"Speak Lord, for your servant heareth!"

When was the last time you said that to the Lord, really seeking to know His Mind on a particular matter or issue and willing to do what He tells you? Without an argument!

It seems that this is the critcial thing we are lacking these days in our individual relationship with the Lord.

Many of us are forever busy saying to Him rather, "Speak, Lord for your servant will decide for himself!"

In other words, "I am really interested in your opinion God, but will run my life the way I feel like running it anyway!" My plans are good and I expect you to bless my plans!"  Well that's what we really seem to be saying in effect because we are so utterly carnal and disobedient to His Holy Spirit's voice and direction.

We treat God very cheap by excusing our selfish ways and will boldly go ahead and lift our hands to worship Him too.  Just like that foolish King Saul of old. 

What can God do with a "believer" who is stubborn as a wild horse or donkey? (Let us note that, at the point of disobedience, one is manifesting his "unbelief" and so the term, "believer" is no longer applicable to his true state.)  How it must anger God?  Even more so, how it must grieve Him that His own  pretend to desire His Word and yet reject His counsel.  This was King Saul's fatal transgression. He had been practicing that for years before God cast him permanently out of His sight. 

Shall we ask ourselves whether we truly want God to control our life and dictate to us His Holy and Perfect Will?  Unless, we are truly broken in our hearts and contrite in our spirits, we will never be a pleasing vessel in His Hand.  Unless we empty ourselves of ourselves we can never expect to be filled with His Blessed Holy Spirit.  Until we give up our plans, passions and ambitions into His Hand and let Him decide for us the right path, then we can never have any true satisfaction in anything we do.  We will be like Cain running from the Lord and building new cities to ward off the Holy One from our presence! How foolish and futile and ultimately fatal such an approach to life proves itself!

Are you in the process of backsliding, (which means in essence that by choosing to do, "your own thing" you are turning your back to God "slipping away" - Hebrew 2:1 - and are set toward Hell) or are you following your Lord Jesus? Professor of Christianity, are you more like rebellious Cain in his selfish pride and rebellion or like Abel, faithful and happy to do things God's Way with a pure heart of love?  Are you in practice more like the prophet Samuel who, even from his childhood, uttered the words of the title of this message and was ever so obedient to His God in true humility and with courage or do you presently find yourself like Samuel's contemporary, King Saul who lost his kingdom and more so his standing with God through reckless, selfish disobedience and by playing the deadly game of self-deception?

We can know the true answer to such questions, by simply examining our motives and daily actions and reactions to situations and temptations and the like.  With God's help, we can know exactly what state we are truly in and toward what goal we are actually heading: Heaven or Hell!

God wants us to realize our true position before Him as He will expose the true motives underneath our every deed. He would love to apply the scalpel of His Holy Spirit to perform spiritual heart surgery if we want to be healed.  Please consider carefully, the following relevant Scriptures:

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. Proverbs 21 : 2

The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts. Proverbs 17 : 3

All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. Proverbs 16 : 2

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. Proverbs 16 : 9

The Lord searches us and lovingly shows us what we are truly, on the inside. This is because He wants a real repentance and brokeness and obedience to spring up within us. 

Then and only then can we truly hear Him.

This will definitely happen if we are sincere in seeking His verdict on our present condition and are willing to let Him change us. 

So let the Lord speak to you today and show you where He wants you to surrender to Him even as it is revealed in His Word.

Through this kind of diligent and honest searching, we can make our calling and election sure!

Say with a sincere heart right now, "Speak Lord, for your servant heareth!"  and He will!  For His Eternal Glory and for our eternal good!