🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ A Deaf Ear to God’s Word

Scripture: Proverbs 13:13 NIV

“Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded.”

Jeremiah 7:24 NIV

“But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.”

Devotion :

Daily, myself and countless other laborers for Christ put God’s Word out; and daily it blesses many.

But sad to report that even more people ignore it, scroll past it, don’t feel they need it, etc.

God is trying to help His children navigate life successfully, warn them, save them from the evil in this world, and cause them to live blessed.

When I look at the actions and words of the cruel, mean, insensitive, selfish, and lost, I see people who are ignoring God’s Word.

I see people on the internet tear others down with NO COMPASSION.

People killing others over hurt feelings or words exchanged.

People bragging about being heartless and sinful.

WHAT A SCARY WORLD IT IS WHERE GOD IS IGNORED.

🥺🙏🏽

People are ignoring the Word of God, not realizing HOW MUCH THEY NEED IT.

And I know somebody may say:

“Well, everybody doesn’t believe the Bible.”

I know.

But look at what happens when the very things God teaches are discarded.

God says love your neighbor.

The world says, “I don’t care about anybody but me.”

God teaches forgiveness.

People say, “I’ll never forgive them. I’m getting even.”

God teaches self-control.

People say, “If you disrespect me, I’m going to show you!”

God says watch your tongue.

People get online and intentionally humiliate, bully, curse, threaten, and destroy other people with their words.

And then we wonder why there’s so much ANGER, HATRED, REVENGE, DIVISION, SELFISHNESS, AND DESTRUCTION.

Whewww! 🥺

WE NEED GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS.

This isn’t about trying to make everybody “religious.”

WE NEED HELP LIVING.

We need help controlling our anger.

We need help forgiving.

We need help loving people.

We need help making decisions.

We need help controlling our flesh.

We need help raising our children.

We need help knowing what’s right when our feelings are telling us something completely different.

WE ALL NEED GOD.

🙏🏽

And Proverbs 13:13 gives us a very plain warning:

“Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it…”

WHEWWW. 😮‍💨

That is plain.

Ignoring wisdom doesn’t make the consequences disappear.

You can ignore God’s instruction about anger…

until one moment of rage changes your entire life.

You can ignore God’s instruction about your tongue…

until words spoken in five minutes destroy a relationship you’ve had for twenty years.

You can ignore God’s instruction about honesty…

until one lie turns into another, then another, and eventually everything starts falling apart.

YOU CAN IGNORE THE INSTRUCTION, BUT YOU CANNOT ALWAYS ESCAPE THE CONSEQUENCES OF IGNORING IT.

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

And notice the other half:

“…but whoever respects a command is rewarded.”

God isn’t giving us instructions because He’s trying to make life miserable.

HE IS TRYING TO HELP US.

His Word provides boundaries.

Wisdom.

Correction.

Protection.

Direction.

Truth.

Sometimes what we call God “restricting us” is actually God protecting us.

🙌🏽

Then Jeremiah 7:24 takes us even deeper.

God had repeatedly sent His Word to His people.

But the Scripture says:

“But they did not listen or pay attention…”

There it is.

A DEAF EAR TO GOD’S WORD.

They heard…

but didn’t LISTEN.

There is a difference.

You can sit in church and hear Scripture.

You can follow ten Christian pages.

You can receive PRAY HERE Devotions every morning.

You can have a Bible app sending Scriptures to your phone.

You can scroll past Scripture after Scripture after Scripture…

AND STILL NOT LISTEN TO GOD.

👀

Because listening to God requires more than your ears.

Eventually what you hear has to affect HOW YOU LIVE.

And Jeremiah says instead of listening:

“…they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.”

In other words:

THEY CHOSE WHAT THEY WANTED OVER WHAT GOD SAID.

And look at the result:

“They went backward and not forward.”

OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 😮‍💨🙏🏽

That’s worth sitting with.

THEY WENT BACKWARD AND NOT FORWARD.

Somebody keeps praying:

“God, take me forward!”

But God has been giving instructions that you keep ignoring.

👀

We cannot continuously reject God’s wisdom and then wonder why certain areas of our lives aren’t progressing.

Sometimes we’re asking God for another answer when we haven’t obeyed the last instruction.

GO BACK AND LISTEN.

🙏🏽

And before we make this devotion about “those people out there”…

Let’s bring it home.

Because Christians can develop a deaf ear too.

We can shout over the Word.

Post the Word.

Quote the Word.

Teach the Word.

Send the Word to somebody else who “really needs to hear this.” 😂

And still ignore the part that is talking directly to US.

God says forgive.

“But You don’t know what they did.”

God says love.

“But I don’t like them.”

God says repent.

“But everybody does it.”

God says change.

“That’s just how I am.”

No.

DON’T DEVELOP A DEAF EAR TO GOD’S WORD.

🥺🙏🏽

God’s Word isn’t trying to ruin your life.

IT’S TRYING TO SAVE IT.

There are warnings in Scripture that can save us from years of unnecessary pain.

There is wisdom that can save relationships.

Correction that can change behavior.

Truth that can renew minds.

The Gospel that points lost people to JESUS CHRIST AND SALVATION.

God is still speaking through His Word.

The question is:

ARE WE LISTENING?

Don’t just scroll past everything God sends to challenge you.

Don’t only receive Scriptures that make you feel good.

Sometimes the Word comforts.

Sometimes it encourages.

Sometimes it corrects.

Sometimes it warns.

Sometimes it tells us:

YOU NEED TO CHANGE.

And we need ALL OF IT.

Because a world that stops listening to God doesn’t become wiser without Him.

Jeremiah tells us what happened:

“THEY WENT BACKWARD AND NOT FORWARD.”

Lord have mercy. 🥺🙏🏽

Open your Bible.

Read it.

Listen.

Pay attention.

Let God correct you.

Let God teach you.

Let God lead you.

WE NEED HIS WORD.

Reflect & Respond

Don’t think about everybody else today.

Think about YOU.

Ask yourself:

What has God been telling me through His Word that I keep ignoring?

Do I only want Scriptures that encourage me, or will I receive correction too?

Is there an area where I know what God says, but I’m still choosing what I want?

And here’s the big one:

“AM I LISTENING TO GOD—or JUST HEARING HIM?”

If God brings something to your mind, don’t scroll past the conviction.

STOP.

REPENT.

LISTEN.

OBEY.

And start moving FORWARD, NOT BACKWARD. 🙏🏽

⸻

Prayer :

Father God, I repent for every time You spoke through Your Word and I ignored You. I am godly sorry for choosing my own thoughts, feelings, and desires over Your instructions. Forgive me, Lord. Give me a heart that receives correction and a mind that is willing to learn. Renew my mind with Your Word. Help me listen, obey, and trust that Your instructions are for my good. Don’t let my heart become stubborn or my ears become deaf to Your voice.

In Jesus’ name, Amen. 🙏🏽💙

⸻

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