They promised

7 So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

 8 Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.

 9 But an evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the harp, 10 Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape. 1 Samuel 19:7-10

"Man, I thought we were good. At least is seemed like it, they promised."

Been there?

It seemed like reconciliation for David too, Saul even swore before the Lord that David wouldn't be killed.

Here's the deal, because the root of Saul's sins were not dealt with, it was bound to spring up again, no matter how great his vow was. You think he might have learned his lesson by now about making a superficial vow to the Lord, but even with that he couldn't help himself.

Have you been there?

You've tried to change a behavior, but it keeps coming back? You even promised. You just can't seem to will your way through it and it eats at you, but you can't help it.

For Saul, I think it was the lies he kept buying into that ate at him.

They start to haunt him, "Why David and not me? Why is God always working through
him and not me anymore? Everyone is going to forget me and think David is the leader."

I think Saul is like many of us, we buy into the lies. Something in us tells us that it's not right, so we try to force our way through by trying to change our behavior. But that we can only do that for so long before the old
demons come back.

Zechariah 4:6 says, "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord".

It's not going to happen by your will power. Lasting change will come only through repentance, which means changing your mind; and the only way for that to happen is to have it transformed by the Holy Spirit. Freedom comes from knowing and believing truth, lasting change comes from changing your beliefs.

"…be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2

Saul's change didn't last because he never dealt with truth. Saul kept pretending that everything was right
between
him and God, and it wasn't.

Are you trying to change other relationship before you change your relationship with God?

Believing that Christ
makes you right with God is the beginning…it's also the end.

Renewing is what Christ is great at!