You Switched it up, Now What?

Have you ever trained meticulously for something, perfected every detail, only to have someone switch things up right before the critical moment? That frustrating experience from my high school track days unexpectedly became the perfect analogy for understanding Israel's disastrous mistake in 1 Samuel 4-6.

This week's devotional explores what happens when we abandon systems that work in favor of spiritual shortcuts. 

Israel made a similar error when facing the Philistines. Rather than seeking God's guidance through prayer and repentance, they simply grabbed the Ark of the Covenant.

This devotional challenges us to examine our own lives: Are we replacing relationship with routine? Are we carrying symbols of faith without actually walking with God? Are we trying to "switch up" God's perfect system with our own flawed strategies? 

Subscribe now and join me each week for these brief but powerful devotionals that connect everyday experiences with timeless biblical truths. Your spiritual journey matters, and I'm honored to walk alongside you through these reflections.

Key Passages

1 Samuel 4-6

Joshua 7:6-9

Joshua 8:1

Follow me on Substack for application questions & reflection on each episode. Share your comments

Study of Ruth - Click Here

Study of Judges - Click Here

Study of Joshua - Click Here

Download Birth of Jesus E-book Here - Scroll and download
Click Here for Devotional Link

Follow Jessi Morgan on social:
IG - @JessiMorganlife
TikTok - @JessiMorganlife
IG dedicated to Home & Design - @JessiMorganHome
Website: www.jessimorganhome.com/devotions
Contact: jessi@jessimorganhome.com

Podcast Music by: prazkhanal
Song: Whi...

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Jesse Morgan Devotions
• 1:10 You Switched It Up, Now What?
• 3:20 The Track Relay Disaster Story
• 7:10 Israel's Ark Mistake in Battle
• 10:12 Seeking God First, Not Symbols
• 14:07 Closing Prayer and Invitation

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello, hello. You are listening to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast, episode 65. This week's devotional is titled you Switched it Up, now what? Let's Go. Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan. I used to just share home decor and renovation tips on social media, but now I'm sharing something even closer to my heart my journey and love for Jesus Christ, my Savior. Welcome to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Hot Podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:28

This is a weekly devotional. I started back in May 2024, but the inspiration for it came much earlier. It was rooted in a faith journey that began when my daughter was born four months early in 2023. Through that challenging time, god worked in ways that truly amazed me. On this podcast, I share personal stories of faith, woven together with scripture to show just how incredible God's word can be in our everyday lives. My hope is that through these stories, you'll be encouraged, uplifted and reminded of God's love and presence, no matter what you're going through. So I invite you to spend less than 15 minutes with me each week as we reflect on these devotionals together. Let's all pray within. You switched it up, now.

Speaker 1: 1:13

What Key passages 1 Samuel 4-6, joshua 7-6-9, and Joshua 8-1. Six through nine and Joshua eight one have you ever trained for something for months, poured your heart out into it, nailed every detail, built chemistry and trust with your team, only to have it all flipped upside down right before the biggest moment that happened to me and probably to many people as well Florida relays, my junior year of high school. We were undefeated, unstoppable, until our head coach decided to change everything two days before the race. It was one of the most frustrating, heartbreaking moments I've experienced in sports and, weirdly enough, it's the first time that. It's the first like thing that came to mind when I was studying 1 Samuel, chapters four through six this week. I didn't expect the connection, but it's there, so let's dive in, shall we? We are continuing the study of 1 Samuel, fyi, if you don't know.

Speaker 1: 2:23

Anyways, now for those who don't know, I ran track over a decade, elementary school, through part of college. It was a huge part of my life. Track is unique for me because, while it looks like an individual sport, it's incredibly team oriented. Your solo performance contributes to your team's overall points. And then there are the relays, which I loved because they're like pure teamwork. You rely on each other. Every step, every handoff has to be in sync. It's beautiful when it works. Handoff has to be in sync. It's beautiful when it works.

Speaker 1: 3:09

So the focus scripture right now is that we're really going to study today is 1 Samuel 4, 5 through 6, which says when the ark of the Lord's covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked what's all this shouting in the Hebrew camp? When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid. So this passage kicks off a wild sequence of events. Israel was losing badly to the Philistines in a battle, so instead of seeking God, repenting and praying, they grabbed the Ark of Covenant like a spiritual lucky charm and paraded it into battle. The ground shook with confidence, but it was false confidence, for sure. Their hearts weren't aligned with God at all. They didn't even carry the Ark the way God had instructed, which the Levites are supposed to only carry it, and that wasn't happening. But none of that mattered to them. They just wanted to win. And they lost horribly. The ark was captured by the Philistines, eli's sons were killed Eli was the high priest, remember and Eli himself died when he heard of the news.

Speaker 1: 4:26

Okay, now back to the track story. It was my like my junior year. I went to a small Christian school, but our talent was serious. We were competing with the best of the best state champs, regional champions, conference champions. Our 4x100 meter relay team was undefeated that season. We had chemistry, consistency and clean handoffs down to a science. I was anchor. The last leg, that was my spot. Our second leg had been second for years. Our third leg was my childhood friend who had the curve mastered. We had worked this formation for months. It wasn't just working, it was thriving.

Speaker 1: 5:11

Then, two days before Florida relays, one of the biggest meets of the year at the University of Florida, our head coach decides to switch up the order. He thought we needed to get out faster, so he swapped me the anchor leg to the second leg. I'm now running second and my second leg was running anchor. Now, listen, our sprint coach, who I'm going to give a shout out to, coach Doreen Mercer. Our sprint coach, who I'm going to give a shout out to, coach Doreen Mercer, who is and always was amazing, fought hard to keep it the same way. She believed in us, the way it was working, but the head coach had the final say so two days before the race we're scrambling to relearn our steps, our exchanges, everything. I had never passed the baton before. I always received it and now I have to figure out how to do both fast.

Speaker 1: 6:04

I'll never forget that first practice handoff with my friend on the third leg. I came basically like barreling down that lane like a freight train and she literally jumped out of the lane and she said to me Jess, you look so scary. I wasn't ready. And we both laughed but honestly it was stressful. We had built months of rhythm and now it was chaos. The night before the race we were still trying to get it right. Race day came, the gun went off. I got the baton clean from the first leg, took off full speed and handed off to my friend, but the exchange was just rough. We lost time. Then her handoff to our new anchor, last leg, wasn't smooth either. We crossed the finish line in fourth place. We had gone from favorites to the forgotten. And the worst part that was the last time really that that group of four ever raced together in that relay. The opportunity, the medal was gone.

Speaker 1: 7:09

Now here's the connection that God showed me through this story, this story. That story is always a little painful for me, but I just feel like God laid it on my heart to share it. So here's the connection with what we're studying this week. Just like our coach, you know, who didn't trust the system that worked, israel didn't trust God's system either. Instead of consulting the Lord, they brought out the ark like it was some magic weapon. But the ark wasn't God. The ark represented his covenant, yes, but it wasn't a replacement for the Lord itself, for obedience, the relationship with God, same for us. Sometimes we think that because we're showing up to church or doing Christian things, that we're good. But are we seeking him first? Are we consulting him before we move? Israel lost because they skipped the real work, the heart work. They abandoned the system of surrendering, listening, obeying, and they got beat. Our coach skipped the system that had been working because he thought his way was better, and we got beat too.

Speaker 1: 8:24

If you look back, you know, back in the book of Joshua, during Joshua's time, when he led Israel into the promised land, every battle started was with a conversation with God, and you know Joshua would say something like Lord, should we go? And the Lord, you know, will you hand them over to us? Joshua? That's the other part he would always say. And those words to me just mean so much, because that just shows that Joshua sought God first, always, and that was the system, that was the rhythm, and it worked.

Speaker 1: 9:03

So let's look back a bit at Joshua 7, 6 through 9, just to really give context of where I'm coming from. It says Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell face down to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same and sprinkled dust in their heads, and Joshua said Alas, sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan. Pardon your servant, lord. What can I say now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe our name from the earth. What, then, will you do for your own great name?

Speaker 1: 9:54

And just to kind of back up here, god allowed Ai, which was a city that Israel was fighting to take. God allowed Ai to defeat Israel because there was sin in the camp. Joshua went and sought out God as to why they lost, and then looked for sin. And then looked for that sin that was happening in the camp. Joshua got rid of that sinful person in camp and then went back to God to seek him again. And it says in Joshua 8, 1,. Then the Lord said to Joshua Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you and go up and attack Ai, for I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You see, joshua sought out God before making any decisions or new strategy after the initial loss, whereas in 1 Samuel 4, chapter 4, israel didn't ask, they reacted, they made their own decision. And well, it fell flat.

Speaker 1: 10:58

And I wonder how many of us are doing that, doing the same thing Sometimes. Or let me say it like this when something doesn't go our way or we come up with a random idea, when things are working or when we are challenged, we rather reach for a quick fix versus take on the journey that might be needed for us to venture into, or we just slap God's name on it and expect God to bless it. But the system doesn't work that way, my friends. True victory comes when we align with God, not when we just carry around the appearance of his presence. So here's my challenge to you and to myself to be honest, are you trusting the formula that works, which is seeking God, walking with him daily, or are you trying to change things up for quick results? Have you replaced the relationship with God with a routine? Have you replaced God's direction with your own assumptions or worldly thoughts? Because, listen, if it's not God-led, it won't hold up under pressure, it just won't. Let's be people who don't just switch up the relay or God-driven formula to dab into something else that wasn't sought out and brought to God first.

Speaker 1: 12:25

As children of God, you have to remember not to just bring the ark into battle, but to believe and walk with the God of the ark every step of the way. It's about the covenant, it's not about the actual peace. The ark represented the covenant. It was a symbol. It was not God. It represented the covenant. It was a symbol, it was not God.

Speaker 1: 12:52

And as we venture and continue our lives in this world, we can't focus on symbols. We have to focus on the relationship with Jesus Christ. We know, for example, the cross is a symbol of Jesus' salvation or, you know, being crucified per se. But the cross is not something that we should look to for guidance. The cross is not something that we should just wear all day and think that that's enough, because it's not, and I just want you to really think about that. Jesus Christ is so much more than a symbol of a cross. He is everlasting. He is the King of Kings, lord of Lords. So I just encourage you to remember that and remember the relationship, the reference, the seeking out is what's important. It's not the routine, it's not you trying to switch it up just because the routine of being a child of God and putting God first and seeking him, it's a rhythm. It works all the time. The exchange is always there. Why are you going to switch legs when you know that the exchange and the relay works the way that it has been working for so long?

Speaker 1: 14:06

Love you, my friends, let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for this amazing lesson and how this story of my relay just tied into this beautifully. Lord, be with everybody who had an opportunity to listen and inspire Anybody who needs to be inspired today. Lord, please comfort anybody who needs to be comforted today as they listen to this podcast. Father, we thank you so much for the study of 1 Samuel. We thank you so much for the lessons that we have learned from Israel's mistakes, the Philistines' mistakes and mishaps, and how just an amazing story and journey is going to come through this amazing book. Lord, father, we love you and we praise you In Jesus' name. Amen, till next time. Friends, love you. Subscribe so you never miss a weekly episode. Also, if you feel compelled, leaving a nice review would be so appreciated as well. For more information or to reach out, check the show notes or visit jessimorganhomecom or find me on Instagram at jessimorganlife. Remember God's timing is always perfect. Keep trusting him Until next time. This is Jessi Morgan, praying all.