God Is Looking For Loyalty

I haven’t heard loyalty to God talked about in Christian circles. I hear a lot of loyalty to sin, but not to God. My Father is looking for those who are loyal to Him from the heart. David was such a one. Even though King Saul was trying to kill him, David refused to lift a hand against Saul. David did have opportunities to have revenge against Saul, but that was not in his heart to kill the Lord’s anointed. David honored God by what He has done rather than repaying evil for what Saul had done. David was a man of a different heart.

2 Chronicles 16:⁹ For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.

Acts 13:²² And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’

Let’s look at today. Many in Christian circles have more faith in their ability to sin than in God to forgive them of it. The word repent means to change your mind. If you have repented of sin, you are not to think about it again. If you are thinking about it, you haven’t repented. The old way of thinking keeps you in the same place you are, nothing will ever change. If you have a new way of thinking, that you are one with Jesus, this will bring you life and peace. Peter learned this before he went to see Cornelius in Acts 10. Three times the Lord lowered a sheet with all kinds of animals that were unlawful for Peter to eat. The Lord told Peter, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” Peter finally got it when He entered Cornelius’s house. Peter understood that you are not to call a sinner whom God has cleansed from sin. Sadly, many in the church haven’t learned that yet calling themselves sinners saved by grace not accepting the Lord’s forgiveness.

Romans 8:⁶ For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, ⁷ because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, ⁸ and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Acts 10:²⁴ And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” ²⁷ And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. ²⁸ Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. ²⁹ Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

My Father wants to show Himself strong, but He will only do this through those who are loyal to Him. Take a look at the faith chapter, Hebrews 11. Everyone that was spoken in that chapter was loyal to God. It didn’t matter what it cost them, they would not change their loyalty. Look at Jephthah. He asked for victory from the Lord and vowed whatever came out of his house he would offer to the Lord. Jephthah’s only daughter came out of the house. This is a real challenge to loyalty. Jephthah offered his daughter as a sacrifice to God. This also happened to Abraham. He offered Isaac as an offering to God because God told him to. These are all tests of loyalty. We are no different than anyone in the scriptures. If you want to follow Jesus, you will be tested to see where your loyalty lies. Like Job, satan comes to accuse you to see if you love God, where your loyalty lies? We have a place in Christ where we have victory. It’s our loyalty to the Christ-like loyalty of a husband and wife. Christ is loyal to us, even to the point of death. Where does your loyalty lie? Be blessed, my friends.

Judges 11:³⁰ And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, ³¹ then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” ³² So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his hands. ³³ And he defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. ³⁴ When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. ³⁵ And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot go back on it.” ³⁶ So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the Lord, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” ³⁷ Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.” ³⁸ So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. ³⁹ And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel

Genesis 22:¹ Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ² Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” ³ So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴ Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. ⁵ And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” ⁶ So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. ⁷ But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” ⁸ And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. ⁹ Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. ¹⁰ And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” ¹² And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” ¹³ Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” ¹⁵ Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, ¹⁶ and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— ¹⁷ blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. ¹⁸ In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” ¹⁹ So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba