Welcome back, we're back again today with another article. As a reminder, last time we discussed the difference between Christians who want to cook quickly (microwave) and those who choose to take their time (conventional oven).

Read the article: Conventional Oven vs Microwave Oven.

After reading this article, you understand that there's a category of "Christians" who appear good but whose inner self (heart) is evil, and another category whose outward goodness is merely a reflection of their good heart. However, this isn't inevitable; one can start well and end badly, or end well even after a bad start.

A good beginning is good, but a good end is better. For the end of a thing is better than its beginning. (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

You probably don't believe me 🤔. I expected that, which is why I prepared an example in each of the two cases to try and convince you.

The life of King Saul teaches us. Chosen as king by God, he stood out from the other Israelites, and the Bible says that no one was like him.

1 Samuel 10:24: Samuel said to the people, “Have you seen the one the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then all the Israelites applauded and shouted, “Long live the king!” 

During the early years of his reign, Israel experienced great victories, and it was during his reign that they were able to defeat the Philistine giant Goliath. 

Saul had a golden opportunity to be a king who would be a model for all future generations. However, instead of continuing to follow God, he allowed his heart to turn away from Him. 

Several serious sins, beginning with the offering of an unauthorized sacrifice ( 1 Samuel 13:9-14 ), marked the beginning of his downfall from the kingship. This downward spiral continued when he failed to exterminate the Amalekites and their flocks ( 1 Samuel 15:3-9 ), as God had commanded, but spared King Agag along with the best animals from his herd. He then sought to cover up his transgression by lying to Samuel and, indirectly, to God ( 1 Samuel 15:13-16 ). This act of disobedience was the final straw: afterward, God withdrew his Spirit ( 1 Samuel 16:14 ). God's break with Saul is certainly one of the saddest episodes in the Bible. 

After his mistakes, he was still king and therefore well regarded by many, but this was only an appearance, for his heart was already far from God.

1 Samuel 15:11: “I regret that I chose Saul as king. For his heart turned away from me, and he did not do what I commanded him…” 

In short, his disobedience, his abuse of power, but above all his estrangement from God, facilitated his downfall.

In contrast to King Saul, there was Saul of Tarsus, who got off to a bad start. Murderous, violent, and a persecutor, in short, Saul was a terrorist ( Acts 8:3 ) because he killed innocent people under the guise of obedience to God.

Despite his troubled past, God's grace located him and he met Christ, thus becoming the Apostle Paul, who wrote more than half of the New Testament in the Bible.

The last years of his life were quite different, as he lived for Christ and for the advancement of the Kingdom. ( Galatians 2:20 )

The Apostle Paul was able to complete his walk with God successfully ( 2 Timothy 4:7 ) because he understood that the end is more important than the beginning. He was aware that remaining steadfast and clinging to God is a grace. Thus, every day, he worked to avoid falling or straying from God. He even shared this advice with the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 10:12: “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall!”

This brief comparison between the lives of King Saul and the Apostle Paul (Saul of Tarsus) presents two concrete examples showing that who we are today is not fixed and that we can shift at any moment, for better or for worse. Everything depends on our heart, so we must guard it daily to avoid becoming complacent, for the devil is always prowling, trying to drag us back.

1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober-minded; be alert! Your enemy, the spirit of evil, is like a roaring lion. He goes about looking for someone to devour.”

I will conclude by saying this: if you are standing, take care that you do not fall ( 1 Corinthians 10:12 ), and if you have already fallen, cry out to God, He will hear you and deliver you from your distress ( Psalm 34:17 ). 

However, if, like the apostle Paul, you have made a bad start and want to get back on the right path to walk with God, pray this prayer with me:

“Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I started off on the wrong foot, however I understand that this is not inevitable. 

Come into my life today, I accept you as my Lord and Savior, my life begins anew with you and from now on, like the Apostle Paul, I walk with you. AMEN.

If, on the other hand, your start was good, but you fell like King Saul, say this prayer: 

“Lord, I was running well, but I stopped because of… (you mention what stopped you; masturbation, lies, slander, sadness…) I ask forgiveness for this. However, I don’t want to stay here, and I know that you have the power to bring me out of this, so I come to ask for the grace to be granted to me to break free from everything that is holding me back. You say in your Word that what we ask for in faith, we must believe we have received; therefore, it is with faith that I believe I have broken free from everything that is not from you, and that I now continue my walk with you in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.”

With that, I wish everyone an excellent 2024!

See you soon.

God Bless🙏🏾

#Dave Jr

Sources:

What can we understand about the life of Saul?

https://www.gotquestions.org/Francais/Saul-dans-la-Bible.html 

What can we understand from Paul's life?

https://www.gotquestions.org/Francais/Paul-dans-la-Bible.html 

Apostle Yvan Castanou: Your heart plays so many tricks on you 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRGGsZUyoag