The Heart of God: To Become New Creations

Greetings! Let us examine 1 Samuel, Chapter 10. What is this chapter about? It tells the story of the Israelites demanding that Samuel appoint a king for them. Consequently, God indeed appointed a king for them, and the entire process was quite dramatic. What does this story convey to us? According to our Chinese Mingding Destiny practice of studying the Bible, we find a theme for this chapter: You must be transformed into a new person!

Indeed, God has always had a desire for all of us to become new creations. Understand that you desiring to become a new person is different from God causing you to become a new person. If you want to become a new person, the things inside you must change. If your exterior changes, such as through cosmetic surgery, it merely alters your appearance. The real person is the one inside. If there is ignorance and folly within, ignorance and folly will remain. Do not think that becoming handsome or beautiful externally, walking with a swagger, in high heels and jeans, looking ever so stylish, will amount to much. What one is inside remains what one is! If becoming a new person relied on outward appearance, we would all undergo cosmetic surgery and become beautiful. The crucial factor in a person becoming a new creation truly lies within oneself. Have you become a new person today?

Among us, it is exceedingly difficult if you do not experience God. What has been renewed in us today? Everything seems to have grown old. It is God’s desire for us to become new creations, a new creation in Christ. If you aspire to become a new creation, what should a new creation be like? Do you believe you are a new creation? What do you think a new creation should be like? I tell you, if the concepts within a person do not change, it is difficult to become a new person.

I happened to be ministering to a patient in the terminal stages of cancer, and she was suffering greatly. She could no longer defecate through the anus, so the doctors made an opening in her abdomen. I have ministered to her before, not just today. From the last time I ministered to her until now, I must say that I find it quite taxing to pray for her. Why do I say this? Because God earnestly desires for us to become new creations. But has the person changed? As soon as she opens her mouth, the same old things are inside her, so I scolded her. Why did I scold her, even when she was so ill? Because the things inside her are the root of her own ruination; otherwise, it is impossible to minister to her and edify her.

I discovered that everyone needs to change, including those of us who minister. The brothers and sisters in her own group ministered to her. Those who ministered to her went on a trip and sent her a photo of a rainbow after a rain, saying, “Sister, this is God’s covenant with you, a covenantal rainbow.” Is this not utter nonsense? We must understand, are you in the covenant or outside the covenant? What benefit is there in saying such things? Whether it is the person sending the message or the person receiving it, have their minds become renewed? The rainbow covenant is a reminder from God to you—pure nonsense! So, brothers and sisters, have we truly become new creations inside?

Once, I was ministering to someone with a brother, and this person had a severe problem with depression. In fact, depression, like cancer, involves exceedingly filthy thoughts, filth beyond our imagination. Then the brother ministering to him said, “I see Jesus Christ standing behind you, touching your head.” I said, “Enough, enough, let's not go there! If Jesus were truly touching his head, would he still be in this sorry state today?” I think he must have been mistaken. Who knows if it was the real Jesus or a fake Jesus?

It is God’s desire for us to become new creations, but the key to becoming a new creation lies within ourselves. How faithful God is! Brothers and sisters, clean out the trash inside you, clean out the trash in your thoughts. Sometimes I say people’s minds are full of excrement, and they take offense. They say, “Why are you cursing at people?” I am merely speaking the truth! Those among us who study the Bible, ask yourselves carefully, where have you been renewed? You have experienced God among us more than just a little. Your experiences are almost the same as those of Saul.

Then the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be turned into a different person (1 Samuel 10:6).

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all those signs were fulfilled that day (1 Samuel 10:9).

Samuel told Saul, “You will be turned into a different person,” and God indeed gave him a new heart. But did Saul become a new person? No. How then can a person become a new person? Why did Saul not become a new person? The problem is simple: God has done what God should do. What you should do, will you not do it? Brothers and sisters, God gives us a new heart, and as long as the person is willing to change inwardly, God will help him.

Adam and Eve, when they were first created, were like freshly steamed buns, still steaming hot! They were very new. When Adam and Eve were first created, there were no wrinkles on their faces, and they were radiant, very beautiful, very spiritual, and did their work very well. Everything they did was excellent, very new. What was the result? They quickly became old. We, brothers and sisters, must understand that God’s desire is for us to become new creatures. The responsibility does not lie with God because God is faithful, but people are unreliable.

Take the cancer patient I minister to, for example. I know this person is quite lazy and enjoys wandering around, engaging in a bunch of nonsense. Later, I gave him a computer, one that I used to use, so that he could learn how to do written ministry. But as he worked, he lost his way. I asked him to lead Bible studies, but he went on trips here and there. I said, “Enough, enough, forget about leading Bible studies! I simply wanted to create a way for you to earn a living.” He thought he was doing something for me, but no, I do not need his assistance. What he preaches is not on the right track.

I also said, “You should promote Chinese Mingding Destiny more.” But when he speaks, he still talks about his own nonsense, which is truly aggravating. It is aggravating to even look at. Later, I also encouraged him to get up and minister, to lead people in prayer. But when he leads people in prayer, his phone overheats and burns. Not only does the person get a fever, but the computer and phone also get a fever. Later I gave him a cell phone so he could lead people in prayer, but in the end, he did not lead anyone in prayer. I cast pearls before swine, with nothing in return. Has he changed? My hope was not for him to do something for me, but for him to break free from his cancerous habits. In the end, nothing changed.

Brothers and sisters, I must say, I often misjudge people! Many people are like a two-cent teapot, all mouth. But even calling it “mouth” is an exaggeration; what they say lacks sincerity. I often subsidize people. Do not worry about me; I subsidize people often, but even with all the subsidies, I cannot create anything worthwhile! I offer a warm face and am met with a cold shoulder. Even if I could warm up his backside, that would be acceptable! But instead of warming up his backside, my face is left cold. It is God’s desire for us to become new creations. Should we want to become new creations? Should we obey God’s will? As long as you are willing to obey God in your heart, God is willing to do everything, even allowing Jesus Christ to die for us. We must know God’s heart. God has offered His warm face to our cold shoulders countless times. Thankfully, our backsides have been warmed.

Brothers and sisters, God's intentions are good. The Israelites rejected God, not wanting God to be their king, but God is still faithful. God still hopes that the Israelites can become a new creation. Today, brothers and sisters, know that everyone whom God has chosen, as long as you encounter God, as long as you meet God, God does more than we can ask or imagine. Today, God does more for us than we can ask or imagine, but what do we do? To give you an example, we were praying with a cancer patient, and I roared at her because I could not hear her voice on the phone. I listened carefully, even with headphones, but I could still not hear her voice. Is this strange? The person ministering to her was another cancer patient, did you know that? This cancer patient who was ministering to her had a greatly swollen abdomen, pressing against her stomach and heart. Even so, she ministered to her.

Not long ago, her family was preparing for her to die. I began to minister to her, and her abdomen began to shrink, though not completely. I took her to minister to another cancer patient, and that person had no voice. I said, “Why do you have no voice?” He said, “I am praying normally!” I said, “That’s normal?” He said, “I live in the hospital, and there are many people in the same ward.” I said, “Can't you say hello to them? When some nobody, who-knows-who, comes to see you, they disturb the others in the ward!” What is called normal? Is this normal? After my reprimand, he went off track again as he spoke.

I said, “From last time to now, what have you changed?” Nothing. Later I asked, “How is your relationship with your mother?” She said, “I am about to die, why does my mother still treat me like this?” Do you understand what she meant? I am about to die, why does my mother still treat me this way? Can a person who says this be in a good mood? When is it your turn to criticize your mother? If you did not have cancer, who would? Is this normal? Coming among us, when our brothers and sisters minister to her, who has she thanked? Only lip service.

Has she really thanked anyone? I cannot see it. What is this if not selfishness? What is this if not courting death? When her mother raised her from infancy, caring for her every need, when did she have the right to criticize? What should she say? It would be much better if she said, “Look, I am about to die, why am I still treating my mother like this?” Brothers and sisters, be sure to know that there are still many people who complain among us, and that there are often many evil people!

A sister sent a message to her pastor, who was ministering to others, one after another, and was extremely busy. He did not see her message for a day because he had not had time to look! Then she began to complain, saying, “Even if you are Saul, I will be David. Even if you are so-and-so, I will still be Joseph.” Do you call that Joseph? That does not sound right. So brothers and sisters, there are many who complain! I tell you, God is never mistaken, nor are demons mistaken, only people can be mistaken. But God turns us into a new creation. What does a new creation look like? A new creation is a person who is like God.

Everyone should ponder this passage. I assume everyone has read it. God has done enough in us, but having done so much, do we have any desire to become new creations? Is there a longing to become new creations? Longing to become a new creation can save you from much suffering! It is still the same old things inside. Later, I said to the sister who was ministering to him with me, “Although the cancer is not completely healed, you are blessed!” Why? Because when she goes to the hospital, the doctor wants to make an opening in her abdomen to create an anal fistula. I am not sure of the exact medical term, but it means she cannot defecate through the anus. She said, “I will not do it, I will just leave it as it is.” She did not do it and returned home. The person who had the surgery with her several years ago, whose cancer recurred, later went to see a doctor, had an anal fistula done, and died two months ago.

Brothers and sisters, God’s desire is for us to become a new creation, but the responsibility does not lie with God; the responsibility lies with you. God is faithful, but we people are unreliable. Do you understand? Some have been believing in the Lord with me for nine years in the blink of an eye, some for ten years in the blink of an eye, and some for seven or eight years. Have they changed? God has done all that He can do, but whether or not a person can become a new creation depends entirely on yourself! What exactly is a new creation like? A new creation is one who gives, never thinking of receiving anything in return, always wanting to give, continually giving, and is not selfish.

Among our brothers and sisters, are there many who are selfish? They only care about themselves. When have they ever cared about others? Let me also say, when have you ever cared about me? It does not matter! Anyway, I ask God to help me before God. I tell you, I am determined to become a new creation. I know God is faithful, and God will surely help me. God can pay every possible price to help me become a new creation. There are many selfish people! They only care about themselves. They are still the old person, still the broken person, still the rotten person, and they still think they are right. They are always right to ruin themselves. They are so skillful at ruining themselves!

I implore you, starting today, cooperate with God and become a new creation. Stop ruining yourselves. God is helping us. Who can stand against us? To this day, I hear this sentence at least once every day: “I cannot control it.” But when I ask him to transfer 100,000 yuan to my account, he controls it very well. How is it that he can control sending 100,000 yuan? If I give you 100,000 yuan, would I not suffer a loss? Am I stupid? I said, “You cannot control it?” You can control it. If you want to control it, you can control it; if you do not want to control it, you cannot control it. He controls things very well when it comes to suffering losses. If he does not take advantage, he feels that he is doomed. It seems that this is the case. Did I hit you right in the heart? But what is the problem? According to your own logic, are you not ruining yourself?

What I say a thousand times or 10,000 times is not as good as you making a decision for yourself. Open your eyes and look clearly at someone like me. I know you may not be able to see me from afar, and I will not let you see me. But you can see what I do, especially those whom I personally minister to. I do everything that I should do, and I absolutely give what I can give. Sometimes I say to God in my heart, “God, may you remember me and have mercy on me!” Because I also have carnal habits. Sometimes when I think about it, I think about going there. It is difficult and not easy! Do you all know what a new creation is? It is one who lives in God’s logic system.

God is a Faithful God

When you have left me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to find have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about the donkeys and is worried about you, asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’ Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them. After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes, and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be turned into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you (1 Samuel 10:2-8).

Later, Saul indeed experienced this series of events. Brothers and sisters, know that God anointing Saul as king was not God’s intention. It was the Israelites who strongly requested that God appoint a king for them, and God agreed to appoint a king for them. But when I appoint a king for you, God will pour His Spirit on him, and then he will prophesy. Do you find it strange? Is Saul also a prophet? Saul is also a prophet. Saul experienced the things that God said. Did Saul think about experiencing those things? He thought about nothing. If you truly want to become a new creation, you cannot help but think, “My God is so amazing! I can actually prophesy, I can actually speak of future events, I can actually know the future through God.” Samuel anointed me with oil, and God wants to choose me to be the king of Israel! My throne comes from God, and I must fear God and honor Him above all else!

When Samuel told him these things, he later experienced them. What did he experience? He did not change, he was still the same. Today, brothers and sisters, while studying Saul, study ourselves as well. God is faithful. Did God not know what Saul was like? God absolutely knew. Why then did God still do it? These things that God did are enough to make people without excuse. If anyone commits evil deeds again, it is entirely their own fault.

God is faithful. Before appointing the king, He said to them:

This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and from all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ (1 Samuel 10:18)

Who can oppress the Israelites? No matter who it is, God can successfully deliver the Israelites. God has never broken His promise, and God has never abandoned us. In what instance did the Israelites call on God and turn to God, and it was ineffective? God has done enough, but what was the result?

But today you have rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, ‘No, set a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans (1 Samuel 10:19).

Brothers and sisters, there are too few among us who have not experienced God. Sometimes, our pastors minister for several hours, and the faces of those being ministered to are contorted. Do they know it themselves? They know. Are there many demons working in them? There are. They say: “I want to change a pastor.” Has your pastor wronged you? In what way has he wronged you? Do you think that you will become a new creation if you change a pastor? Will you be any better if you change a pastor? The pastor who accepts you also knows what kind of person you are. So brothers and sisters, even so, they rejected God as their king. God still appointed a king for them and still did what He should do. God’s Spirit was still poured out, causing Saul to prophesy and experience miraculous things. Everything Saul experienced was extraordinary. But did he change? He did not change!

Brothers and sisters, whenever we turn back to God, we receive salvation; whenever we stray from God, we invite ruin. Brothers and sisters, be a little more tender-hearted. Having gone through these things, shouldn't we trust in God? Moreover, after Saul was anointed as king, God raised up a group of people who were moved by God to follow Saul, and even prepared a bunch of subordinates for him. The glory of God's grace is so abundant that it is simply undeniable. If we forget God at the slightest opportunity, then that is your fate.

God is faithful. This time, the Israelites wanted God to establish a king for them, and God did everything He could. We say that God is faithful; even if everyone else is a liar, God remains faithful. Sometimes I say, God! You are truly not easy to please! It is fortunate that we are not God; with our petty minds, we would have crushed people to death. People are truly too bad! God has abundant grace and mercy, and God's patience exceeds human imagination. But today, do not be a vessel of God's wrath; become a vessel of God's glory.

Relying on oneself is the old self; relying on God is the new self

Why did God, through Samuel, have to tell Saul about this lineage? It was to let him know that he must trust in God! You must trust in God! You must trust in God! The concept I am conveying to everyone today is that you must change! You must change! You must repent! You must repent! You must repent! You must become a new person. You must rely on God; do not rely on yourself or others. But can you rely on yourself? You cannot be relied upon! Therefore, the most fatal thing for people is to rely on themselves. When they cannot rely on themselves, they are filled with fear.

I am serving a cancer patient. She said, Teacher, you don't know what the feeling is like for cancer patients; it is extremely fearful, filled with fear, very painful and difficult. You must know that the devil is very wicked. People just want to live, but they cannot live even if they want to. It is a vicious cycle, tied in a dead knot. Relying on oneself is useless. But this sister is truly blessed because of my service. In fact, I rarely return to my hometown these past years, but that year, I returned to my hometown. She got to know me, and then she got cancer. It was such a coincidence! She is truly blessed. What she told me was truly from the bottom of her heart, because she wants to trust in God; she wants to be a new person.

Brothers and sisters, do you know? The grievances of the past must be put down. Today, you must become a new person. When I take her to minister to others, she is very happy. The other day, she ministered to one person, and they got better; she ministered to another, and they got better. Truly amazing! I tell you, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger; it is truly the case. You must become a new person. The things you used to care about, the things you used to haggle over, the things you used to nitpick about, put them all down. Why? Because you are about to die. From now on, people must regard themselves as dead. I am already dead. Today, it is no longer I who live, but Jesus Christ who lives in me. When a person no longer lives for himself, but lives for Jesus Christ, he will not nitpick about anything.

Brothers and sisters, become a new person! Always consider yourself indebted. Some time ago, I ministered to someone with a very bad temper. After we came out of her house, another sister said to me, Teacher, is it because she feels she is not good enough that she is like this? I said, You are wrong. It is because she thinks she is very capable and that everyone owes her. She said, Really? Have you seen people like that? If I owe you an apology, I will lose my temper with you, and then say I am sorry. How can there be such a thing? If I lose my temper with you, it is because I feel you owe me an apology and that I am not wrong. This is called a cancer mentality. Everyone should always consider themselves indebted. Why do people no longer trust in themselves? Because relying on oneself is unreliable! How do you rely on God? This is how you rely: always consider yourself indebted, always give out, always serve others.

We must say that we must change strategies. If you have many illnesses and are suffering, it is not that I pray for you, but that you start to pray for others. I will take you to minister to others, always considering yourself indebted. If you always think that others are indebted to you, then even if you do not get cancer, you will get some other illness. It would be a pity if the illness did not come looking for you! You must always think that you are indebted to others. Everyone ponder on this slowly. Relying on oneself is unreliable, so you must rely on God. To rely on God, you must have God's logic.

If there is no God in this world, and it is all people, if he gets more, you will get less; if you get more, he will get less. This logic is correct. This is the world's GDP; there is only so much. If you take more, others will take less. But if there is a God in this world, and I give out, and God gives to us, I ask you, is there any problem? This is called God's logic. Why must you become a new person? It is because I cannot rely on myself, so I start to rely on God. Once a person relies on himself, he will be uncomfortable. Look at Saul; having experienced so many miraculous things, God was with him, but he forgot in a moment. Samuel arrived at Mizpah, saying, We must establish a king, and then they drew lots. The lot fell on Saul, but they could not find him. He was hiding in a basket. He was such a big guy; how big was that basket? Why? Because he relied on himself.

A dog that relies on itself has no confidence; a person who relies on himself also has no confidence. If he has no confidence, he will go crazy, his heart dangling halfway down his waist. So, brothers and sisters, you must know that God did so much for Saul through Samuel. He could even prophesy, like a prophet; he even had the Spirit of God with him; God even let him experience these things. Samuel also poured a flask of oil on Saul, anointing him. God gave him a Mingding Destiny, letting him govern the people of Israel. But he did not know how to rely on God. A person who does not know how to rely on God has no confidence in his heart. If he has no confidence, he will hide under a basket.

Let us take a look; if you are a person who relies on God, do you need to panic? Whoever relies on himself will definitely not get better! Whether it is serving God or anything else, if you rely on yourself, you will not get better; you are still the old self. Brothers and sisters, having experienced this time after time, are you still hiding in a basket? I tell you, relying on yourself always makes you feel inadequate. But relying on God allows you to dare to try anything new. Actually, I tell everyone that we people just like to do repetitive things. But doing repetitive things too much is not good. People must do new things. Recently, I told these pastors among us, I said you all get up, you must be able to start managing. Some people say, Teacher, I don't know how to manage! I know you don't know how to manage; that is because doing new things, you definitely won't know how. What is a new thing? Something you have not experienced is a new thing. We can learn new things.

Within us, there is an old self and a new self. If the new self reigns in you, you will dare to do anything, and new things will constantly break through. If the old self reigns in you, you will be afraid as soon as it is mentioned. What are you afraid of? With God supporting you, what are you afraid of? I tell everyone, brothers and sisters, do not hide in a basket. Because I already know your crappy self; you are not good enough. When I say your crappy self, I don't know if anyone will nitpick at me, but that is just the way it is. Whenever you rely on yourself, you are finished. Can you cultivate a habit of relying on God? Rely on God in everything!

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5)

Do not rely on your own understanding, do not rely on your own ability, start to rely on your God in everything. Your God is a faithful God! Whenever you rely on Him, He can be relied upon. Whenever you call upon Him, He is there waiting for you. Sometimes, the pastors among us teach others to rely on God, but when it comes to their own turn, they find that they are still relying on themselves. That is very interesting. Not to mention them, but myself as well. I accidentally fall into it, and to this day, I still tread on thin ice. So, people look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart!

Brothers and sisters, people look at the outward appearance, but the problem is that the outward appearance cannot determine whether a person is a new person. What determines whether you are a new person is looking at your heart. Does your heart rely on God? If you rely on God, rely on Him well! God is faithful. Even when we are very bad, God does what He should do! It is not that the Israelites are good enough; it is that the Israelites turned back and called upon God, and God appeared to them. So, even if Saul was hiding in a basket, God still moved a group of people to follow him. God moved a group of people to follow Paul, not because of Saul's leadership, but because God truly wanted to help him. God helps us even when we are very bad. If we trust in God, even though we are still very bad, will God not help us even more? If we trust in God, who can stand against us? Nothing can separate us from God's love. Our God is a faithful God! Forever and ever! Amen!

Brothers and sisters! Today, we truly need to become a new creation. I tell everyone, I once again cry out to heaven and earth to testify to you that even if a person is dead, God can raise him from the dead. You are still alive; what are you afraid of? Because you rely on doctors, you rely on yourself, you rely on science and technology. Those things cannot give people confidence. Why? Relying on that set of things does not work in many cases.

There was a preacher who contracted a malignant disease. The doctor said, This medicine is ineffective for 40% of people, and effective for 60% of people. Because that is how medicine is. A lot of money was spent on medication, but it did not work. He said, God, why did I fall into that 40%? Later, the doctor said, Okay, there is another medicine that is ineffective for 20% of people and effective for 80% of people. Let us increase the probability by 20%, right! But this price is ten times that price! Five times that price! I am just giving an example. Okay! Spend it! It still does not work. Then he asked, God! Why did you let me fall into that 20% again?

If you don't fall in there, where will you fall in? When have you ever trusted in God? Later, this preacher used another medicine, going everywhere to get money. After getting the money, the doctor told him again that there was another medicine that was 90% effective and 10% ineffective. He used it, but it still did not work. God! Why did you let me fall into that 10%? If you don't fall in, who will fall in! Later, he died miserably.

Summary

I think brothers and sisters, what can I say? If our inside is dirty, should we not change it? Let God cleanse our hearts. As long as we are willing to change, God will become the God who helps us! If we are willing, change the selfish logic system inside us, change the logic system of fearing death inside us. From now on, live in eternity, not in this life. Why must we be an old person? No longer rely on yourself, and no longer rely on others, just rely solely on God. It worked in the past, it works today, and it will work in the future. It is not that we are very good, it is that God is absolutely good; it is not that we are faithful, it is that God is absolutely faithful; it is not that we are good, it is that God is absolutely good. Having met such a good God, why not rely on Him?

Do not put your hope in your profession, do not put your hope in your exam, do not put your hope in your job, or put it in your business. Start putting your hope in God, and your heart will be at ease. Whenever you trust in God, your heart will be at ease; whenever you walk according to God's words, you will live in God's blessings; whenever you walk according to man's intentions, you will live under a curse; whenever you live under a curse, the problems will become more and more serious, and then God will not work. It is such a simple principle, because curses come from God.

Brothers and sisters, no matter what evil disease you get, it is not about expelling demons, it is about changing. If we invite the demons, we will drive them out. But we ourselves must know where we invited the demons to come from, okay? I think after listening to it, brothers and sisters, you will know that at the end, there was a group of bandits. How can this person save us? They despised Saul for not sending him a gift, but Saul ignored it. You will find that people are like this. God has done everything, but there are always people who oppose it, there will always be opposition. No matter what kind of person, we must know that God still reigns, and God's will is to let us become a new person.

From now on, offer yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, no longer living in evil thoughts and intentions. The devil, the demons behind cancer, are constantly releasing lies to you. If you act according to the lies released by the spirit of cancer, then good luck to you! There is only one way to live under heaven, and that is the path that God has guided us to take, to act according to God's word.

Amen! May God bless everyone!

1 Samuel Chapter 10

10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?
10:2 When you depart from me today, you will find two men near Rachel’s tomb, in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to find have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about the donkeys and is worried about you, asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’
10:3 “Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine.
10:4 They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
10:5 After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps played before them, and they will be prophesying.
10:6 The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
10:7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
10:8 “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what to do.”
10:9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.
10:10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets was coming toward him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.
10:11 When all those who had formerly known him saw himProphesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
10:12 A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
10:13 After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.
10:14 Now Saul’s uncle and his servant asked him, “Where have you been?” “Looking for the donkeys,” he said. “But when we did not find them, we went to Samuel.”
10:15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”
10:16 Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle anything about what Samuel had said concerning the kingship.
10:17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah
10:18 and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and from all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’
10:19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, ‘No, set a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”
10:20 When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.
10:21 Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by families, and the Matrite family was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found.
10:22 So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord said, “Yes, he is hidden among the supplies.”
10:23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others.
10:24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
10:25 Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.
10:26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched.
10:27 But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.