The Dangers Of Negligence by Apostle Johnson Suleman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Scripture Text

1 Samuel 3:12-14, 1 Samuel 3:18, 1 Samuel 4:11

God declares He will judge Eli's house because his sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not. The iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever. Samuel told Eli everything and hid nothing from him. Eli said: "It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him." The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli — Hophni and Phinehas — were slain.

Hannah's Need and God's Need

Hannah wanted a baby. The man she loved could not give her a child, so her husband married another wife — a woman who had children and mocked Hannah, disdained her. Eli was the priest of the house. He had two reckless sons. When it was time for blood sacrifice, the correct process was to bring an animal, extract the fat — because God does not want the fat, He wants the flesh. But what the sons of Eli were doing was extracting the fat, giving God the fat, and taking the flesh themselves. And before they would admit a woman to offer sacrifice, they would demand intercourse with her. Just reckless.

So God was looking for someone who would stand as a priest. God had a need. Hannah had a need.

Hannah never knew that her need was to meet God's need.

For your needs to be met, you must connect your need with God's need. When Hannah was weeping for a child, a child never came. But when Hannah entered the temple and saw there was no effective priest, she said: "God, if you give me a son, I will give that son back to You."

You want a healing, but you have not told God how He will benefit from that healing. You want a breakthrough — what does heaven stand to benefit when this happens? When you can align your answer to heaven's benefit — even if God makes you smile, you will make heaven glad — answers come from the throne.

Jesus was about to minister. He needed a boat — that was a need. Peter had toiled all night and caught nothing — that was a need. Jesus met Peter's need and Peter met His need. You must align your need with the need of God. When you align your need with the need of God, heaven meets your need.

Working for God vs. Walking with God

Samuel was in the temple — closing its doors, taking care of it. But the Bible says Samuel had not yet known the Lord.

You can work for God and not walk with God.

There are people working for God who are not working with God. They are doing the work of the Lord but do not know the Lord of the work. They are effective in their department, very punctual, they pay their dues, they attend every meeting — but they don't know the Lord. There is no alignment, no connectivity, no intimacy with God.

Not knowing the Lord is what causes anointing oil to fight a person. When a pastor recommends someone to be ordained because he thought he saw faithfulness and loyalty — and oil comes on that person's head, they get a certificate of ordination, go back, start a prayer meeting, open a WhatsApp group — that oil will fight them, because oil does not work on error.

There is a way things are done. If God calls someone out of a place, there is a process: you walk to your pastor, explain what God is telling you, he prays and confirms it, the message rises through the appropriate channels, and a letter of release comes. God is peaceful. Satan is the one going to and fro. Recklessness — "if I don't do it now I will die" — that is not God.

The Warning and Eli's Response

God spoke to Samuel and told him many things — including that He was going to destroy Eli's legacy. His two sons would both die in one day. Samuel was afraid. But when pressed, he told Eli everything and hid nothing. And what did Eli say?

"It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him."

Laxity. Lacadaisical. Negligence. And in 1 Samuel 4:11, both sons died in one day. There was warning before time — but negligence.

God can tell you what you are crying over today in that marriage — He showed you before. You saw the signs, but negligence. "What will be will be."

1 Thessalonians 5:20 — Despise not prophesying. When God speaks a word, do not despise prophecy.

Galatians 1:16 — When Paul heard the word of God, he conferred not with flesh and blood. As soon as God spoke to him, he did not consider what flesh was saying — he acted. When God gives an instruction, it is left for you to run with that instruction.

Amos 6:1 — Woe to them that are at ease in Zion. Woe to the negligent in Zion.

Jephthah: Taking Your Life in Your Hand

Jephthah knew there was a prophecy on his head. He knew God had called him to be the ruler of Israel. He knew the hand of God was mighty upon his life. But despite the mandate, despite the oil, Jephthah said in Judges 12:3: "I took my life in my hand. I know I am called, but I refuse to be negligent about it. I refuse to be careless, reckless. I put my life in my hand."

God Gives Signals

In Genesis 41:8, Pharaoh — a heathen king — had a dream, and in the morning his spirit was troubled. He did not ignore it. He sought interpretation.

"Son, I love my people too much. 90% of what they go through, I give them signals. I give them signs. I show them clues."

That is why the Holy Ghost was given. In John 16:13, the Bible says He shall tell you of things to come. What you do with the things determines the outcome. How you handle what He tells you determines the outcome.

There are people who, before embarking on a journey, heard clearly in their spirit: don't go on this journey. But they still entered. That is why today they are battling with a problem or a disease that came after an accident. There are people who were engaged to somebody, saw a dream showing this is not the person — but they checked their age, checked what people would say, entered the marriage, and today they are in misery.

What Is Revealed Must Be Activated

For many years the teaching was: what is revealed is redeemed. But God corrected it — what is revealed is not redeemed. What is revealed and activated is redeemed. What is revealed and walked upon is redeemed.

That is why many are carrying prophecies and nothing is happening. They have prophecies upon prophecies. They have been anointed, had oil poured on them — but they are not walking on it.

There is a price to pay. Every great assignment God shows you carries a great price. When God called Apostle Suleman and he knew it was a power ministry, he knew fasting was a major prerequisite. He had to engage and begin. The assignment demands the price.

The Shunammite Woman: Only the Interested Get Invested

In 2 Kings 4:9, a woman was walking past and said to her husband: "I perceive that this is a holy man of God." She was more intentional than her husband. That is why when the child died, the father said, "Take the child to the mother." The mother was the intentional one.

Only those who are interested get invested. Only the concerned get connected.

The Shunammite woman had the power to activate solution because she was the one who was not negligent. When God gives a warning, an instruction — run with it. Obey Him. It doesn't matter how logically wrong it appears. You may cry today — obey Him. People may mock you — obey Him. But at the end of the day, you will sit back and thank God that you obeyed Him.

Romans 8:28 — All things work together for good to them that love God and to them who are the called.

Responsibility: Responding to Your Assignment

Responsibility is how you respond to discipline. It is how you take heed to your assignment. The question every person must ask: am I taking heed to my assignment?

Don't give sympathy to what needs detachment. When God gives signals and warnings over a matter, suspend the empathy, suspend the pity. There are gentle devils — a gentle demeanour is not proof of safety. When God speaks and gives an instruction, it might be painful — but not everybody survives negligence. Not everybody is alive or standing to tell the story.

When God has ordained the right person for you and you like that person, that is love. When someone who will destroy you is met, and despite the warning you proceed — that is infatuation masquerading as love. Obey the signal.

Lord have mercy. For those who have suffered things because of negligence — you saw the signs, you felt them — we cry to the Lord. For every area where negligence has cost something, Lord have mercy. Let your mercy speak now. And from this day, let every signal, every warning, every dream, every prompting of the Holy Ghost be treated with the seriousness it deserves. In Jesus' name.