Listen Up!!

“Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 23:12)

Beloved,

 I need to grow in listening. As the old adage says, “God gave you two ears and one mouth so you should listen twice as much as you speak.” But listening is difficult. It’s a challenge to listen, because we naturally focus on our opinion as the most important one. We don’t want to apply our hearts to instruction and our ears to words of knowledge, because there’s a part of us that insists we don’t need to be instructed. We don’t need to hear words of knowledge. Our lack of good listening skills could be, at its core, an inflated view of ourselves. James writes that we should, “be quick to hear and slow to speak,” but too often we are quick to be heard and slow in allowing others to speak.

Before we are able to give our ear to words of knowledge, we must apply our hearts to instruction. We have to open our hearts, so we will be able to hear from others. For if we close our hearts to instruction, we will be like the fool, according to God’s Word:


· The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to run. (Prov. 10:8)

· The wise layup knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. (Prov. 10:14)

· The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice (Prov. 12:15)

· Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge (Prov. 14:7)

· A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. (Prov. 18:6-7)

· Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. (Prov. 17:28)

· A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. (Prov. 29:11)

· Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him (Prov. 29:20)
One of the best ways not to be a fool is to listen more and talk less. We must open our hearts to instruction and that will close our mouths to our own opinions. Let us be quick to listen and slow to speak. Listening is hard, but its benefits are tremendous.