I thought of this again several times this month already:
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”
That piece of 1 Samuel 15:23 just ain’t complicated at all: God won’t fit in a rebel heart.
Doing church things, saying church words, dressing church clothes, thinking church thoughts — none of them make room for God in a rebel heart.
But broken repentance does.
Here’s an excerpt from a piece I wrote many moons ago:
“Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt oferings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?” (1 Samuel 15:22). God has great delight in obedience. No matter how much we can offer to Him and sacrifice for Him, the pleasure He derives from such service is far less than the pleasure brought to Him by a listening ear and an obedient heart. This ought to motivate us to obey in those areas which we already know. It also should move us to seek out new areas in which to obey. What a great opportunity to bring great delight to the Lord; let’s not overlook it!
Source: Living to Please God
And another excerpt from even longer ago:
If you do not wish to be rejected as Saul was, then keep close guard over your heart. Do not allow it to become a rebel heart!
I do not want a rebel heart!
So I must be broken, repentant, and surrendered.