Disobedience to God always leads to lost opportunity. Sometimes, we’ll realize what we missed by disobeying God. Sadly, most of the time, we’ll never know what we missed by not obeying God.
Dave’s Deceit and My Disobedience
In any large organization, there are always a few employees who think the rules are made for someone else. Dave was one of those people.
Dave was a sales manager who also had an outside business doing federal and state taxes. Now, we’re not talking about a couple of friends and family here. Dave’s long list of clients kept him busy throughout the tax season. Worse, he used the company computer for his side business. Besides, this violated several of the company policies.
Dave also owned real estate investment properties. Usually, this would not be a problem. However, his real estate investment partner was one of our major customers! This partnership with a customer in an outside business was another violation of the company policy.
I knew about Dave’s breaches of the company’s policies. I could feel God clearly telling me to deal with Dave by reporting his violations to our HR department. But I didn’t. I just didn’t want to get involved.
Last, and in my mind, the worst issue was Dave’s inappropriate behavior around female employees. I first witnessed his bad behavior at a company function in front of a group of male and female employees. When I asked around, I discovered several female employees who had been victims of his bad behavior.
Then, another employee approached me about Dave’s behavior. So, we agreed to tell our story to a senior executive. It wasn’t long before an HR investigation ensued, and Dave was held accountable for his behavior.
My Disobedience
My disobedience was in not acting when God led me to act. You see, I felt led by God early on to deal with Dave’s policy violations. However, like Jonah, I ran in the other direction, ignoring what God asked me to do. I wonder what pain might have been avoided had I acted when I should have?
My disobedience led to a lost opportunity. I had an opportunity to stand up for what was right, and I folded.
As Christian leaders, we need to have the courage to obey God. Not obeying God always leads to some lost opportunity. It might be an opportunity to stand up for the truth. It may be an opportunity to protect someone else.
Regardless, the one thing I know from personal experience is every time I obey God, especially when it’s hard, is a time when I grow as a person and as a leader.
The Bible has numerous examples of leaders who failed to obey God. Also, if you look closely, you’ll see that their failure to obey led to some lost opportunity in every case.
One of the great examples of a leader who failed to obey God and suffered lost opportunities was Saul. His story is told in 1 Samuel 9-11.
Saul’s Disobedience
Of all the characters in the Bible, I don’t think anyone had as many opportunities for success, yet Saul still missed them all because he disobeyed God.
Saul started out and headed in the right direction. In his early days as a young man, Saul was humble and self-controlled (1 Samuel 10:22, 10:27, 11:13). As a result, God had Saul anointed as the first King of the Israelites and even gave him His Holy Spirit to guide him (1 Samuel 11:6).
Sadly, It wasn’t long before Saul disobeyed God, and his disobedience continued throughout his reign as king.
- Saul’s first test came when Samuel said he would return in seven days, and together, they would present sacrifices to God. Saul became impatient, refused to wait, and disobeyed by offering sacrifices on his own (1 Samuel 10:8, 13:7-10).
- Later, Saul was told to annihilate an enemy (1 Samuel 15:3). Again, he disobeyed by sparing the enemy king and keeping all the best animals. He even blamed the soldiers for taking the plunder, saying the animals were meant for a sacrifice to God.
- Saul was also guilty of making rash vows (1 Samuel 14:24).
- Saul became jealous of David to the point of hunting and trying to kill David (1 Samuel 18:8, 19:1).
- Despite outlawing spiritists, Saul consulted a witch because God had turned away from Saul (1 Samuel 28:7).
God had high expectations for Saul as the first King of the Israelites. Sadly, Saul’s self-will, pride, egoism, and abuse of power led to complete moral degradation. Saul’s disobedience led to lost opportunities. Saul lost his kingship and his family’s rule over the Israelites, and his life ended in suicide. There are consequences for not obeying God.
Key Lesson for Leaders Today
God has high expectations for Christians who assume the mantle of leadership.
- We must obey God completely in all things and all ways.
- We cannot let our self-will, pride, and egoism lead to behavior contrary to God’s perfect will for our lives.
- Above all, we must remain humble and thankful for the opportunities God has given us.
The best way to remain humble is to keep short accounts with God through daily prayer as we seek His wisdom and guidance in our lives.
More Articles on Disobedience
If you want to get more on the subject of disobedience, here are three more articles you may find helpful.
#111: 4 Types of Leaders Who Rejected God and Failed
#217: What a Tangled Web We Weave When First We Practice to Deceive!
#290: Are There Consequences for Living Any Way You Want?
Join the Conversation
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Category: Personal Development | Obedience to God
