Listen Closely.

Sunday, July 17, 2011. Isaiah 29-31; James 1

S: James 1:22 (MSG) Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!
O: Don’t just hear the Word of God; Act on it.
A: The Word of God is meant to change us from the inside out. If we are not truly listening we will miss the message that God has just for us. There have been times when I have left church, a conference or just a conversation with one of the accountability people in my life knowing that God has just spoken directly to me. There have also been times when I’ve sat in these same places thinking about other things with a closed heart and rolled up ears. The result was that I left in the same condition I arrived in. I have a choice today – to listen or not; to act on the truth I have just heard or not. The truth is sometimes I hear things I don’t want to hear that lead me to a place where I come face to face with me and realize I have changes in my life to make. What I have learned though is that as uncomfortable as I may be for a moment God brings these things before me because he has something better for me. Drink deeply of the Word of God. Listen to what God has for you today and then take an action.
P: Father God I thank you that you have given me ears to hear. Open my ears today that I may hear you and give me courage to not simply be a hearer of your Word but a doer. Teach me to Listen to and Act on every word you have for me. Change me from the inside out Lord. Amen.