Give Ear

In 1979, a band by the name of the Romantics wrote and sang the song “What I Like About You.” The musician states what it is he likes about the one he’s singing to…it’s the fact that this person tells him all the things that he wants to hear when she keeps on whispering in his ear.
Ahhhh…so lovely and romantic, right? Can’t you imagine these words coming out of a serpent’s mouth? So cunning/crafty (Genesis 3:1) as a serpent, and so smooth as the words that are known to flow from the mouth of an adulterous woman (Proverbs 5:3-22, and Chapters 7-9).
In The Garden, Adam and Eve had two choices…give ear to God or give ear to the serpent (Satan). What God had to say sounded good at first, but then they chose to give ear to Satan. Satan had a subtle and deceptive way of twisting truth and telling Adam and Eve exactly what he knew they’d want to hear. They chose to buy into his lies and that’s when everything fell apart (The Fall).
God has also given us today the opportunity to give ear to what it is that we want to hear. What voice will we choose to listen to?
Below are some points and verses that relate to what God desires that we give ear to, along with points and verses that explain what it is that He warns us to not give ear to.
Matthew 11:15 (NLT) states that, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” What is it that we should be Listening to and Understanding?

Give Ear To…
Him…to God alone (Job 34:2; Isaiah 51:4; John 14:6)
His Commandments (Exodus 15:26)
His law/Word…to the words/voice/speech that comes from His mouth (Psalm 78:1; Isaiah 1:10; 32:9; 51:4; Jeremiah 9:20)

And Don’t Give Ear To…
Those who speak from their own mind, and not from the Lord’s mouth (Jeremiah 14:14; 23:16; Ezekiel 13:6; Jude 1:18)
False Hope (Jeremiah 23:16)
False Prophets (Jeremiah 14:14; 27:9; Ezekiel 13:6; Matthew 7:15; 1 John 4:1)
False Apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13)
False Gospel Messages (Galatians 1:8-9)
False Doctrine/Teaching (Isaiah 30:10; 1 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:3)
2 Timothy 4:3 (NLT) reminds us of the fact that “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.”
Itching Ears…Sounds just like the song from the Romantics that we started out with in this devo.
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May God’s desires become your desires (Psalm 37:4). May that which upsets Him, also be upsetting and concerning to you as well (Proverbs 6:16-19). Allow the Lord to continue to be that voice of truth that keeps on whispering in your ear…telling you ALL the things that you want and need to hear (2 Peter 1:3). Learn to like, no wait, better yet, learn to love that about Him. Let Him know that you NEED Him in your ear.
You have a choice to make each day…which voice will you allow to speak into your life? Which voice will you give ear to?
The apostle Paul, in Ephesians 4:27, warns us to not give the devil a foothold/opportunity/chance/place in our lives. DO NOT GIVE EAR TO HIM!!! Will you heed your brothers warning today and not give ear to Satan and his followers?

For further study…do a word search in BibleGateway.com for words or phrases such as, “take heed,” “Remember,” “Listen,” “Whisper,” etc. I’m sure you’ll find very similar results as I did when I searched for “give ear.”

Songs:
I'm Listening by Chris McClarney
Listen by Marvin Sapp

Practicing His Presence,
Nate