Text: 1 Samuel 18:6-12
Key Verse: “The women’s song upset Saul, and he became very angry. He thought, “The women say David has killed tens of thousands, but they say I have killed only thousands. The only thing left for him to have is the kingdom!” – 1 Samuel 18:8 NCV

The more I studied mental wellness, the more I have discovered the power of the mind and its influence on the overall well-being of an individual. The proverbs’ advice to make watching our hearts a priority couldn’t be more accurate.

Be careful what you think because your thoughts run your life. – Proverbs 4:23 NCV

Saul’s challenges always started with his thoughts, yet he did not discern it. First, he was afraid that the soldiers would desert him if he didn’t offer the sacrifice; then it was the fear of the people that kept him from obeying God’s instruction to kill everyone and everything that belonged to Amalekites. In our key verse, he opened the door to jealousy in his heart by his thoughts.

Why did the song of the women have so much impact on Saul? Did he not approve that David should go against Goliath when he and all of Israel feared and hid? Why is he now so insecure and worried about tomorrow?

I may not have all the answers, but l know that the mind always loves to dwell on retrospection or spend valuable time in anxiety about the future. Man has the power to choose to who to yield control of his thoughts to.

Saul opened himself up to evil spirits through the kind of thoughts he encouraged. I recall a tool for inner healing called the Four Doors, created by Pablo Bottari, a pastor from Argentina. He believes that all strongholds or issues stem from opening one or more of the following four doors: Fear, Hatred, Sexual sin, or WitchcraftOccult. I found it quite effective in ministering deliverance.

Thoughts, when not well managed, produce dangerous actions. Saul attempted to kill David right in the palace, the same person who had just brought a great deliverance and salvation to Israel, the same young man who had rolled away shame and reproach from the face of King Saul and Israel’s army.

Look closely at the issues that have stolen your joy? Can you trace the origin of the conflict? Does it seem you have opened any of these four doors by the kind of thoughts you entertained? There is hope for you today! Hallelujah.

Identify the door/doors opened, forgive the person persons who opened the door/ doors. What is the lie believed in keeping the door open? Renounce the lie and replace it with the truth. Declare the truth and ask Jesus in prayer to help close the door. Once closed, seal it/them with the blood of Jesus.

Break soul ties or any generational ties that prevent the door from being closed in Jesus’ name. If you cannot handle these steps alone, ask any gospel minister to help you.

You can be free today of jealousy against your friends, family members, co-workers, and brethren. Jealousy is of the devil, expose and root it out before it rips your marriage apart, contend against it before you lose a beautiful relationship. God can deliver if you believe.

Submit yourselves, therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – James 4:7

Prayer
Father, we thank you for your loving kindness; thank you for exposing the enemy’s device to creep into our hearts through the back door. Grant us the strength to resist till it is rooted out of our lives in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Pastor Ada

Photo by Paweł Furman on Unsplash