What Principle Is Required for Keeping God Close?

Older adolescent children may push their moral and spiritual boundaries to the edge, seeking separation and individuation in order to establish a personal identity. Stretching the limits of their values is often motivated by the desire to please and be accepted by friends and peer groups.

What pulls adolescents or adults back to their spiritual and moral roots is an inner strength that enables them to love God and their family as well as the need to love and respect themselves. The love of God can reach beyond the worst fall into sin to rescue his willing son or daughter.

Saul, Israel’s king, was unwilling to override the impulse to do what was contrary to God’s plan and purpose. Keeping God close to your heart and mind is made possible by choosing to please him in all things. 

This is a strength that must be nurtured. God will help you accomplish this very important task.                           

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For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we might receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  

~Hebrews 4:15-16 New International Version 

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What's Involved in Receiving a Clean Heart?

 Rare is the person who has perfectly lived up to their moral and spiritual values. Samuel, God’s judge, was outstanding in serving God faithfully from childhood but was imperfect. Saul, whom Samuel anointed king, failed to live up to God’s expectations, and this cost him God’s blessing.

This is similar to a son or daughter today whose defiance makes it impossible to live in peace with them. Saul demonstrated similar behavior. In 1 Samuel 15 he admits failure and asks for forgiveness, but only for selfish reasons.

Listen closely to Saul’s appeal to Samuel: “I have sinned against you and God. Please forgive me and come back with me to worship God. Please honor me in front of my army and the people.” He could have asked God to create in him a clean heart, to redeem him and restore their sacred fellowship – just as King David did later. 

God will create in you a clean heart so you can be restored to his presence.                      

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Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.  

~Psalm 51:10-12 New American Standard Bible

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Do You Have a Deep Appreciation for Obedience?

What is the definition of failure? Is partial failure as significant as complete failure? When Saul, the king of Israel, was sent on a mission, God’s instructions were precise. The task was to annihilate an enemy of Israel, including all the livestock. However, Saul captured the king, and his army took the livestock for sacrifices and bounty.

Samuel, God’s judge, responded. “Does the Lord want offerings and sacrifices? No, he wants you to obey him. You refused to obey, so God decided you cannot be king.” Saul’s disobedience cost him God’s blessings and protection.

Do we behave like Saul by failing to remember that all we have or hope to be is totally dependent on God’s goodness and generosity? 

When we fail to do what we’re given to do, it’s important to immediately and sincerely repent in order to be restored to trust and fellowship with God. Nothing should ever be allowed to supersede our peace with God.

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 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

~Psalm 139:23 New International Version

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What Is Most Responsible for Self-sabotage?

What is the difference in feeling regretful for failing to live up to God’s expectations and feeling fearful when facing failure? By choosing to live on the edge of God’s spiritual and moral rules, sliding over the edge will occur. Living on the edge is a clear pathway to self-sabotage.

Samuel, Israel’s last judge, refused to live on that edge because of his love and dedication to God. Saul, Israel’s king, was ambivalent about God’s control in his life. Ambivalence reflected uncertainty about God’s place in his heart. For Samuel, keeping God’s word was paramount.

What sabotaged Saul was permitting uncertainty to determine his choices and behavior. Allowing God to rule in your life isn’t easy, but doable. God’s word encourages you to allow the peace Jesus gives to rule in your heart.

Do this because Jesus first loved you and came into the world to give you peace that lasts for all eternity. 

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I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions.…then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things the Holy Spirit tells us to do, and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us...

~Galatians 5:16-17 The Living Bible

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Can I Guard Against Self-sabotage?

Friends play a significant role in each person’s life from childhood onward. There are many levels of friendship, ranging from casual to best friends. In healthy friendships the ties that bind individuals together are personal strengths like commitment, trust, respect, and abiding love.

Mutual weaknesses exist in friendships, but mutual strengths tend to compensate for weaknesses in each other’s character and personality. Samuel’s role was to mentor Saul on how to be king, but more importantly, to listen and obey God’s instructions. This was to be his highest objective.

1 Samuel 15 reveals Saul’s propensity for self-sabotage leading to God’s rejecting him as Israel’s king. God rejected Saul for disobedience and for lying about being obedient. Living within God’s boundaries is the best deterrent to self-sabotage. Daily acknowledging the presence of God in your life should always be your highest priority.  

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All day and all night your hand was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day until I finally admitted all my sins to you an stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, “I will confess my sins to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

~Psalm 32:4-5 The Living Bible

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What Makes Self-sabotage a Prevalent Option?

Rare is the person who could say their efforts to do what is good and right were never undermined by a friend or competitor. Most governments gather information to undermine efforts to harm their people. Everyone has the tendency to sabotage their fellowship with God by choosing sin.

A few years ago an Olympian ice skater became jealous of another Olympian whom she perceived as a threat to her winning the gold medal. She then inflicted a crippling injury to the other skater to eliminate her as competition. This brutal act resulted in permanent disqualification from the Olympics.

Saul, God’s chosen king of Israel, set himself in opposition to God’s blessings. He was prideful to a fault and would blame others for his failures. When God’s approval is your goal, the joy and strength you find in him prevents self-sabotage from gaining a strangle-hold. 

Hold on tightly to this truth.                         

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The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: Sexual immorality; impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, faction and envy; drunkenness, orgies ... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

~Galatians 5:19-23  New International Version

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Are There Rules for Fellowship with God?

The news media loves sensational stories that hold an audience’s attention for days, with every possible detail scrutinized by countless “experts”. It’s interesting how the media and the audience tend to focus on self-sabotaging behaviors that ruin a person’s chances for their success and happiness.

What initiates and perpetuates sabotage is a particular weakness that subdues personal strengths that are responsible for success in life. This process portrays a transition in how persons think, believe, and feel about themselves and their relationships.

Saul, the first king of Israel, was very adept in sabotaging God’s blessings on his life and his career. He ignored the rules for fellowship with God – not that he misunderstood the rules but rather would alter the rules to match what he needed or wanted. Reconciliation with God requires turning toward God with humility and a contrite heart seeking forgiveness and restoration. These can be yours. 

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And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.                         

~Romans 8:26-27 New Living Translation

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