Daily Read - 2 Kings 23:31-25:30; Acts 22:17-23:10; Psalm 2:1-12; Proverbs 18:13
   
To the degree you listen to others is an indicator of how you listen to God. Many times our flesh nature wants to raise its ugly head taking the stance of always having to be right. Because of this, we rarely listen to those who are speaking or worse, we interrupt them interjecting our self-important input without fully hearing what they are trying to say. This is not only rude, but dishonoring and disrespectful. Many people will perceive this as being prideful and self-centered ...yikes!
 
Have you ever thought about your prayer time before the Lord? How much time do you spend talking compared to listening? There are times when the Lord wants to speak, but before He can get a word out, we interrupt Him with more of our thoughts and ideas.
 
We live in a fast-paced society where everything moves along at a hurried, rapid speed. Communication no longer occurs around the dinner table, but in cyber space through text messaging. We've replaced looking into each other's eyes with our iPhones! What's happened to those times of close communion with each other and with God? No one takes the time to hear each other because it's inconvenient and we just don't have the time. We've substituted real hugs and kisses with X's and O's through email.
 
Let's choose to stop this madness and intentionally listen to those who speak to us today. Purpose in your heart to focus on what they are saying without devising a comeback in your mind. Don't interrupt before they are finished sharing their heart. Speak to your mind and tell it to focus and listen. You will be shocked at how well it listens when you are serious.
 
Let's quiet ourselves before the Lord and allow Him to speak to us uninterrupted. What He has to say is much more life changing than what we have to say!