Choose to Have Selective Hearing

Daily Devotional

1 Kings 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.

What you hear will determine whether faith rises or it diminishes; therefore, you must be selective with your hearing by choosing to hear words that will increase your faith.

 It is mind blowing that after Elijah was used to perform one of the great acts of faith in the Bible – calling down fire from Heaven, he was seen almost immediately after that acting as a total coward, going as far as requesting that God take his life. What could have driven such a great man of faith to that point? The scripture said that King Ahab had reported to Queen Jezebel all that Elijah had done including the fact that he had slain all the prophets of Baal. Having heard these things,Jezebel proceeded to send a messenger to tell Elijah that within 24 hours she would have him killed even as he had the people slew the prophets of Baal. On hearing the words of Jezebel, Elijah turned from being a picture of faith to a person of fear. The message behind Elijah’s action is that you must be selective in what you choose to hear.  

In the first instance,  Elijah allowed himself to hear the word of God and from that, faith sprung forth. That is consistent with Romans 10:17 that says faith cometh by hearing; the scripture highlights that faith increases through hearing the word of God. Fear, which is the primary tool of the enemy, works the same way; hearing is the primary mechanism through which fear rises and faith diminishes. The point is that Elijah’s dramatic transformation from faith to fear was the result of him allowing himself to hear fear. Knowing that Jezebel was wicked having shed the innocent blood of Naboth for his vineyard, he should not have entertained or listened to any message from her. Doing so totally changed his worldview, evidenced not only by what he did thereafter, but also by what he said. The lesson to be learnt from Elijah is that it does not matter how great you deem your faith to be, it can quickly erode if you open your ears to words of fear. The prudent response is to avoid, as far as possible, allowing yourself to listen to words of fear, even if it is coming from you.

Life Application: Consistently repeat in your hearing the promises and principles of God, to allow your faith to keep growing.

Prayer: Lord, I choose to hear things that will build my faith. I reject every word that causes fear to arise. You have not given me a spirit of fear, therefore I will not fear. In Jesus name,amen.