The NIV 365 Day Devotional

Are Any Among Us Invincible?

When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. 19 Word came to Saul: “David is in Naioth at Ramah”; 20 so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on Saul’s men, and they also prophesied. 21 Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”

“Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said.

23 So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. 24 He stripped off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel’s presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

1 Samuel 19:18–24

The presence of God’s empowering Spirit is no guarantee of future blessing. Gifted persons and inspired leaders often begin to feel invincible. The evangelical church has seen some of its most visible leaders fail in sin in very public ways; some have completely lost their ministries. There is innate danger in the heresy that Spirit-led ministry is invincible, irrespective of continued faithfulness.

This, of course, has implications for all of us as individuals since we cannot live today on the spiritual blessings of our childhood or early adulthood. But the wider implications for the church are also obvious: No generation can afford to enjoy the spiritual benefits of their ancestors without giving any thought to their own responsibility in service and ministry. Without following God’s guiding hand, the church is always only one generation from complete ineffectiveness or extinction.

Taken from the NIV Application Bible.