In 1 Samuel 13, Israel finally has their king. This is what they wanted. A leader to fight their battles. And at first, things look promising. Jonathan steps out in faith and wins a bold victory over the Philistines. But that victory quickly turns into pressure… and that pressure reveals what’s really going on in Saul’s heart.

As the enemy gathers in overwhelming numbers and fear begins to spread, Saul finds himself in a moment every one of us will face—a moment where he has to choose between trusting God or taking matters into his own hands. And instead of waiting… he acts. Instead of obeying… he compromises.

Saul’s reasoning makes sense from a human standpoint—“because I saw…” the people scattering, the enemy advancing, and no help in sight. But that’s the problem. He was walking by sight, not by faith.

In this lesson, we walk through how a bold victory turned into brewing fear, and how that fear led to disobedience, excuses, and ultimately consequences that would affect Saul for the rest of his life. It’s a powerful reminder that even in our most pressured moments, God is not asking us to figure everything out—He’s asking us to trust Him and obey.

And the question we have to ask ourselves is this:
Is there an area in my life right now where I’m reacting out of fear instead of walking by faith?

Because just like Saul, when we stop trusting God and start taking control, it doesn’t lead to strength—it leaves us vulnerable.

This passage isn’t just about Saul… it’s about us.

He begins by pointing to his own life and testimony. Not to lift himself up, but to establish something important: integrity matters. He had walked faithfully before them, even making hard decisions when it came to his own family. Then he reminds them that just as he had been faithful, God had been faithful—over and over again. From Egypt to the judges, every time Israel cried out, God delivered. But when their latest problem came, they didn’t cry out to God—they looked for help somewhere else.

That’s where the challenge hits us. Because we can do the same thing. We can sit in church, say we trust God, and yet when pressure comes—financial stress, health issues, uncertainty—we panic, we scramble, we look everywhere else first. And Samuel’s message is simple but powerful: you have a choice. Fear the Lord, serve Him, and obey Him… or turn away and face the consequences.

To make sure they understood, God sent a storm during harvest—something rare and terrifying—to get their attention. And finally, the people admitted what they hadn’t before: “We have sinned.” That moment of clarity led to one of the most important calls in the chapter—don’t turn aside, but serve the Lord with all your heart.

That’s the heart of this message. Not just saying we follow God, but truly giving Him everything—our trust, our focus, our dependence. Because it’s so easy to get distracted by things that aren’t necessarily wrong, but in the end, they don’t profit or deliver like a relationship with God does.

And I love how Samuel closes. Even after being rejected, he tells the people, “I’m not going to stop praying for you, and I’m going to keep teaching you the right way.” That’s the heart of a godly leader—and a reminder of God’s grace toward us.

So the question comes back to us: we know Samuel was faithful, we know God is faithful… but will we be faithful? Will we trust Him not just on the mountaintop, but in the valley? Will we follow Him—not halfway—but with all our heart?

But into that moment steps Saul—a new, unproven king—empowered by the Spirit of God. What follows is a story of courage, unity, and unexpected grace. This chapter reminds us that victory doesn’t come from compromise, but from dependence on God—and that even after our greatest wins, we must guard against the subtlety of pride.

If you’ve ever felt pressured to give in, back down, or settle spiritually, this lesson will challenge you to stand firm, stay vigilant, and trust God for true victory.

This chapter reveals not only the beginning of Saul’s kingship, but also how God prepares those He calls.

After anointing Saul, Samuel gives him a series of specific signs. These were not random events—they were intentional lessons designed to teach Saul how to live and lead as king.

You can subscribe to the email newsletter here:

Subscribe now

You can find this podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Have a great week!

I have several excuses. Some are pretty good, others shed light on some deep issues I should probably see a counselor about (partially joking) but, now with all of that insecure over explaining aside, here’s why I’m writing.

First, I want to say thank you for being on the other end of these emails. If I hit send this message will go to 98 inboxes. Some of you have become paid subscribers and I’m humbled by your generosity.

Secondly, I wanted to let you know that we are coming to the end of our studies in John on the podcast, but we are already making plans for our next study in 2026! We haven’t announced the next study at church yet, so I won’t here either, but I’ll give you some hints. If you guess it…well…I don’t have any prize, but I should send you something.

Hint #1: It’s in the Old Testament. (That narrows it down to 39 books)

Hint #2. It was originally written as one book in the Hebrew manuscripts, but later when the Old Testament was translated into Greek, they separated the books and it stayed that way.

I’ll leave it at two hints for now. I can’t wait for this new study with my class on Sunday mornings and with many of you on the podcast. Make sure you are subscribed to “The Committed Way Podcast” on your preferred podcast app to catch all of the studies in 2026.

As I wrap this email up, I’ll share with you something I wrote a few weeks ago, but didn’t send. That’s become a pattern for me that I’m trying to break. I tend to write when I feeling melancholy. When I face situations I don’t understand. Because of that I just delete most things, but recently I was thinking––most Psalms were written with a backdrop of confusion, hurt, and trouble. We all have those moments. It’s how we respond in those moments that matter. David would pour out his heart to God but end with a verse of his commitment to trusting God in spite of his struggles.

Anyways, here’s a thought I wrote about Fear.

Fears have a way of maturing as we do.

In second grade, I feared my teacher. Enough to cry every day for the first two weeks of school. In seventh grade, I made the bold move of changing haircuts. I went from a comb over to what I’d call an insecure buzz cut. When I sat down in the chair, my mom and I told the barber to give me a buzz cut. Halfway through, I panicked, and my mom, in her attempt to “help,” had him modify the cut. Buzz in the front and longer in the back. I felt like an alien dropped from a foreign planet when I arrived at school the next day. I hid out in the bathroom stall for the first hour of class.

I’ve matured since those days, but so have my fears. I never seem to be able to hide from them. They find me with every new stage of life.

Now, with kids, a whole new set of fears whispers to me.

“Did I raise them right?”

“Will they make the right decision on their own?”

“Will my failures doom them?”

The fears aren’t always logical, but it doesn’t matter. They do what Satan wants them to do. Leave me discouraged and unsettled about my future. To keep my eyes on my circumstance and not on Christ.

It’s in these moments my downcast mind clings to a verse that has become a counselor to me. Psalm 56:3 says,

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”

Who would have thought that David, the bear, lion, and giant killer, wrestled with his own fears, and his remedy was simple: Trust God.

A phrase we hear nearly every week at church. Trust God. It’s a response of Faith. Sure, it would be nice if the verse spelled out the details of how God would answer my fears, but it doesn’t. It says TRUST GOD.

This verse doesn’t remove fear. It doesn’t tell me how long these fears will last or even what the outcome of those fears playing out will be.

It just reminds me to trust the sovereign God who was “big” and “strong” enough to handle creation and every other major (and minor) problem in this world. To trust the God that loved me enough to send his Son to suffer and die for me.

It reminds me that God’s not going to turn around and forget that me and my fears exist.

Thanks for reading,

Brad