To ensure victory in battle, King Saul was supposed to wait for Samuel the prophet to come and offer a sacrifice to God. But as the day wore on and the people in his army grew impatient, Saul offered the sacrifice himself. When Samuel demanded to know why, ‘Saul answered, “I saw the soldiers leaving me…so I forced myself to offer the whole burnt offering.” Samuel said, “You acted foolishly…the Lord would have made your kingdom continue in Israel always, but now your kingdom will not continue”’ (1 Samuel 13:11-14 NCV). Saul ended up losing everything because he was trying to please people rather than doing what God had commanded. Speaking truthfully might not be easy or comfortable, but the Bible tells us to do it anyway, like Samuel did. That doesn’t mean we should be rude or insensitive, but we mustn’t let others intimidate us either. Just because somebody doesn’t want to hear the truth doesn’t take away our responsibility to speak it. Have you ever felt uneasy about something that somebody asked you to do? One of the ways God leads us is through a sense of inner peace. Isaiah says you’ll be ‘led forth in peace’ (Isaiah 55:12 NIV). And Paul wrote, ‘pursue what makes for peace’ (Romans 14:19 ESV). When something doesn’t feel right, and we don’t feel at peace about it, we must speak up. We shouldn’t let other people’s demands steal our peace. Jesus told His disciples, ‘If a home or town refuses to welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake its dust off your feet’ (Matthew 10:14 NCV). When somebody else’s reaction threatens to stop us from doing what we know is right, it’s time to shake it off and move on.

What Now?

If anyone asks you to do something today, check whether you feel at peace about it. Before you do it, have a quick chat to God about whether it’s right for you to do.