Apostle Allison Smith Conliff explores the vital importance of unwavering obedience to God over personal ambition or religious rituals. Using the biblical narrative of King Saul, the preacher illustrates how pride and social influence can lead believers to overstep their spiritual boundaries and ignore divine instructions. The message emphasizes that loyalty to God must take precedence over human status, as Saul’s decision to follow his own impulses resulted in his divine rejection as king. Believers are encouraged to cultivate a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit and study scripture for themselves rather than relying solely on others. Summarily, it serves as a call to reject rebellion and live a life of humility, discipline, and authentic Christian representation.

Key Points:

The story of King Saul serves as a significant warning regarding the dangers of spiritual pride, illustrating how it leads to a cycle of disobedience, self-glorification, and ultimate rejection by God.

Saul’s spiritual pride manifested in several distinct ways:

• Overstepping Divine Boundaries: Because of his high position, influence, and affluence, Saul believed he could perform tasks he was not anointed to do. Specifically, he attempted to offer a sacrificial offering himself rather than waiting for the prophet Samuel, who was the one authorized for that task. The Apostle emphasizes the importance of "staying within your lane," noting that power and social status do not grant a person the right to disregard divine order.
• Self-Glorification: Pride shifted Saul’s focus from honoring God to honoring himself. After a military victory, instead of solely glorifying God, Saul set up a monument for himself to commemorate his own success.
• False Confidence and Blame-Shifting: The Apostle describes Saul as being "confident in doing the wrong thing," even telling Samuel that he had "carried out the command of the Lord" while the bleating of forbidden sheep could still be heard in the background. When confronted with his disobedience, his pride led him to shift the blame to his people, claiming they were the ones who spared the best of the plunder, rather than taking personal responsibility as the king.
• Forgetting Humble Beginnings: As Saul gained military power and authority, he forgot that he was once "small" and "insignificant" in his own eyes. This sense of being "larger than life" led him to believe he could disrespect God without consequence.

The Consequences of Saul's Pride: The Apostle conveys that "pride will cause you to fall over," and in Saul's case, it led to his total disqualification from leadership. Samuel explained that rebellion is as serious as witchcraft and stubbornness is as grave as idolatry. Because Saul rejected the word of the Lord in favor of his own impulses and pride, God ultimately rejected him as the king of Israel.

Saul’s life demonstrates that no matter one's level of accomplishment or academic and economic influence, no one is bigger than God, and maintaining humility and a "closet life" of prayer is essential to avoid the pitfalls of pride.

Rec. Date: 17th March, 2024