13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.
Saul thought he had a great victory, but God saw it as a failure. Saul had not obeyed God, and then Saul lied to Samuel. Saul was deceiving himself if he thought that his disobedience and lying would go unnoticed. When a person lies, that person will begin to believe the lies that he or she builds around himself or herself. That person can begin to lose the difference between truth and lies. How do you know the difference between truth and lies? How do you get out of that loop if you have found yourself in that loop? Begin by honestly stepping back and looking at God’s word and what he says. Stay out of emotion. Emotions come and go, ebb and flow. What does God say? Be honest with yourself. Pursue your relationship with God. Begin to gain credibility in your relationships by being honest and forthright.
