Who Do You Listen To
2 Chronicles 18:6 King Ahab of Israel asks King Jehoshaphat to go with him to battle the Syrians and Jehoshaphat wants to hear from a prophet of the Lord instead of the pagan prophets. Like him, we have a choice of who we want to listen to.
6/3/20262 min read
But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of Him?' 2 Chronicles 18:6 (NKJV)
By marriage, King Jehoshaphat was aligned with King Ahab who wanted him to go with him to battle the Syrians. Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from a prophet about the situation, so King Ahab sought four hundred of his pagan prophets, who told him what he wanted to hear - there would be victory over the Syrians. But Jehoshaphat was not satisfied and asked Ahab if there were any prophets of the Lord left in the land. There was one, Micaiah, who Ahab didn't like because he never prophesized anything good about him. Micaiah said that if they went to war with Syria, King Ahab would die in battle. Ahab listened to his prophets and even though he disguised himself as a common soldier, was hit by a random arrow that pierced him perfectly through a kink in his armor causing him to die.
Like the kings of Israel and Judah, we have a choice between listening to the world or listening to God. Listening to the world leads to death, while listening to God leads to eternal life. Jesus says in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person.” The first step in listening to God is opening the door to Jesus and allowing Him into our hearts, which is done when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. After that, the world will still try to tell us to do things it's way, and that is when we need to be like Jehoshaphat and say that we want to hear from the Lord.
Choose to have a lifestyle in which you listen to the Lord. Engage in scripture and meditate on His word so that you can recognize His voice over that of the world. Set aside time to speak and listen, allowing God to guide your thoughts and decisions, paying attention to the inner prompts of the Holy Spirit. Attend church regularly and join a bible study group to strengthen yourself against the lies of the deceitful one. Be ready to act on God's direction for your life, showing your faith and trust in Him. You have the choice of who you want to listen to, so choose God.