🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ It Pays to Listen. There’s Always a Warning!
Scripture: Acts 27:10–11, 21 (KJV)
Verse 10: “And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.”
Verse 11: “Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.”
Verse 21: “But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.”
Devotion :
SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO NO MATTER WHAT! 😩
You can warn them. You can give them good advice. You can show them what happened to somebody else who made the same mistake. You can even explain the consequences that are waiting on the other side of their decision.
AND THEY’RE STILL GOING TO DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO!
Whewww! Lord have mercy! 😮💨
Have you ever tried to warn a stubborn teenager about something?
You tell them, “Don’t go over there. That’s not a good crowd for you to be hanging around.”
But they know everything! 🙄
“You don’t know my friends!”
“That’s not going to happen to me!”
“You’re always thinking something bad is going to happen!”
And because they think they know better, they ignore your warning.
Then something happens. Maybe they end up in trouble at school, get caught up in something they had no business being involved in, or find themselves in a situation they don’t know how to get out of.
And now they’re crying, calling home, and needing somebody to come rescue them!
ALL OF THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THEY HAD JUST LISTENED!
But let me tell you something. This isn’t just about teenagers!
THERE ARE SOME GROWN FOLKS WHO ARE JUST AS HARDHEADED! 👀
You can’t tell them anything!
They always have an explanation. They always know a better way. They ask for advice but have already made up their minds about what they’re going to do.
And sometimes, the very people trying to help them are the ones they refuse to listen to.
MY, MY, MY!
This brings us to today’s Scripture.
In Acts chapter 27, Paul was aboard a ship headed toward Rome.
Before they continued their voyage, Paul warned the men that the journey would bring danger, damage, and loss.
PAUL WARNED THEM BEFORE THEY GOT INTO TROUBLE!
But verse 11 tells us that the centurion chose to believe the ship’s master and owner instead of Paul.
In other words, THEY HAD BEEN WARNED, BUT THEY DECIDED TO GO ANYWAY!
And what happened?
They sailed right into a violent storm!
The winds became so dangerous that they lost control of the ship. They began throwing cargo and equipment overboard. And eventually, they lost hope of being saved.
Now look at what Paul said in verse 21:
“SIRS, YE SHOULD HAVE HEARKENED UNTO ME…”
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 😮💨
In everyday language, “YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED!”
How many times have we found ourselves saying that to somebody?
And how many times has somebody had to say that to US?
SOME OF THE TROUBLE WE FIND OURSELVES IN WAS NEVER NECESSARY!
Not every hardship comes because we made a bad decision. Sometimes trouble comes even when we’ve done everything right.
But there are other times when we walk straight into trouble because we ignored the warning signs!
Somebody warned you about that relationship, but you ignored the red flags.
Somebody told you to slow down with your spending, but you kept swiping that card.
Your doctor warned you to take better care of your health, but you kept putting it off.
Your parents, a trusted friend, or a spiritual leader tried to give you sound advice, but you didn’t want to hear it.
And sometimes, GOD HIMSELF HAS BEEN DEALING WITH YOUR HEART ABOUT SOMETHING, BUT YOU KEEP OVERRIDING HIS INSTRUCTIONS!
Whewww! 🙏🏽
IT PAYS TO LISTEN!
Proverbs 12:15 says:
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” (KJV)
Did you catch that?
A fool thinks his own way is always right!
But a wise person understands that they don’t know everything.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO EXPERIENCE EVERY CONSEQUENCE TO LEARN EVERY LESSON!
Sometimes God allows somebody else to warn you because they can see something you don’t see.
Sometimes the warning comes through Scripture.
Sometimes it comes through godly counsel, a parent’s correction, an experienced person, or even a situation that keeps showing you something isn’t right.
Now, every opinion isn’t wisdom, and every warning isn’t necessarily from God. That’s why we must pray, seek His Word, and exercise discernment.
But please don’t reject sound advice simply because IT’S NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR!
PRIDE WILL MAKE YOU REJECT THE VERY INSTRUCTION THAT COULD HAVE PROTECTED YOU!
And stubbornness can turn a situation that could have been avoided into a storm you now have to endure.
Here’s something else I want you to notice.
Although the men ignored Paul’s warning, God still showed mercy. He assured Paul that the lives of those aboard would be spared.
BUT THEY STILL LOST THE SHIP!
Everybody survived, but they suffered unnecessary danger and loss.
GOD’S MERCY DOES NOT MEAN OUR DISOBEDIENCE COMES WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES!
Hallelujah for His mercy! 🙌🏽
But wouldn’t it be better to listen BEFORE the trouble comes than to have to cry out for help AFTER we’ve ignored the warning?
STOP WAITING UNTIL THE SHIP IS FALLING APART TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SOMEBODY WAS TRYING TO HELP YOU!
Listen to sound wisdom.
Pay attention to the warnings.
Be willing to receive correction.
And most importantly, OBEY GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS!
Because sometimes the difference between peace and unnecessary trouble is simply whether we were willing to listen.
IT PAYS TO LISTEN! THERE’S ALWAYS A WARNING WORTH PAYING ATTENTION TO! 🙏🏽💙
✍🏽 Reflect & Respond
Take a moment and examine yourself today.
Have I been ignoring sound advice because I think I know what’s best?
Is there something God has been dealing with my heart about that I keep putting off or making excuses for?
Am I willing to receive correction before I experience the consequences?
Think about one warning or piece of sound advice you’ve been ignoring.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT TODAY?
Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of a storm to wish you had listened.
BE WISE ENOUGH TO HEED THE WARNING WHILE THERE’S STILL TIME!
🙏🏽 Prayer :
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me enough to warn me, correct me, and guide me. Forgive me for the times I’ve been stubborn, prideful, and unwilling to listen. Help me recognize sound wisdom and receive correction with a humble heart. Remove the attitude that makes me think I always know best. Give me discernment to recognize Your instructions and the obedience to follow them, even when they aren’t what I want to hear. Lord, protect me from unnecessary trouble caused by my own decisions. Teach me to listen before I act and to seek Your wisdom in everything I do. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen. 🙏🏽💙
🙏🏽 Need Prayer Today?
CLICK HERE, IF YOU NEED TO SUBMIT A PRAYER REQUEST TODAY. LET US SUPPORT YOU IN PRAYER.
💙 PRAY HERE 30-Day Prayer Journals
LET GOD — 30-Day Women’s Prayer & Surrender Journal
What I Can’t Say Out Loud — 30-Day Men’s Prayer Journal
Comments