done to the people, they would finally cry out to God. It's really sad when humanity has to wait until everything looks like a landfill before people will cry out.

"Please help us!" I've heard those words so many times from individuals. And many of those same people when told what their issues are, will then say, "Look, I didn't come to be lectured too!" Obviously, they really don't want help.

Look at some of our states and how old and broken down they look. They Look like third world countries. But God's answer to Israel was, he would not hear them. (Psalm 66:18). Why? Because they were not sincere in their repentance.

Have you ever wanted to keep your sin and God at the same time? It's been said that the most miserable people on earth are those who sit on the fence of the world and Christianity. You'll end up just like "Humpty Dumpty."

God told us, and then Jesus came and told us, you cannot choose God and mammon together. (Matthew 6:21-24). You cannot serve two masters. The people tried to use Samuel’s sons as an excuse to look sideways at other nations.

Instead of focusing on their own yard (land), they wanted to see if the grass was greener on someone else's property. (John 21:21-23). You see beloved, if you're looking out the side-window, you cannot be looking up.

Our nation in 2026, is just like Israel was. Instead of looking up out of the window to anchor their trust in the all-powerful God who had delivered them from Egypt, the elders of Israel looked sideways.

On November 3rd, don't look sideways, look upward seeking God as our nation's King! "And this brings us directly to our first point this morning as we look at today's recap of our main text." There are many failed "copycats" in history.

Israel desired a copy from a sideway view of the nation's green grass that turned out to be polluted and dead. But just like Israel, when we panic, our immediate human instinct is to stop standing out and start blending in. Some of you want us to be just like France.

👑 I call this; The Trap of Conformity-

Why are you trying to copy things that have a history of failing? In our day, capitalism and socialism are in the boxing ring of people's minds today. It seems leadership in our nation today will never learn its lesson.

They cannot see how bad it has been from other nations that have tried the latter. Israel's elders demanded a king to be like other nations. (Verse 5,20). Their primary motivation was comparison and a desire to blend into the culture.

They failed to remember that God wanted his people to be a peculiar people so the other nations could see that there is only one God for all creation. (Deuteronomy 14:2; 1 Peter 2:9-10).

We are to stand out as God’s holy people. We are to let our light shine his holiness to those who sit in the darkness of wanting to copy failed lifestyles. We are not to conform to the world's standards. (Romans 12:1-2).

Here's the reality. We often believe that if our bank account, retirement fund, or investments hit a certain number, we will finally be safe, secure, and at peace. We look to a robust financial portfolio to do what only God can do. Secure us.

In any reality, there is always a cost. "Remember when Jesus told those to "consider." (Luke 9:57-62; 14:25-35). Like the king in 1 Samuel who "takes," this kind of kind today would take your peace of mind.

He would enslave you to market trends, working excessive hours, and living in constant anxiety of losing what you built. That's why any rogue government can inflict extreme hurt on its population when they "take."

When we choose cultural conformity over divine calling, we don't just change our lifestyle, we change our allegiance, which brings me to my next point, the real heart of the issue, rejection.

👑👑 The Heart of Rejection-

God is jealous for our love and attention. God told Samuel the people had rejected him, not Samuel. They were dethroning the creator off the seat of their heart. Our pursuit of worldly substitutes is never just a preference.

It is a direct dismissal of God's authority over our lives. God’s loving kindness and supreme love for us gives us the opportunity to choose. (Deuteronomy 30:19; Luke 16:14). The reality still applies in 2026.

Israel wanted a king so they could look prestigious and acceptable to the surrounding nations. (There are a lot of people who hate the United States). They don't want to assimilate in any way. One nation under God, "they reject."

Our nation was founded on Christian values. The Bible is the number one seller here. But others hate it so bad and still won't leave. Today, our nation looks to social media metrics, professional accolades, and cultural trends.

All this, so we can hopelessly feel good and validate our worth. We trade the internal approval of the Holy Spirit for the external applause of a fickle culture. We want to blend in so badly that we compromise our biblical convictions.

And like today's theme, there's always a cost to pay. Some feel the cost comes from our government. (Romans 3:10-18). The cost Israel endured was from a king who "took, took, took." We can end up just like them.

Our identity gets "taken." We end up exhausting ourselves trying to maintain an image, constantly modifying who we are to please a world that will never stay satisfied. (Proverbs 30:11-16). But God is still a gentle man.

If we stubbornly insist on putting something else on his throne, he will eventually step back and let us experience exactly what we asked for. This leads me to my final crowned point we should exam wholeheartedly.

👑👑👑 The Price of Autonomy-

Have you ever had to live with your bad choices? It seems like they keep popping up when you least expect them. Bad marriages, bad relationships, bad decision making, etc. We have to maneuver our way through all of it.

It's simply called living with the consequences. God told Samuel to warn the people. The word "solemnly" In (1 Samuel 8:9), means in the Hebrew text to bear witness, to testify, or giving a formal urgent warning.

It reminds me of the "Wonky" movie. Some warning words I remember are "Stop, don't, if you are wise, you'll listen to me," and "You get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir!”

Amazing how we'll pay attention to the warning light on our dash panel in our car, but not to God. God told Samuel a human king will "take" from them. You see beloved, worldly security always costs more than it delivers.

The reality is that Israel wanted a visible commander-in-chief because trusting an invisible God through difficult times felt too risky. How blind we are in our nation today. In our lives, this looks like the hyper-management of our children’s future.

Our choices affect our health, and our environment. A nation without God and Jesus as Lord, is like a beautiful cruise ship with all they need on board, headed over the Niagara Falls. We position ourselves following "self."

We have our own meticulous planning, as the ultimate sovereign authority. We believe that if we try hard enough, we can prevent any bad thing from happening. We forget that God will not be mocked. (Galatians 6:7).

Nations will always reap what they sow. This kind of king will "take" your rest. It results in deep spiritual exhaustion, burnout, and micromanagement because human shoulders were never engineered to carry the world's burden.

Our nation doesn't have the individual who looks like "Atlas." God offers a different individual, "himself." (1 Peter 5:6-11). Trusting God alleviates the stress we get from the world and Satan. Proverbs 3:5-6).

The king in our political and ideological alignments come with a one-sided system. It pushes to copy something other than God. Remember when Joseph interpreted the dreams God gave to a king?

Imagine if that king had rejected the counsel of Joseph that was given to him by God? My mother was alive, when we were young, she would say, "a hard head makes a soft behind." I used to wonder what it meant at a young age.

As I got older, I understood it meant that being stubborn, willful, or refusing to listen to advice will lead to painful consequences or punishment. Man, were there times I found out the hard way. (Smile).

But regarding our nation, it applies the same as in a personal way. It is incredibly easy to fall into the trap of believing that a specific political platform, leader, or cultural movement is the ultimate answer to society's brokenness.

We put our ultimate hope in human governance and flawed earthly institutions to bring about the justice, peace, and salvation that only the Kingdom of God can establish. We spend, spend, and take, take.

Earthly leaders with the attitude of this king will "take" our unity and our witness. It forces us to adopt the hostility, division, and tribalism of the world, trading our primary citizenship in heaven for a temporary camp on earth.


🗣📢 Last words: In conclusion, in our democracy, when life gets chaotic, when our culture gets turbulent, or when our personal lives feel out of control, we do the exact same thing. We stop looking up at our invisible, sovereign Creator.

We start looking sideways, desperately trying to copy the systems anywhere on earth, but upwards. The coping mechanisms, and the safety blankets of the world around us are like band-aid we try to put on deep wounds in our heart.

While impossibilities limit people and exhaust all human resources, they set the stage on which God is at his best, loving us, bringing salvation, healing the wounds, changing our lives, and meeting needs.

These are the costly consequences for trusting man over God. Are you hearing me local communities, counties, cities, states, and nation? I keep hearing the words, "If only" and "Didn't I tell you!" Sounds like my dad. (Smile).

If only Israel had submitted to his leadership, they would have thrived beyond their expectations (Deuteronomy 28:1). Do you get it saints? Do you understand how important prayer is for our nation?

That we pray God would raise up leaders with the heart of Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 1:1-11). Our obedience is weak if we ask God to lead our families, businesses, and personal lives but continue to live by the world’s standards and values.

Faith in God’s leadership must touch all the practical areas of life. Since God created everything, he has the right to be in our politics. Israel wanted a king they could see, and they ended up with a tyrant who took everything they had.

When we try to fix our spiritual problems with worldly solutions, we always end up enslaved to the very thing we thought would save us. Are we worshiping the true King or a cheap copy? The throne of your heart cannot remain empty.

It will either be occupied by the flawed, exhausting idols of this world, or it will be occupied by the Sovereign King of Kings who gave his life to set you free. Who is sitting on your throne today?



🛐 Here’s a prayer you can pray to avoid looking sideways. "Heavenly Father, thank you for today's spiritual awakening all of us need. We stand humbled by the mirror of your word.

Forgive us for the times we have looked at the world around us and envied its copies. Forgive us for the moments we have tried to manufacture our own security, our own identity, and our own comfort rather than trusting in you.

We desire your will, plan, and purpose for our nation and our lives. Lord, we confess that we have sometimes tried to crowd you off the throne of our lives. Right now, we surrender our desire to blend in and emulate your fruit.

We surrender our need to control. We declare today that you alone are our King, our Judge, and our Savior. Give us the courage to look different, to live holy, and to rest securely under your sovereign rule.

May the Holy Spirit empower us this important week to live our allegiance to you alone. You are the creator of all living things. The earth is yours. We bless your name above every name, our "True King," Amen.


❤ "If you would like to know Jesus as your Savior, please read the drop-down page entitled "How to know Jesus."


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🙏 Please remember to pray for the people in Israel. They are God's people because of his covenant promises to them. (Genesis 12:1-3; Numbers 6:22-27; 24:8-9). ✝️



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