26/08/2026
GOODLIFE DEVOTIONAL
WEDNESDAY, 26/08/26.
TOPIC: THE BELIEVER'S ADVANTAGE -PART 57
TEXT: John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.”
In 1 Samuel 3:1-10, Samuel was sleeping when the Lord called him;
"Samuel, Samuel."
He answered, "Here am I." Then he ran to Eli.
Eli told him he didn't call him, so Samuel went back.
The Lord called again.
Samuel got up again and went to Eli again.
This happened three times.
There is something about this story that I find very interesting.
Samuel kept responding to Eli.
He didn't know it was God, but whenever he heard the call, he got up.
He was always willing to respond.
He just did not yet understand what was happening.
And maybe this is where many of us are.
We want to follow God. We want to obey Him.
But sometimes, we don't know how to respond when He is leading us.
You may feel that something is wrong, but we don't know what to do with it.
You may feel a strong urge to pray.
You may suddenly remember someone we need to call.
You may sense that we should wait instead of rushing into a decision.
You may know inside us that we need to let something go.
But because you don't recognize the Spirit's dealings with us, you ignore them.
How many times has the Holy Spirit spoken, and you didn't know what to do with what you're were sensing?
Samuel needed help. And this is where Eli's role became so important.
Eli eventually understood that the Lord was calling Samuel.
He told him, "Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth."
Eli did not become the voice of God to Samuel.
He simply helped Samuel understand how to respond.
Samuel went back. And when the Lord called again, he said, "Speak; for thy servant heareth."
Now something has changed. He was ready to listen.
That should become our posture, too.
Not, "Lord, tell me what I want to hear."
But, "Lord, speak. I'm listening."
There is a difference.
Sometimes, we ask God to speak, but we have already decided what we want to do.
We want His voice to confirm our plans.
But listening to the Holy Spirit means being willing to hear something different.
It means saying, "If you say stop, I'll stop."
If You say go, I'll go.
I'm not asking you to agree with me. I'm asking You to lead me.
And this is where yielding becomes real.
Because the Holy Spirit can not be your advantage if you only listen when His leading agrees with what you already want.
Sometimes, His leading will stretch you.
Sometimes, He will correct you.
Sometimes, He will ask you to take a step you don't feel ready to take.
But the posture remains the same, "Speak, Lord. I'm listening."
Maybe you feel you have missed God's voice in the past, Samuel's story can help you.
God kept calling.
Samuel didn't get it right the first time, the second or the third.
But God didn't stop speaking. He kept calling.
So if you've missed His leading before, don't give up.
You can grow. You can become more sensitive.
You can learn His ways.
The Holy Spirit is your advantage.
He is already leading you. But you need to learn to listen.
And when He speaks, respond with a willingness to obey.
I'm sure this helped!
PRAYER: DEAR FATHER, HELP ME TO BECOME MORE SENSITIVE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. WHEN YOU SPEAK, HELP ME NOT TO IGNORE YOU.
GIVE ME A HEART THAT IS READY TO LISTEN AND READY TO OBEY. EVEN WHEN YOUR INSTRUCTION IS NOT WHAT I EXPECT, HELP ME TO TRUST YOU AND FOLLOW.
AMEN!
AUGUST 2026: I'M FRUITFUL IN EVERY SEASON
SCRIPTURE FOR REFLECTION: 1 Samuel 3:1-9
Pastors Arinze and Jane Richard
