“Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of
knowledge. “—Proverbs 19:27
Listening to God is not a onetime event. We must continually keep His Word before us,
or we'll begin to listen to the wrong voices.
In what is commonly
called the Christmas story in American culture, is the narrative of how Joseph
was warned in a dream that it was God’s plan for him to marry his fiancée,
Mary, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was
as follows: After His mother Mary was
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the
Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her
a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought
about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife,
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18-20). After the dream, Joseph awoke from sleep
and immediately took Mary to him as his wife (vs. 24). In Matthew chapter two, Joseph is warned again by God to leave Bethlehem
and to flee Egypt. He was warned to stay in Egypt until the angel brought word that it
was safe for the young child, Jesus (vs. 13-14). Again, Joseph immediately obeys. We have a record that Joseph listened to God
at least twice more concerning the protection of the child, Jesus. When God speaks to us, it is good to
immediately obey for it can thwart
possible danger.
In Genesis 2:16-17, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden
you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall
not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
The Lord gave a command not to eat from
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Eve began to listen to another voice and
did not hold steadfastly to her Creator's words. All that Satan had to do was plant a single
doubt about God's integrity and offer Eve one appealing advantage of doing
things her own way—and she fell for it. He
mentioned wisdom, but Eve used natural reasoning, and added two more benefits
to the temptation: the fruit is good for food and a delight to the eyes.
The schemes of the Enemy have not changed. He still whispers lies and twists truth to
convince us that a) God cannot be trusted and b) His ways are not the best. In every temptation, there is a deception
about the character and motive of God, plus an attractive promise of a better
way.
The world is filled with voices that vie for our attention
and influence our thoughts and actions. Throughout the day, consider the
messages that are sent your way through the media and people. Consciously begin
to compare them to what scripture says about God and His ways.
Remembering what God says in the Bible is our safeguard
against deception and temptation. Daily devotions won't protect us if they're
quickly forgotten during the day. Follow
Christ's example (found in Matthew 4:1-11) and, be ready with truth in your
mind and on your tongue whenever temptation strikes.
Prayer—Father, I repent
for the times that I have not listen to You and have reaped the rewards of a
rebellious heart. Today I purpose in my
heart to listen to you and to put aside my own natural reasoning so that I can
immediately obey you in all things, in Jesus Name. Amen.
