Listen Carefully
Exodus 34:10-11 (NLT) The Lord replied, “Listen, I am making a covenant with you in the presence of all your people. I will perform miracles that have never been performed anywhere in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people around you will see the power of the Lord—the awesome power I will display for you. But listen carefully to everything I command you today. Then I will go ahead of you and drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
Listen carefully - then - God will go before you and drive out all the "ites." What are your "ites" today? It could be your career-ites, complainer-ites, children-ites, ministry-ites, finance-ites and so on. The "ites" can represent anything that is a burden or may appear to be a burden or something that is weighing you down. It can even be a true enemy that is before you. The good news is God will help you and remove these "ites" as long as you listen carefully and follow through with His commands. He has made a covenant with us, a blood covenant through the sacrifice of Jesus. This covenant is stronger than any earthly covenant or bond. God never goes back on His promises, He does not change His mind, His promises are true and He is faithful until the end.
As parents we can often say to our children, "are you listening to me?" They may hear words but they aren't really listening to what we are saying. God is telling us to listen and listen carefully. That means pay attention to the details. Follow His instructions so you can remain on the right path and avoid long paths around the same mountain. All of our needs can be met as we choose to faithfully follow Him and trust His plan against our own. Be warned though, He will likely require us to change through the process. This is where we will grow spiritually and heal along the way, just listen carefully.
Proverbs 2:1-8 (NLT) My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.
