Wisdom is in Hearing

Thursday 14/05/2026

Proverbs 13:1 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

The book of Proverbs regularly draws a line between two kinds of people. On one side is the person who lets wisdom, counsel, and instruction shape the way they move through life. On the other is the person who runs on emotion, pressure, or impulse. Today’s text tells us the difference between these two is not intelligence or background. It comes down to listening.

Instructions are the pathways out of destruction. In Psalm 23, David declares that the Lord is his shepherd and he shall not want. In John 10, Jesus tells us the sheep hear his voice. The experience of the sheep is entirely dependent on hearing the shepherd. The shepherd may be leading toward green pastures, but if the sheep is not listening, it will not get there. Wisdom is in listening.

God releases instructions according to the situations we face. He does not withhold from the foolish and give only to the wise. The voice of the Holy Spirit comes to every believer. The difference is that the wise person hears it and acts, while the mocker does not. Being a fool is not about how you look or where you come from. It is about how much of what God is saying you are actually listening to.

A few days ago my wife woke up and told me to call a friend of ours back home in Nigeria. She had a strong impression about it. I made a mental note, told myself I would get to it, but because I had not picked anything up myself and we were usually in contact anyway, I did not call. Not that day, not the next. Two days later my friend called me. Something was happening in his family and he needed my help urgently. The moment he said it, I remembered exactly what my wife had told me. And the Lord said to me, if you had responded immediately, this may not have happened. I repented on the spot.

That is how quickly a person can drift from being someone who values instruction to occupying the seat of the scornful. It does not always start with rebellion. Sometimes it starts with procrastination. With a delay that feels small but costs something real.

Do not ignore what the Spirit is bringing to your attention today. The gentle rebuke, the quiet nudge, the impression you keep setting aside. The wise person is simply the one who keeps responding.

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Prayer

Father, my heart receives instruction. I do not occupy the seat of the scornful. I take note of everything the Spirit of God brings to my heart and I act on it. I do not ignore instruction and I do not despise it, in Jesus name, amen.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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