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Half listening seems to be a trait we are all born with. The longer I parent the more I realize that if I want my children to not to do something I have to be extremely specific. A basic instruction will not work. For some reason with basic instructions they will find a loophole and then I am left stumped.
God, of course, knows this about all of us. Therefore, His instructions are always specific when it comes to the things that we are supposed to do and even the things that we aren’t supposed to do. In this week’s Good Morning Girls reading of 1 Samuel we were reminded of the importance of doing just that and we are reminded of the dangers that come along with only half listening.
God blesses those who follow His instructions. We, of course, see this in Chapter 11 when once again God helps deliver victory to Saul against the Ammonites. Saul followed what God had placed on his heart and they were able to overcome.
In fact, God reminds His people that he is OK with them having their king as long as they remembered to follow Him with all their hearts He would continue to bless them. This included them following all His commands and instructions.
If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. 1 Samuel 12:14-15
You see there is nothing wrong with desiring something. We just have to remember that nothing or no one should ever take our focus from God. Not our jobs, our children or our husbands.
Saul began to lose sight of this truth. He began to get sloppy when it came to his dealings with God and even let a little fear creep in.
I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 1 Samuel 13:12
And of course, Samuel was there to let Samuel know what he had just done.
And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 1 Samuel 13:13
Finally this week we see that God had had enough and took away His support of Saul. Of course, it was because once again Saul only half listened to God’s commands.
“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. 1 Samuel 15:11
Why and How We Avoid Half Listening?
- God blesses those who follow His instructions. Even if they don’t always understand them.
- God provides us with a warning when we are only half listening to His commands.
- God places wise counsel in our lives. We all have our own personal Samuel.
- God’s timing is not our own timing and sometimes we will not receive answers right away. We still must be patient and wait.
- Sometimes we have to walk away from those we love because of sin but it doesn’t mean we ever stop praying and grieving for them (1 Samuel 15:35)
I would love to hear your thoughts from this week’s reading below.
Until Next Time Just Keep Soaring 4 Him,
****Feel free to join me on Monday’s and Wednesdays in our group called Worshipful Homemaking where I go into detail about our daily reading.
I am blogging through the Bible with some great friends. Each week we share our thoughts on passages that we are reading together through the week. It is amazing to me just how God is laying different things on each of our hearts. You do not have to be a blogger to join in. In fact, the main goal of Good Morning Girls is to encourage women of God to dedicate a little of their time each morning to seeking wisdom from God’s Word. To join us simply click on the image below and it will take you directly to Good Morning Girls where you will find our reading plan, free study materials and wonderful words of inspiration.
Also, don’t forget to check out my besties who also happen to be on the Good Morning Girls leadership team.
Courtney from Women Living Well
Mandy from Worshipful Living
Rosilind from A Little R&R
Misty from Beautiful Ashes
I would like to invite you to my Facebook group Christian Homemakers in Training where we dive into homemaking, motherhood, marriage and group devotions. After all, we all need a safe place to grow together, right?
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