Bumble Bee’s…
Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’”
So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you Deut 1:41-45 (NIV)
“To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
1 Sam 15:22 (NIV)
If God has spoken to you to do something – and you are certain its from Him, then do it. If for someo reason you determine its better not to, and He rebukes you – do NOT try to do it after the fact, as God may not be with you.
The Israelites had to walk in sacrifice for 40 years because they did not do as God said, but rather used worldy wisdom to determine that what God wanted must have been wrong. But when Moses reprimanded them – they changed there mind… and so apparently did God! And He said – if you go and fight now “I will not be with you!”
Be obedient to the voice of God. Do what He tells you – and you will avoid sacrificing. If He says “Pay that bill” and you do not – don’t try to fix it later, it won’t work. If He says “Buy that stock. or Start that business or Write that book or Start that church – don’t allow the wisdom of men to convince you otherwise. DO IT NOW!
Prophet Bill