1 Kings 22:6-18
We live in a world that has trained our brains to make us want what we want and unfortunately a lot of people will do whatever it takes to get it. Now you may have just read that and thought there is no way I am like that but we must be careful not to underestimate who we are listening to. As you read today's scripture passage, we find that Ahab had 400 prophets telling him exactly what he wanted to hear. They told him yes, go to war! They were confirming what he wanted, all too often we make a decision by ourselves. But when we ask for wisdom from others we truly are not asking for wisdom but seeking confirmation of the choice we made. We must be careful that we do not mistake others' agreement for God’s approval. Consensus is not confirmation!
If you know anything about me, you know that I am a huge Dr. Pepper fan (you may like it, I LOVE IT). Now with that being said I know drinking pop every day is not the healthiest thing to do. However, drinking Dr. Pepper zero sugar is healthier right!? Well, if we are being honest, it's still bad for me. These are little things in our lives that we can confirm what we want. If I substitute this for that it will make it better for me. Now if we are willing to do that with our health, how much more should we do this with everyday life and our Christian walk? We know we are doing something that does not line up to the way we are supposed to live, but we surround ourselves with people who tell us exactly what we want to hear. Maybe we know there is something in our lives that needs to be corrected, but instead of listening to the ones who call it out, we listen to those who confirm our actions.
We see in today's reading that the other prophets told Jehoshaphat that there was another prophet named Micaiah, but they hated him, his reason was because he never prophesied anything good about him. We read later that when others went looking for Micaiah, they told him others were telling the king this. So, I end this with a reminder, consensus is not confirmation! Take a moment right now and ask yourself the following question, “What am I being blinded to by confirming what I want to hear vs listening to what I need to hear?”
If you know anything about me, you know that I am a huge Dr. Pepper fan (you may like it, I LOVE IT). Now with that being said I know drinking pop every day is not the healthiest thing to do. However, drinking Dr. Pepper zero sugar is healthier right!? Well, if we are being honest, it's still bad for me. These are little things in our lives that we can confirm what we want. If I substitute this for that it will make it better for me. Now if we are willing to do that with our health, how much more should we do this with everyday life and our Christian walk? We know we are doing something that does not line up to the way we are supposed to live, but we surround ourselves with people who tell us exactly what we want to hear. Maybe we know there is something in our lives that needs to be corrected, but instead of listening to the ones who call it out, we listen to those who confirm our actions.
We see in today's reading that the other prophets told Jehoshaphat that there was another prophet named Micaiah, but they hated him, his reason was because he never prophesied anything good about him. We read later that when others went looking for Micaiah, they told him others were telling the king this. So, I end this with a reminder, consensus is not confirmation! Take a moment right now and ask yourself the following question, “What am I being blinded to by confirming what I want to hear vs listening to what I need to hear?”
Posted in Devotional