Listen Carefully

-Drew Blackston

I love living in Florida near the water. One of my favorite things to do is to walk along the marina’s and listen to all the boats tied to their docks. If you get there early in the morning you can hear the waves splashing against the hull of the boats, the seagulls chirping for breakfast, and the rubbing of the ropes and clanging of anchors as they hit against each other in the wind. For me, that is the perfect start to the day. I love how GOD’s word is ripe with illustrations of water, oceans, fishing, and boats. Jesus even began his ministry on the lakeshore in the boat of Simon Peter. If you’ve ever been on a boat you understand the importance of moving in the direction of your destination. If you drift too far off course, you’ll end up somewhere totally unexpected. Hebrews 2:1 illustrates this for us:

​So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard or we may drift away from it. Hebrews 2:1 NLT

The writer of Hebrews is contrasting the direction of our lives with what we are listening to. What struck me about this verse is that what we hear or listen to is what actually determines the direction of our lives. You would think that making decisions or working in a certain career would determine our path in life, but it’s actually the words that we hear. Who would have thought that what goes in your ears directs the destiny of your life? Well, Jesus actually. In Mark 4 Jesus is teaching in a boat (my kinda day) when he shares one of the secrets to the Kingdom of GOD: 


“And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept GOD’s Word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted.” Mark 4:20 NLT

What you hear is the seed to your future. Your ears and heart are the dirt in which your seed gets planted. What you put in the ground of your life, will grow and bear fruit. That is why it is so important to make sure that what we are listening to is feeding our faith, not fear. Whether that’s the things we watch on TV, or the music we listen to in the car, or even the people we follow on social media—it is so important to guard the seeds that are planted in your soil. How can we make sure the seeds we are planting are leading to a good harvest? Take some time today to evaluate everything that you hear and read. Does it bring you encouragement or build your faith? If not, it’s time to trash that seed. It’s much easier to throw away small seeds than to try and dig up weeds that have been rooted and embedded for years. 
Our prayer for you today is that you will continue to listen to the truth found in GOD’s word. His seed will bring a harvest of joy, peace, and blessings not only throughout your day, but throughout your life. Make a commitment each week to watch online or attend a faith building church service. If you want to carry around the seed of GOD’s word in your pocket, download the Bible app for your phone. Whatever you do, make sure that the seed going in is bringing a harvest that will push you towards your GOD designed destiny.

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