Listen up!

I believe that God speaks to us all the time.  And if we don't listen, He speaks louder.  And if we still don't hear Him, He finds a way to speak louder.  And if we continue to disregard His voice, He'll get even LOUDER...until He has to use drastic, possibly painful, measures to get our attention.

Well, apparently I haven't been listening to His words for me lately.  Because in the last two weeks, I've had a couple of very hard lessons handed to me.  After being hurt and angry, and then crying for hours...on TWO different occasions, I heard His message loud and clear.  "Move on!  Let go!  I have other plans for you!"

Failing to listen to God's word, shows our (my) determination to pursue life through our (my) own resources and foolishness.  Why would I not choose to listen to the One Who created me?  Had I listened earlier, it could have saved a lot of tears and frustration.

Not only that, listening to God shows that I trust Him.  I DO trust Him.  And I want Him to know that I trust Him.  He knows much better than I do, what it better for me.


James 1:19-25 
19Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, 20for the wrath of a man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. 21Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.*
22Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.  23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror.  24He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like.**
25But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts.  Such a one shall be blessed in what he does.***

* [19-21]To be quick to hear the gospel is to accept it readily and to act in conformity with it, removing from one’s soul whatever is opposed to it, so that it may take root and effect salvation.
** [22-24]To listen to the gospel message but not practice it is failure to improve oneself.
*** [25]Only conformity of life to the perfect law of true freedom brings happiness.