Who Are You Listening To?

Scripture: And the men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 1 Samuel 24:4

Observation: David and his men find themselves with what appears to be a divine opportunity. Saul, who had been pursuing David to kill him, steps into a cave where David and his men are hiding. While Saul is occupied, David's men seize this moment as God given and call David to take advantage of it by killing Saul. They use divine language, and speak as if they are speaking for God. David does not kill Saul, but is moved along by his men to go and cut a piece of Saul's robe, symbolizing that he could have killed Saul if he wanted.
God had not told David he could kill Saul. Yet David's men misread the situation and gave David spiritual sounding, but wrong advice.

Application: I need to be careful when I listen to others tell me what God says. Good hearted people, loyal to my best interests, can misread the signs and circumstances. When they come to me and say, "I think God wants you to do this or that," I need to test it out before acting on it. I need to be able to have my own direction from God and his word.

Prayer: As I head into a week of strategic discussions with our pastoral team, I pray we would be guided by you, Lord, and you would help shield us from misreading the signs and circumstances. Help us really hear from you, and avoid acting on what you have not said.