1 Samuel 7:3 – “And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ‘If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.'”
The Isrealites had been through a lot of trials because of the Philistines. They would seek God and ask for His help, but after they received His blessing, they would forget Him and turn to their other gods. And then they would turn back to Him only when they needed His help again. Samuel was getting frustrated with how the Israelites acted that He gave them a direct edict as found in the verse above.
Samuel reminded the Israelites that if they wanted God to deliver them from the Philistines, they had to return to God will all their hearts. And for that, they needed to do three things.
- Put away foreign gods
- Direct their hearts to God
- Serve God only
Are you going through a trial in your own life? Do you need God to deliver you from the pits of despair? Then you need to return to God with all your heart. Remove other relationships, habits and activities that have taken the place of God in your life. Surrender yourself to God’s capable hands, and choose to serve Him only. Then you will see the deliverance of the Lord in your own life.
