Poison of an Undivided Life

Hebrews 4:12–13 NKJV

12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Matthew 6:33 NKJV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Everything we’re about to say is under this pretext: you seek God first, He takes care of the stuff unbelievers seek.

It could be because of impatience. it could be because of rebellion. it could be because you still love the world. it could be because of bitterness or unforgiveness.

but whatever the reason, if you refuse to lay down the pursuit of your own exaltation, your own provision, your own self-gratification, you have not allowed God’s Word to divide your life. You’re still joined to your old man. You’re double-minded. You’re trying to live half the way the world lives, and half the way God has called you to live.

leaving *any* piece of your old heart behind is POISON! You HAVE to let the word divide it! You have to get rid of it!

BECAUSE NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS!!!

1 Samuel 15:1–3 NKJV

1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

The Amelekites represented opposition to God and God’s people. What if God had allowed them to live and mix in with His people? What would the Amalekites have brought with them?

1 Samuel 15:7–9 NKJV

7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

1 Samuel 15:13–14 NKJV

13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

1 Samuel 15:20–23 NKJV

20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”

Saul justified his disobedience! He came up BY HIMSELF with the idea that it’d be better to leave the sheep alive to sacrifice to God.

Does coming up with a Godly sounding reason justify leaving the things of the World in your life?

Why not take some? Why not leave a little bit of the world in your life?

How did he identify what parts needed to be killed?

How was he to deal with the parts that needed to be killed?

What was the result of leaving the things of the world in his life?