WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL GAME PLAN?

Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord
and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord.
So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”
1 CHRONICLES 10:13-14

When you are attending a sporting event, do you leave at halftime?
Of course not, there is still another half to play.
Your team may have played well in the first half and have the lead at halftime,
but anything can change in the second half.
One team can suddenly ‘get it together’ and make a comeback,
or a team can sustain some injuries to key players that affects their momentum.

Now, what about your own life.
When you reach your assumed ‘halftime’, will you quit, or change your game?

When we look at the scriptures, we can see that Jacob had a bad start, but finished well.
On the other hand, Solomon started well, but finished badly.

What about Saul?
At one point he looked good and was chosen to be the king to lead a nation with God’s blessings.
But how did he finish?
He spent the last part of his life in bitterness, fearfulness and jealousy
as he pursued his son’s friend David with intentions to kill him.
He was unfaithful to the Lord; He did not obey the Lord;
and he looked for guidance from someone other than the Lord.
When he saw his kingdom crumbling, he turned to a witch instead of turning to the Lord.
When we decide to make a turn in our lives, it is for better or worse, but not both.

In essence, he left his first love and turned his back on the Lord.
Instead of remaining faithful to the Lord, and obeying His Word, Saul decided to ‘change his game’.
A sad ending for someone who started well.
His tragedy was not a result of things beyond his control,
but a result of the things he failed to control.

How did God respond to Saul’s new game plan?
The blessings Saul had been receiving from the Lord turned to judgment.

There are things in your life that you cannot control,
but there are many things you can control.
The controllable things are where you need to focus.

There are three areas you can control: faithfulness, obedience, and seeking the right guidance.
Faithfulness – God expects His people to remain faithful.
Obedience – A characteristic that is expected of God’s people.
Guidance – When you need guidance, look to the Lord (pray).

During Saul’s ‘second half’, he failed in these three areas – what will you do?