Hebrews 3:15-19
For who were the people who turned a deaf ear? Weren't they the very ones Moses led out of Egypt? And who was God provoked with for forty years? Wasn't it those who turned a deaf ear and ended up corpses in the wilderness? And when he swore that they'd never get where they were going, wasn't he talking to the ones who turned a deaf ear? They never got there because they never listened, never believed.
Scripture quotations from The Message. ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Have you ever tried to tell give a person advice – or directions – or you tried to show someone how to do a particular task… and the whole time, you knew they were not listening? In the end, all you could do was stand by and watch this person go the wrong way… or make a poor choice… or royally botch whatever he/she was trying to accomplish.
Imagine how this feels for God… because we do these same things to Him all the time! He has shown us the way. He has given us His word, His Holy Spirit, fellow believers to minister and encourage us, and much more… and still we tune it all out and try to do things on our own. God has given us the beauty of His creation, yet we doubt His existence. He has blessed us immeasurably, still we gripe and complain and have some pretty big pity parties!
We are our own worst enemy (with the devil’s help, of course). We block hearing from God… and in doing so, we block His blessings – and for some, salvation and the promise of an eternity spent in Heaven. We make the same mistakes over and again… then wonder why nothing ever works out for us like we had hoped.
The secret of success is hearing from God. I don’t necessarily mean success in a financial or material manner… although not listening to God could block these, also. I am talking about the success that comes from finding the joy, peace, hope and encouragement that God stands ready to give us… the life-altering health and wealth of living in the abundance of His blessings. We can all still enjoy this! All it takes is a shift of attitude… a willingness to pay attention, seek God’s word and will, and truly LISTEN to what He is telling us.
God’s word blesses us… empowers us… allows us to excel in all things. Don’t you want that for yourself? Won’t you stop, look and listen… and learn what God has in store for you in the days to come?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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