God Turns a Heart When You Turn and Go



And it hath been, at his turning his shoulder to go from Samuel, that God turneth to him another heart, and all these signs come on that day.

And just as Saul turned to leave Samuel’s side, God gave him a different heart, and all these signs happened that very same day.

Saul turned and left Samuel. At that very moment God transformed him—made him a new person! And all the confirming signs took place the same day.

-1 Samuel 10:19, Young's Literal Translation, Common English Bible, The Message

God changes hearts.  When Saul took leave of Samuel, God did the big thing.  God turned Saul's heart.  The private prophetic word was given in person.  But the miracle from God only happened when Saul left the meeting with the prophet to go.  Saul had to see that it was God who would do the things spoken of by Samuel.  The prophet was just God's messenger.  The power and the lifting up of Saul all came from God, and to God Saul owed worship and fidelity.

Things began to happen to Saul, inside & outside of him, when he left the meeting with the prophet.  Saul went back to his life, with the prophetic word over his life, and God began moving upon him.

God called the chosen person and then began to move in his life to make him fit for the call.  We can surmise that God gave him a heart to govern. God works from the inside out.  The Spirit of God changes a person from the inside out.  We might see or hear something on the outside, but on the inside is where the transformation, change, and turning takes place; and this is what happened to Saul.

God equips those he calls.  That's good news.  But it does not stop with one transformational touch. I was in a class once where we were studying spiritual transformational models that take seasons of a  lifetime as people grow to become more  Christlike.  There was a man there who shared that he went through all the stages of the particular model in one night.  In truth, he was actually a very underdeveloped (immature), controlling, verbally abusive, and religious person.  I have actually met a number of people like that, who after one special touch or experience, they think they've arrived and then they live carnally from their new plateau.  

The beautiful truth is that God can change people.  Another truth is that: the way in is the way on.  I learned that from John Wimber.  What got you here will keep you here.  God's grace, God's power, and God's intervention got Saul started in his kingship.  An anointed and powerful person was used by God to give Saul a message.  The relationship between the two men is also helpful for Saul, but Samuel will not be able to empower Saul of keep him on the throne.  Saul will need to cultivate an ongoing relationship with God for that.  

He got a powerful prophetic word.  Wonderful.  Now what?  He walks away.  Maybe his mind is spinning.  Then God does something in him.  Does Saul even know God touched him?  God changed Saul into another, different person.  God gave him a different heart.  More wonderful.

Is a powerful encounter, receiving a personal word of prophecy, followed by the changing of your heart, initiated by God; enough to set your spirituality for life?  That person will still need to make certain choices along the way that involve repentance, humility, and standing under trial, testing, or persecution.

Your deciding to lead because you want to or because others promote you or place you in a position is different than what happened to Saul.  A person deciding to be a religious professional and then going to school and getting placed in an institution and elevated over people is different than what happened to Saul.  We have no record of Samuel observing Saul over a period of time and determining that he deserved recognition as an elder, the chief elder of Israel. 

Saul's story shows us that God calls.  God calls a 'mister average'.  God can call anyone.  God can make a king or a queen out of anyone.  Saul's story tells us that God can change anyone.  It is implied that God changed Saul's heart to make him fit to be king.  God empowers and equips people for service.  

Saul's story also illustrates that God sometimes does the supernatural when we get our eyes off of man or woman and walk away from the person who spoke the word of God to us.   We sometimes have a prayer time that may be anointed, electric, or very encouraging; but the change does not appear to happen.  A small or large period of time may pass and then, suddenly, the change happens.

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