SEVEN SUICIDIAL SINS #4 DENIAL

Reference verse 1 Samuel 15:20-21

When Samuel comes to Saul and Saul says, “I have obeyed the LORD…” and Samuel says, “Thus says the LORD, what means this bleating of the sheep?”  Even though Saul has not obeyed and Samuel points out that the LORD knows better and that he is caught disobeying, red-handed, instead of Saul repenting he begins to blame the people for his misfortune.  Saul says, “Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me…But the people took of the spoil…”  He is trying to blame others for his disobedience.

Saul didn’t understand that he lost the kingdom not because he did wrong, but because he chose to blame other people for his disobedience and refusal to repent.  How many times do we blame others for the mess we are in and miss our last chance for a moment of grace because we refuse to humble ourselves before the LORD and repent, turn from our ways and obey HIS Word?

The reason we go to church and don’t get any better is because when we hear the Word of the LORD, and the Holy Spirit comes to convict us, before conviction can deliver us, we blame someone else for our condition and situation.  We say we are like that because “My spouse made me act like that…. I’m like that because of….”  The truth of the matter is we are like that because our hearts are deceitful and wicked and we need to throw ourselves down before the LORD and say, “LORD I am sorry!”

We are in charge of ourselves and when we you are in charge that means the buck stops with US!  We must come to the point where we stop blaming others in denial of our actions and self-willed indulgences, and take responsibility before the LORD.  We must humble ourselves to say, “I’m sorry, I made a mistake!” 

I challenge us today to go through our lives and examine things and see where we are casting the blame onto other people for our mistakes and stop it TODAY! Assume responsibility today before we lose our kingdom.  Our denial will defeat us.  We will not walk away clean and we commit suicide every time we won’t take responsibility for our own mistakes.  And the only reason the Word comes is to give us a chance to REPENT.