Because I Don’t Want to Listen

Isaiah 1: ¹⁵ When you spread out your hands in prayer,
    I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.

Your hands are full of blood!

¹⁶ Wash and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
    stop doing wrong.
¹⁷ Learn to do right; seek justice.
    Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
    plead the case of the widow.

¹⁸ “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
    says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
    they shall be like wool.
¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient,
    you will eat the good things of the land;
²⁰ but if you resist and rebel,
    you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

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“How do you know it is GOD that is speaking to you?” someone asked me. At one point I used to think GOD was speaking to me when a thought would pop into my head or when a situation “I” felt was good would happen. This immature view of GOD lead me down sinful paths with random success.

• There were times when I thought I was listening to GOD but I was listening to myself.
• There were times when I thought GOD was speaking to me and I was really being tempted.
• There were times when I thought just because “it” was said in “church” that “it” must be GOD.

Confused and duped were places I have landed because I sought groups of people who said what I wanted to hear. I went to a church who lusted after money, never once hearing much about salvation through JESUS who is the CHRIST. How can I get out of this confusion? I mean, I don’t like reading.

• GOD said to me “Seek MY face daily” which means I need to communicate with HIM in prayer.
• GOD said to me “Seek MY kingdom” which means I need to actively go out and look for people to bring into HIS house.
• GOD said to me “Seek MY wisdom” which means I had to overcome the barrier of reading HIS word, so take it in small chunks.

After I started truly seeking GOD instead of seeking the stuff I had put in my mind and blamed it on GOD, I started noticing a difference. I noticed fruit. People were opening their hearts to GOD and actively pursuing HIM. I also noticed I was doing more and more things I did not want to do. I was giving more and reading more and praying more.

My temper had to be doused and my graciousness had to grow. I had to get rid of fear of humans and instill the fear of GOD. Most of all I had to listen to HIM!

• Are you turning your ears away from GOD?
• Have you placed something in the way of you being able to listen to HIM?
• Are you listening to yourself and blaming it on GOD?
• Can you turn from your ways and start seeking HIM today?