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The Urgent Call to Holiness

In a world filled with compromise, the Bible calls believers to live set apart. The story of Eli, his corrupt sons, and the boy Samuel in 1 Samuel offers a sobering look at the consequences of unfaithfulness in leadership and the blessings of a life devoted to God.

God’s standard for His people has never changed. Whether in the priesthood of ancient Israel or the “royal priesthood” of every believer today (1 Peter 2:9), the way we walk, speak, and serve matters because it reflects the God we claim to follow.

Eli and His Sons: A Warning to Every Generation

Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, held positions of spiritual authority but lived in blatant disobedience. They exploited the people, disregarded God’s instructions, and lived in immorality. Scripture says plainly, “They did not know the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12).

Eli’s failure to correct them brought God’s judgment not only on them but on his entire household. This account warns us that knowing about God is not the same as truly knowing Him. Leadership without holiness leads to spiritual disaster.

Samuel: A Life Set Apart

In contrast, Samuel grew up serving in the presence of God. From his youth, he ministered faithfully, listened for God’s voice, and responded with humility: “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9).

Samuel’s closeness to God and obedience positioned him to lead Israel toward spiritual renewal. His life shows that holy living is not passive. It is an active, daily choice to abide in God’s presence and walk in His ways.

The Promises and Conditions of Psalm 91

Psalm 91 describes the blessings and protection reserved for those who “dwell in the shelter of the Most High” and “abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” These promises are conditional. They apply to those who remain close to God, trust Him fully, and live according to His word.

Samuel’s example illustrates this truth. His intimacy with God brought clarity, courage, and divine favor, even in a time when “the word of the Lord was rare” (1 Samuel 3:1).

Walking Worthy of the Call

Ephesians 4:1 urges believers to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling” they have received. Holy living means cultivating godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and gratitude for salvation. It is not about religious performance but about genuine transformation that impacts everyone around us.

Like Samuel, our obedience can influence families, communities, and even nations. In times of moral decline, living a consecrated life becomes both a safeguard for ourselves and a testimony to the world.

Your Life Leaves a Legacy

Holy living is never just about us. It shapes the lives of those we touch. Just as Samuel’s faithfulness stood in contrast to the corruption of his day, our choices can inspire others to draw near to God.

In unholy times, we are called to be light in the darkness, steadfast in truth, and bold in representing Christ. The spiritual decline around us is not a reason to compromise. It is a reason to stand firm.The movement toward holiness begins with us. God has already provided everything we need for life and godliness. Now is the time to abide in His presence, walk in His ways, and live as His royal priesthood. Let the legacy you leave be one of faithfulness, courage, and unshakable devotion to the Lord.

Where To Dive In:

(00:09) Nourishing the Soul Through God’s Word
(08:40) Consequences of Unholy Leadership
(13:13) Call to Serve With Integrity
(27:37) Hearing God’s Call Through Samuel
(32:46) Dwelling in God’s Shadow
(39:30) Impact of Holy Living Through Samuel
(50:48) Call to Reversing Spiritual Decline
(01:00:24) Prayer for Spiritual Guidance

Scripture Referenced:

• 1 Samuel
• 2 Samuel
• Joshua
• Ephesians 4
• Psalm 91
• Psalm (general mention)
• 1 Peter 1
• Leviticus 11
• 1 Peter 2
• Revelation 1
• John (general mention)

Full Transcript

This transcript is auto-generated and not perfect. We hope it blesses you.

00:09 – Jaime Luce (Host)
Welcome to the Jaime Luce podcast. Thank you for taking time today to nourish your soul, to dig into the Word of God. Every time that we eat of His Word, we are nourished, we are fed, we are filled up, and don’t we want our cup to be running over, to be filled up and running over. I know for me every day if I will start the day by pouring in through the word, through prayer, allowing the Holy Spirit to fill me up, allowing the Holy Spirit to fill me up, then, whatever the day holds, I just feel ready, I feel equipped, I feel able, and that’s what we do together. We come in, we dig into the Word, we find out what the Lord has to say, to teach us more about Him, to draw us unto Himself and to nourish that relationship with Him, that we feel His presence, that we know him intimately and that, because of that relationship, we are able to do what pleases him, to go out, be victorious in the world and to do whatever it is that he’s called us to do. So today we are going to be in 1 Samuel. There’s a lot in Samuel 1 and 2 Samuel, and there’s a lot in 1 Samuel. There’s a lot in the first couple chapters I’m going to, for the sake of what I have for you today. I’m going to kind of skip over the story of Hannah and through the years of doing the podcast I have done teachings on Hannah. I’m sure if you go back you’ll find some of those, but today I’ll make reference to her and a prayer that she prayed.

01:51
But we’re really going to hone in on Eli and his sons. Eli was the priest and his sons were priests who were to serve in the tabernacle. And if we kind of do a short synopsis of a history lesson, you have the children of Israel. They come out of Egypt. They finally, after 40 years in the desert, go into their promised land. Joshua takes them, they are taking ground and there comes a point, after Joshua dies, and after all the leaders die, that there is no real leader in Israel.

02:28
Instead, we go through a period of judges and some of those judges did well, some of them did not, but for the most part the people did not have a singular voice that was speaking to them, the heart of God, the desires of God. They were to have received the Ten Commandments, to have known the precepts of God, to know the ways of God and these were to be taught to their children, generation after generation. We are taught through Scripture that they wanted them talking about it from the time they woke up in the morning to the time they went to bed. Their relationship with the Lord was to be the epic conversation that never ends, so that they are fully aware and living their life truly knowing God. I mean truly knowing who he is, what he loves, what he hates, knowing who he is, what he loves, what he hates, what his desire for his people is. And somehow, during that time, it would be like expecting people to know the Bible, to know the ways of God, to know what there is to know about God. And you never go to church, you never hear a preacher, you never read a Bible. Eventually, scripture tells us that during those days, the people did what was right in their own eyes. Now, as far as a group of people, the Levites, who were the ones to perpetually do the ministry of the tabernacle, they should have known at least more than the other tribes, because they were daily to be doing the services of God and should know what those services meant and why, what they represented before God, the things that they should do.

04:24
But by the time we get through some of these judges and we now reach the point where we have Eli, who is the. I don’t know if he’s considered the high priest he’s the priest and his sons are serving with him. But if we go to chapter 2, and we begin in verse 12, we’re going to see some things here and it is imperative for us to understand what we’re going to be talking about is the difference that God distinguishes, not what Jaime says, not what current culture says, not what your mom or your grandma said about church leaders, about people who were ministers before God. But this is what God has determined was either a shepherd who was holy and righteous, a priest who was good in God’s eyes according to doing to what he had instituted for them to do, to doing to what he had instituted for them to do, or that which was evil in God’s sight. So there were ministers who worked in the priesthood, who were considered righteous, holy, and then there were those who were the opposite of holy, very unclean of holy, very unclean, doing detestable things. And this is where we find ourselves. This is 1 Samuel, 2, verse 12, and it says Now, the sons of Eli were worthless men, and what’s so amazing to me is the very next sentence tells us why they were worthless men. These men served in the priesthood regularly. It would be like saying, yeah, that’s one of the pastors at the church. Okay, I hope you get the depth of this and the oh, how vitally important this is to understand. This is shocking. They were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. Okay, so it is possible that there are those and we’ve seen them fall. We’ve seen them in pulpits with very large churches. This happens in churches of every size, every size, no matter where you find them.

07:01
Now, I would venture to say most of this takes place, sadly, in the United States, I think those in other countries because of place. Sadly in the United States, I think, those in other countries because of the persecution. You don’t mess around when you’re saved, you’re saved and it may be very quickly coming. There’s already things happening, rumblings happening here in the United States. We don’t know for how long we have the ability to truly worship without being truly persecuted. We have got to get this right.

07:34
It’s time to get very serious about our relationship with the Lord, very serious about what we think it is to be a Christian and to live this life the way God has called us to live this life it’s imperative that in order for true spirituality and I’m not talking about religious acts, I’m not talking about being a religious person, I’m not talking about those who do things because they’re checking the boxes and calling that spirituality. I’m not talking about those who do things because they’re checking the boxes and calling that spirituality. I’m talking about real salvation, a real consecrated life, a real life that is in sanctification and is moving toward looking like Jesus more and more every day. It is imperative that, if we’re ever going to see that spirituality in the body of Christ, that there is first an even greater understanding of who God is, what God expects, and living that life.

08:40
For those who are in leadership, if, in the days of Eli and his sons, they are acting in every way contrary to what God has said, what are the people of God to think? They either will come and know something’s wrong according to whatever they were taught in their household, or they will think well, if that’s what this is, no wonder they went along with every other idol worship that their neighbors were doing. No wonder they intermingled where they weren’t supposed to intermingle. If the leadership doesn’t toe the line, nobody behind them will either. They won’t know how, they won’t know the direction to go. That’s why the scripture says if you strike the shepherd, the sheep scatter. God has to institute this way that shepherds must be consecrated wholly and set apart for that leadership, so that those who follow them know the direction to go. It’s so important. God judges church leadership and he did it right here in scripture and he’s still doing it today.

10:03
In fact, I didn’t look this particular scripture up, but it says that this kind of when God cleans house like this, it starts in the house of God. It starts and that judgment starts in the house of God. He expects those in leadership, and I don’t. It doesn’t matter what leadership. If you are in leadership and if you’re not in leadership, don’t tune me out. This isn’t only for leaders. I’ll get to that in a little bit, just hang on with me.

10:30
But you need to know, if you are in a place, first of all, that the leadership is living this out, because you’re not safe. If your leader is not living a life consecrated and holy before the Lord, you’re just not safe as the sheep of that house because you will be led astray. Now the judgment will be stronger on the leader because of how that affects the people that follow. But we are not ignorant folks. We have the availability by ourselves, without anybody telling us what the word says, to read it for ourselves. These Bibles are available anywhere. You can download one for free on your phone. There is no excuse to not know our God. But if you are a part of a house of worship, then you need to know that that leader is living according to God’s standards and doing what God has called them to do.

11:28
That trickles, that has the trickling effect and that works its way down. As the head is, so will the rest of the body be. That’s just like your thought life. Your thought life will determine the direction you go. It won’t matter what your body parts think they’re going to do. They won’t go anywhere without your mind first. It’s the way it works. It starts at the head and it works its way down.

11:51
Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas were judged. This whole passage of scripture. I’m not going to read all of it, but what they were doing I’ll summarize for you. I’m not going to read all of it, but what they were doing I’ll summarize for you. If people brought their sacrifices. The servants of Hophni and Phinehas would go in with a like a fork a giant fork and they would just take out the portions of whatever they wanted, of whatever the sacrifice was. God had instituted what parts belong to him, what parts belong to the priests, what parts belong to the people bringing the sacrifice. He instituted how they were to offer those to the Lord, whether they are to be on the fire grilled, whether something’s to be boiled, whether something’s to be poured out. All of those had very distinct instructions on how to do this before the Lord and Eli’s sons ignored all of it. It didn’t matter if something was boiling, they would just take what they wanted, or they would demand that something’s given to them raw. It didn’t matter what. If you came and you protested, they would tell you either you do what I say or I’m going to take it by force.

13:13
They were, instead of being caring for the people, they disdained the people. They used the people. They were sexually immoral and they were sleeping with all of the female servants that were there supposed to be serving in the house of God, making it like every other idol worship where there were house prostitutes. They just they desecrated the things of God. They showed no, no, no care at all, no love for the Lord. They did not know the Lord, they didn’t even know him.

13:51
And this is a scary warning, because you can have people right now serving in the churches right now that we attend, and they don’t know the Lord and they do every detestable thing according to God in their free time when they’re not there at church, and they don’t even while they’re at church and while they’re serving, do things the way that God would have them do them. They aren’t submitting their lives. They aren’t doing things according to scripture. They do whatever they want. They do it how they want, they do it when they want. This is very real. Though this happened all these years ago, thousands of years ago, this is still prevalent and still happens. Today it may look a little different. Your offering may be money that you’ve brought and it could be being abused and used wrongfully. Usury and trickery could be used. Where pressure put on people, the same things that we saw are this could be happening and then carnality can be happening all around.

14:51
So we have to be so careful to truly examine ourselves and see are we living according to God’s law? Are we living the way that God has called us to live according to his word, and it’s not so he can be mean to you and make you do what he wants you to do. It’s so that he can keep you safe, so you would live a life that is free from bondage, and that you would live a life full of victory and joy and satisfaction, and be able to do the things that he’s called you to do, to be able to live them with all of your might, to fulfill every purpose that he’s ordained for your life. It was always for our good that God ever instituted anything that he instituted. It was always for our blessing, never for our harm.

15:40
Eli and his sons were greatly judged. God comes to Eli and tells him in verse 22 what he’s going to do and how he’s going to judge this household, and it’s very strict, it’s very final. He says they’ll lose their lives early that they will no longer, as long as they live, have a lineage serving in God’s house. It was so bad of what they were doing. Verse 31 actually says Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house, then, in distress, you will look with envious eyes on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out, to grieve his heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men. And this shall come upon your two sons, hophni and Phinehas, and they shall be assigned to you. Both of them shall die on the same day, shall die on the same day, and I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind, and I will build him a sure house and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. I’m going to stop right there.

17:26
This is where we move into Samuel. I’m coming into the story. But here’s the reason why God judged Eli and his sons. We don’t see that Eli was doing these particular activities. The problem that Eli had and why God judged Eli, was that Eli was head over them. He knew what they were doing and he never stopped them. We see that he went to them and kind of complained to them why are you doing this? You shouldn’t be doing this. But he never restrained them and God held him responsible. You should have done something about this. You should have done something about this. And, folks, this is a stark warning. I know this is heavy. It’s heavy on my heart too, but if God shows us something and we know something’s not right and we are actually over that thing, responsible for that thing, and we don’t deal with it, we will be judged for that.

18:25
We have to deal with what’s under our care, what’s in our house. We have to be those who care about hearing what God says. God had made his ways known and Eli knew what they were. That’s why he went to his sons and said don’t be doing this. That’s why he went to his sons and said don’t be doing this. But he didn’t stop them. He didn’t stop them, he knew better and he didn’t prevent it. We have to be those who that when werepresentation of God himself to the people and sadly so was Eli’s, because he should have corrected them and that was not seen by his life for people and that was not seen by his life for people, just as Moses was denied entry into the promised land and he died because he misrepresented God to the people. So will the fate be of Eli and his sons? They will not be able to serve before the Lord, and this was so great a sin that the scripture says that their sin would not be atoned for. It would not be atoned for the message of their grievous mistakes to us or anybody in leadership or service to the Lord is reiterated by Paul. So this isn’t just Old Testament, this is very much New Testament.

20:12
Paul said in Ephesians 4.1, and I’m reading this particular one out of the ESV, but then I’m going to give it to you in the Amplified says I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, not prisoner of the Lord, for the Lord, because we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice the prisoner for the Lord urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Now let’s read that in the Amplified. So I, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity. Moral courage, personal integrity and mature behavior, a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation Boy. That’s good. If you are truly.

21:38
When you know the Lord, like when you really know him, you know he saved you. You know the wreck you were. You know the Lord like when you really know him, you know he saved you. You know the wreck you were, you know the wretch you were and he saved you. He gave his life’s blood for you. When you have truly got an understanding of what God has done for you, it is easy to say yes, no, I want to live my life in service to you, lord, whatever that means, whatever that means for you, for my life, god. If that means to raise my children at home, if that means on a job somewhere, if that means serving in the house of God. That service to the Lord is something that I offer freely, because I know that I have been saved and that’s what the scripture is saying. That you live a life that shows forth the gratitude that you understand that God saved you, that you are exactly the opposite of what Hophni and Phinehas did. Listen to this. These are the exact opposites of what they did. To live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity and mature behavior. Now, to know him is to understand salvation. But the scripture clearly said they did not know the Lord.

23:07
These men lived completely contrary to their calling, completely contrary to the calling to live in service to the Lord, no matter how you serve. No matter how you serve, whether that’s in the pastorate, or whether that’s in service in children’s department or ushering or working in the parking lot, it doesn’t matter where the service is. The Levites did every kind of possible service to the Lord. Some of them were the ones who offered sacrifice. Some of them carried the tent when it moved. Every little thing got carried and touched and packed and moved and held in a certain way. It doesn’t matter what the service is. Every possible service to the Lord should be done understanding that you know who God is and you offer this to him. That you do it with godly character, that you do it understanding this is unto the Lord. This is my gratitude to him.

24:13
Since these men lived completely contrary, we have to see instead what God chooses, what is the opposite. If this is contrary to God, what is the will of God? What kind of man or woman does God use in the kingdom of God and for his purposes, no matter what that purpose is. God chooses to show us in Scripture the contrary. Instead of these men, he chooses a young boy. Instead of these men, he chooses a young boy. A young boy whose life was given to the service of God out of a heart of gratitude from his mother. Hannah, if you will give me a son, I will give him to you to serve you his whole life. I will bring him to the temple and give him to you. I will bring him to the temple and give him to you, someone who would listen, who would hear God’s voice and truly follow it and listen to it.

25:20
Let’s read a little bit about Samuel. Let’s go to 1 Samuel oh, what do I want to give you? First? Go to chapter 3, and let’s start with oh, we’ll see Now. The boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli, which means Eli could see in front of Eli. He could see everything that Samuel did in service to the Lord, and it clearly says that he was ministering to the Lord.

26:05
I loved that because, no matter what you do in service to the Lord at church or wherever, you might serve or give your time or whatever the Lord’s called you to. When you do that thing with understanding, that that’s what God has called you to and you do it in service to him, that is truly ministry to him. I mean the thought that I could minister to the Lord, that he would see the things that I do as me ministering to him. I mean think about it. If you’re a parent and your child let’s say you’re a mom and your child without you asking them or telling them, does some laundry or does the dishes or does some things, it ministers to you that you didn’t have to tell them and that they did it for you. That was ministry to you, right? You know if they’re helping dad out, right, you know if they’re helping dad out, they’re. You know something with the tools, or helping him gas up the cars, or you know whatever the yard work, whatever, whatever could be, we take that as ministry to us. And if we don’t, we should. We should when there is an understanding and a relationship where love is the motivator, gratitude is the motivator. They thought of you and they just did that for you. That’s ministry. That’s ministry. Let’s go on.

27:37
And the word of the Lord was rare in those days. There was no frequent vision, which means Eli was not regularly hearing from the Lord. At that time, eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was. Now, I hope you understand what that’s saying. In the temple there were places where the priests could like a room, like there were rooms in the temple, areas that they could be, and it says that Eli could see the ministry that Samuel was doing. So they were together in the tabernacle. But it specifically is telling us that Eli was laying somewhere in the tabernacle.

28:48
But look at where little Samuel was. He was lying down because it says Eli had a place in his own place, but Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was. Now that’s important. Why? Because the ark was called the ark of his presence. When they would go into battle, the ark would go first because it was saying God is with us, his presence is with us, he goes before us. They would send the ark out first because the presence of God would go before them. This was his presence as a boy. Little Samuel is sleeping. Where he rests, where he abides, where he truly lives, is in the presence of the Lord. He slept in the presence of the Lord, not just off in his own place somewhere by the ark of God.

30:01
Then we go into the next several passages where God calls to Samuel. Only Samuel thinks it’s Eli. Three times we hear God say to Samuel, samuel. And of course he jumps up, he runs to Eli because he would serve him. I’m here, I heard you, what did you want, what did you call me for? And three times Eli says to him I didn’t call you, samuel, go back and lay back down. Then Samuel finally understands something’s happening, something that he didn’t experience much of outside the presence of God, of God. Little Samuel was hearing God, he was hearing a calling, he was hearing his name, he was being called. So Eli says go back and lay down. If he calls you again, you say here am I, lord, I hear you, here am I? Your servants listening Folks, this is our job that, whether we hear God sitting in church and you hear something and you know you heard it, you know that was for you, you know he’s speaking to you, whether it’s reading a book, whether it’s singing worship, whether it’s listening to this podcast, whether you’re participating in something you shouldn’t and you hear the voice of God.

31:33
The instruction we need to firmly grasp is that the minute you hear him, you say yes, lord, I hear you, I’m listening. Hi, my name is Jaime Luce. I wanted to share with you some information about a brand new book entitled you Don’t Need Money, you Just Need God. It’s a playbook for miraculous provision, and I want to share it with you because it solves the problem we are all facing right now. The economy is going crazy, gas prices are soaring, there’s wars and rumors of wars. We’ve got everything hitting us all at once, with interest rates rising. You need to know what to do, and so many times we think we need the money, but you don’t need money. I’m telling you the answer is you need God, and that’s exactly what we want to teach you through this book. We’ll give you practical ways to know what to do and how to do it, so that you get answers now. You can find my book on Amazon. You can also go to Luce.com. You can also find this book at youdontneedmoneyyoujustneedgodcom. This book is available today, in fact, let’s read that, verse 9. Well, let’s go to verse 8.

32:46
And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he rose and went to Eli and said here I am for you called. Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore, eli said to Samuel Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say Speak, lord, for your servant hears. Oh, I love the way it says that. That means I’m not just hearing you, but I’m listening to you. I’m listening to you, lord. I want you to talk to me and I want to really listen. What are you really saying to me? And the Lord came and stood. The Lord came and stood, wow, calling, as at other times, samuel, samuel. And Samuel said for your servant hears.

33:48
Then the Lord began to tell little Samuel everything he had told Eli how he was going to judge his home and what was going to take place. And one of the very first things that takes place after this encounter. Eli asks Samuel what did God say to you? And don’t hold anything back. Samuel had to right away show the very behavior that I read to you out of Ephesians 4. He had to have not only godly character, but he had to have moral courage. He was going to have to tell Eli. I know that you have done wrong and your sons have done wrong. I know everything and I know that God’s going to judge you. But think about the lesson that the Lord was teaching this young boy to help him understand the ways of God as a boy, not just to know his voice, but to know his expectations, to know how he expects him to live his life.

35:00
When I read this, it became apparent to me that because Samuel had chosen to sleep in the presence of God, to stay close to God, to be near him, it really kind of set off my fireworks, I guess, in my mind. Of all the other scriptures that reminded me of this, and the one in particular, such a powerful piece of scripture that I want you to look at with me, but that’s Psalm 91. So if you have your Bibles, go there, psalm 91. And I’m going to read you the entire Psalm and point out something to you that I found fascinating, that ties into what we’re talking about here, that I found fascinating, that ties into what we’re talking about here he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High.

35:53
And where was little Samuel dwelling In the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. He’s so close, he remains right under God’s shadow, he never gets far enough away that he is not covered by that shadow. He stays so close to God, to the Lord, my God I’m sorry my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. So if I do these things, I’m close enough to say this to the Lord you are my refuge, you are my fortress, you are my God and I trust you. Okay, those who abide under the shadow of the almighty, this is what they can say to the Lord and this is what will happen for them.

36:53
If you live in that place, if you keep your life, if you abide under his wings, under his shadow, if you live there, stay there, make it your place of wake and sleep. This is what is available to you, for he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness is a shield and a buckler. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, 10,000 at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see recompense on the wicked. Because you will see all of that, because you have made the Lord your dwelling place, the Most High who is my refuge, no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague can come near your tent, for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands, they will bear you up lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent. You will trample underfoot. Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him. I will protect him Because he knows my name. He knows me, not like those who do not know him. He knows me. When he calls to me, I will answer him. I will answer him. I will answer him. He hears you when you call. I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and honor him With long life. I will satisfy him.

39:30
Look at the contrast. This was who God had chosen, the one who would dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who would abide in the shadow of the Almighty, who has made the Lord his dwelling place. So many will quote these kinds of scriptures, people who live a life any way they choose, with complete disregard to how God has asked them to live their life, and then quote these scriptures and give themselves some peace of mind, like, well, god’s going to take care of it, god’s going to take care of me, he’s going to do it for me. No, my friend, not necessarily. This was conditional. No, my friend, not necessarily this was conditional. Every promise I just read you was for the one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High. This is for the one who knows God. This is the one who makes God his refuge, the one who trusts in God. Those are the ones who get to claim these scriptures and say, yes, god’s going to do this for me. He’s going to do this for me because I have made him my dwelling place. I dwell with him, I live with him.

41:02
Hannah sang let’s go back to 1 Samuel, and I’ll keep your finger there, because there’s a scripture we’re going to go back to. But Hannah says in her prayer in chapter 2, verse 9, she had received. God heard her prayer, her cries for a child. He gives her Samuel. She brings Samuel to the Lord and offers him to the Lord, and then she offers a prayer. It’s a beautiful prayer, but in her prayer I’m not going to read you the whole thing, but in verse nine it says this he will guard the feet of his faithful ones, of his faithful ones. He will guard the feet of his faithful ones. Well, that sounds just like what we just read in Psalm 91, in verse. Let’s see verse 12 to 16. On their hands they will bear you up lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread, use your feet, you will tread. That’s a form of walking stomping. You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent. You will trample underfoot. Hannah is saying in her prayer you will guard the feet of your faithful ones. What is she actually saying?

42:29
What is this passage in Psalm 91 actually saying? Why is he talking about our feet? Our feet represent how we walk, where we walk. When we walk, they lead the direction of our lives. They take us where we’re going. This sounds familiar.

42:58
Again, what did we read in Ephesians 4.1? I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. God cares about the way we walk out this life. He cares what your walk looks like. That’s why there are scriptures that say that we have to walk the narrow road and not take the wide road that leads to destruction, it says. Few there are that find the narrow road Wide is the way that leads to destruction.

43:41
We are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling. That calling comes from the gratitude of knowing you’re saved. This isn’t like. This is completely flies in the face of that messy, wishy-washy grace talk. Grace is empowerment that gives us the ability to do things in the strength of the Lord. Greater is he who is in me than he who’s in the world. I am able to do things that I could not do in my own flesh. I draw on the presence of God, on the power of God, on my gratitude for salvation, which strengthens me to make the choices that I need to make. When I stay focused on him, when I say these feet will take me in the direction God is calling me to go, not in the way the world wants to take me.

44:36
Samuel, his life was that that adhered to a manner of walking and he was used to reignite God’s people to live as, and his fearlessness to speak. That’s the moral courage, not just something that you morally think is right, but that you actually have the courage to live out and do in front of others. So his adherence and manner of walking was used to reignite God’s people. So his adherence and manner of walking was used to reignite God’s people. Samuel’s ability to hear and his fearlessness to speak, and his full strength, his full aptitude, his full desire and motivation was to live a holy life, holy living, completely contrary to Hophni and Phinehas and even that of Eli. This living, this manner of walking, this holy living, enabled him to be a prophet of God. God had chosen him by birth, not just as an answer to Hannah’s prayer, but as an answer to all Israel, all Israel. When God answered Hannah’s prayer, he wasn’t just answering a mother’s cry. He saw a much bigger problem. He sees our lives that way. It’s not just the little bubble we live in. He sees the bigger picture of how our lives are to impact people around us and systems around us and marketplace around us and things that shape culture and the world around us. Samuel was used to proclaim God’s message and to be a faithful example of God’s plan, to call for repentance and spiritual renewal, to serve as a mediator between God and the people.

46:56
I read this great note in my Bible here talking about this. I’m just going to read you what it says. It says he trained other ministers. This was Samuel. He trained other ministers who were called ministers in training quote unquote, referred to as scripture, called them this title the company of the prophets, or they were also called the sons of prophets, which came under Samuel’s leadership, the prophets of Ramah. And you’ll read all through Samuel, the prophets of Ramah were part of this group that. So God spoke and taught Samuel. Because Samuel was in such close proximity to God, he could hear and answer and do what God said. Then he was to be the mouthpiece to teach others to do that very same thing. So Samuel’s life was to impact all of Israel.

48:00
Let me go on. The aim of the community of prophets was to move Israel forward toward spiritual renewal, that’s, revival, and to restore God’s purpose for Israel. People were welcome to come and learn about God from these prophets. This is and I can hear you say right now, Jaime, I’m not a priest, I don’t serve in the church. I’m not a pastor. How in the world does any of this pertain to me, if you haven’t already picked up on it? I’m glad you asked the question, but I’m going to answer you Because, just like Samuel in fact, sadly, eli and Hophni and Phinehas their lives impacted Israel.

48:54
It’s whether they impacted them for God or for carnality, for evil, for the usurping of what God wanted. Your holy living, you choosing to live your life consecrated to God in his presence, holy, a living sacrifice, which is your reasonable service, a living sacrifice which is your reasonable service, your holy living will not only impact you but, just like Samuel and his impact was national and to us still his story still speaks to us still, thousands of years later. Your impact, folks, your holy living, should impact not just your life but every life that your life touches. You know, at Christmas one of my very favorite movies is A Wonderful Life, but the story is to help a man understand that his life impacted so many people and changed the world around him and then, when he finally understood that, he quit feeling sorry for himself and had gratitude. It completely changed everything and we need to have this mindset. He gave up so much in that movie. He kept giving away his dream, what he thought was his dream, for the service of other people, for other people’s dreams. He served and he impacted and changed an entire town and their lives. And that’s just a movie. But this is true. This is what we’re seeing out of Samuel’s life. It impacts us centuries and thousands of years later.

50:48
We must, as a people called according to God’s word, called to serve him, called to live a life that is holy, we must reverse the spiritual decline in our nation, the same way that Samuel was called to reverse his. We are called to this, folks. We are called to make an impact on our world. You can be looking right now, the news whether it is the United States that’s very right now happening in New York and several of the states that are more on the East Coast, but in Texas now too. This is happening all over the United States. This is happening in so many countries right now. The Muslims they have come in and this desire to serve Allah and force, sharia law is coming in with force. These people have, they are giving their lives for this. They have made it clear and very clearly stated that they are here to take over. They are here to remove our laws. They are here to remove Christianity, they are here to remove anything that is contrary to Islam, and we have to stand up, folks. We have no more time. We have no more time.

52:04
It is incumbent upon us to be these vessels of spiritual renewal, to impact our homes and everyone that we touch, to change and move a culture. We have a freedom and it is fleeting if we do not do the right thing with it. If we were to continue reading in Samuel 1 Samuel, destruction came. Eli and his sons died. The ark of God was stolen. Folks, these things can happen. We have to be those who understand that. We have got to be about God’s business. We’ve got to take it seriously. We cannot be playing, you know, fast and loose with what we think we can do and call ourselves a Christian.

52:54
Just like Samuel, you and I are called according to. I’m going to give you two scriptures 1 Peter 1 16 and Leviticus 11 45. Both of them say that we are called to be ye, holy even as I am holy. The Lord speaking that you and I are to live holy lives, just as he is a holy God. That is what he’s called us to. We are called because you may think I’m not a priest, I’m not a pastor, I’m not in service at church. Can I give you some more?

53:41
New Testament, 1 Peter 2.9, says that we are called. We Christians are called a royal priesthood, all of us. So you are a priest, we are a royal priesthood. In Revelation 1, verse 6, we are called kings and priests who minister in the kingdom of God. We who call ourselves Christians, whether we like it or not, we are living out loud. We are living out loud meaning that your life is seen by others who will try to judge what this God business is all about based off of what they see you living and saying. If you call yourself a Christian, people are going to judge your actions. It’s just that simple.

54:35
We must live holy lives in order to correctly represent the one who saved us, the one we serve, just like Samuel. Our holy living will not only impact us, but everyone our lives touch today and how those people’s lives change the future. It’s the, if you like to call it this, the butterfly effect. We must take an active role in reversing the spiritual decline of our nation, and it has to begin in the church.

55:10
Scripture says judgment begins in the house of God. It begins with us, and you don’t need me coming to read your mail and tell you. I don’t need someone to come. I know, I know. I know when I felt that check in my spirit. I know when I’ve heard him say, Jaime, don’t say it, don’t do it, don’t make that post, don’t make that remark, don’t say that, don’t go there, don’t participate in that. Don’t say that, don’t go there, don’t participate in that. Don’t stop right now and go do the dishes. Jaime, get in there and read your Bible, spend time with me, abide with me, abide with me. You can go and read all of John and learn all about abiding with God. We’re not going to do that today. I’ve kept you long enough but we are to abide with him. All of his beautiful and wonderful promises are there for us. But, folks, we have to be the ones who move into the position, into his presence. He’s already done his work. He’s paid the price, he’s sacrificed everything. He’s already done it all.

56:24
The movement is not going to be on God’s part. The movement comes from us. We have to walk that walk. We have to walk. The manner in which we walk matters. We need to think about the steps we’re taking carefully so that we live a life not only pleasing to the Lord, but impactful. Have an influence. I mean, isn’t our whole social media all about influencers, people who know their job is to influence culture, to influence what you like, what you buy, what you participate in? We need to be influencing the world for Jesus Christ. It starts with us. If you call yourself a Christian, it starts with you. It starts with me. A Christian, it starts with you, it starts with me. Let’s get serious about God before our time runs out. It will eventually run out.

57:28
I know this was heavy today, but I felt such a burden to give it to you. I don’t want to be shy from speaking what I know the Lord is saying and that’s my. You know, that’s my test. I hear you Lord. Yes, I’ll say it. Yes, I’ll share it. I know it’s strong, and there will be people who say that’s just that fire and brimstone. You’re just one of those people who, you know, makes God out to be the big bad God and he’s more like a loving Santa Claus. He’s not. He’s not. That’s not. That’s not how I read in scripture. It’s our choice. It’s our choice.

58:07
We need to be those who take seriously our walk with the Lord. I hope this has challenged you today. I hope this has encouraged you, encouraged you to understand there’s there is a right and a wrong and we shouldn’t blow off those things that we feel in our spirit that’s right or wrong, those checks that we get in our heart. We should be serious. Don’t take my word for it, please. Please, get in your word, read your word for yourself. You need to know what it says and you need to let the Spirit of God, when you are in his presence, let him come, stand by you and speak his words into your spirit. He will never say anything to you contrary to this word. He will never do that.

58:50
If you hear another gospel, if you hear of another gospel that paints the picture of a different Jesus, it’s not this Jesus, it’s not this Bible and it’s a false God. That’s an idol. That’s a false God. We learn all about that in the New Testament. You can read about that. We don’t chase after those things.

59:08
This is the one true God, the one word that he has given us for life and godliness. He literally says I can’t remember if it’s first or second Peter he says he has given us everything for life and godliness, everything you need right here for life and godliness. It’s all. It’s all here for us. If you don’t know what to do, get in his word. He’ll answer you. He’ll answer when you cry. That’s why I read that over and over and over again out of Psalm 91.

59:35
Let this word be your guide, a lamp to your feet, because Let this word be your guide, a lamp to your feet, because you got to walk, you got to know how to walk. Get this word in you, hide it in your heart and you will be blessed. Let me pray for you, father. I thank you for your word. I thank you for your strong leadership. You’re such a good shepherd. You know how to protect your sheep. You know how to feed your sheep, you know how to make sure that they are cared for always, that no harm comes to them.

01:00:02
And, father, that’s what we want. I welcome your covering. I want to be walking under the shadow of the Almighty. I want your wings surrounding me. I want your pinions, just like a hawk coming down with those pinions, I want your pinions to be there, protecting me and taking care of me, carrying me where. I want your pinions to be there, protecting me and taking care of me, carrying me where I need to go, always watching out for me.

01:00:24
And, father, I pray that for every single person watching today, that, whatever they hear your voice speak to them, that they not only can hear you calling, but they will say I hear you, I hear you. But they will say I hear you, I hear you, and they will walk according to what you say, lord. May they be blessed today, may they be strengthened today, may they be poured into by your Holy Spirit, knowing what to do, how to do it and when to do it, all according to your plan, so that they will be blessed. Thank you, father, for your word. We give you all the praise and all the glory that is due your name, and it’s in Jesus’ name we pray, amen. Thank you so much for spending time with me in the word today. We’ll see you next time. Bye-bye.