Pr. 19:27 | considering the word

“Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray away from the words of knowledge.” Pr. 19:27

In Mark 1:16-20, Jesus told Simon and Andrew to follow Him. He also called to James and John, sons of Zebedee, who left their father and went after Jesus. How convincing must Jesus have sounded to these men? Seriously. They were at work, doing their jobs, making money, and this stranger speaks to them and they just leave it all and follow him. That’s out of the ordinary.

After they went into Capernaum, Jesus taught in the temple and spoke “as one having authority.” A man with an unclean spirit then approached Him, and Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” The spirit came out of the man.

They left the synagogue and went to Simon’s house. His mother was sick, so Jesus took her by the hand, lifted her up and her fever immediately left her. That night, the whole city was gathered together at the door of Simon’s house, where Jesus healed their diseases and cast out demons. He wouldn’t allow the demons to speak.

A leper later came to Jesus to see if He was willing to heal him. As soon as Jesus spoke the words, “I am willing; be cleansed,” the leprosy left the man.

Have you seen the same pattern I’m seeing? Jesus’ authority is undeniable. He spoke to strangers, and they gave up everything for Him. He spoke to demons and they obeyed. He spoke to sickness and it left.

What is He speaking to You right now? Another pattern I’ve noticed is that we tend to try to resist the Lord’s instructions to us. When the Holy Spirit prompts us to do something we hesitate, we debate, we put it off. We’re afraid to obey for various reasons. Why?

Have we given something or someone else more authority in our lives? Jesus’ authority is undeniable in Mark. He still has the same authority today. He does not change. The only thing that changes is us. We stray.

How sad that even the demons obeyed Jesus, and yet we try to ignore or debate with Him.

When the Lord speaks to You, listen. He has the power to make things happen. All He needs us to do is be willing to be part of His plan. When we obey the Lord, the outcome is up to Him. Don’t put Him off any longer.

In fact, may I be so bold to say, let’s be better than the demons, and ask Him in advance to speak to us. And when He does, let’s simply obey.

Listening for instruction,

jamie

Pr. 19:27: “Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.”

It is easy for us to give in to busyness in this life, especially during this season of year. There are so many things pulling at us each day. We have countless responsibilities. We are asked to help with many things from those around us. We have personal things we want to do. There is nothing necessarily wrong with being busy. Currently, our “Christmas break” schedule is jam-packed with things to do.

The danger; however, is neglecting the only thing that really matters: our relationship with God. With all the busyness, it can be easy to put aside our time with God in an effort to get done all the things that are pulling at us.

Without God, though, we can do nothing. He is our Strength. He is our Provider. He is the One who guides and directs us. He is the One who instructs us. If we put Him first, He will help us get done all the things we need to do, or He will direct us when we need to say no to certain things.

Because it is true that when we cease listening to instruction we are more likely to stray from the words of knowledge, we must be diligent and intentional in setting aside our time for the Word of God.

If we are going to choose to say no to something, we must make sure that something is not our time with God. Above all else, we need to continue abiding in the Vine. We must remain attached to Him, allowing Him to nourish and enrich us. It is only abiding in Him that brings the fruit in our lives.

John 15:6 reminds us, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

We cannot risk not abiding in Him. Once we become unattached, we stray, and eventually fall away, being then cast out and withered. After that, we see what happens.

It may seem like I’m being overly-dramatic, but I’ve seen it before. Sometimes it only takes a few days for the enemy to cause us to become so distracted that we get out of the routine of making time with God our priority. Once that takes place, we are vulnerable to his sway. His sway will always lead us away from God.

During this season, during all the busyness, giving, and frivolity, we must protect our time with God and in His Word. We must ensure that abiding in Him is at the top of our to-do list. If we put Him first, all the rest will fall beautifully into place. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Let’s remain in Him,

jamie