April 20

Joshua 21:1-22:20, Luke 20:1-26, Psalm 89:1-13, Proverbs 13:15-16

Pray: Lord, help me to be as wise as a serpent but as harmless as a dove. Some of the people I talk to today will genuinely want to know Jesus. Others will be looking to take advantage of me and twist what I share. Help me to speak the very wisdom of God. May my words come from Your throne. May I be a vessel meant for Your use.

Read: In Luke 20:23, Jesus sees through the trickery of the religious leaders who wanted Him arrested and killed. Rather than answering their questions He posed questions to them. The WORD declares we are not to cast our pearls before swine. Rather, we are to discern the hearts of those we speak with. Sometimes the best answer to a question is a question. We have heard that expression, “Give him enough rope and he’ll hang himself.” The scriptures declare we are to be quick to hear but slow to speak. Discern before telling and sharing everything you know.

Edify: Listening is much harder than talking. There is just something in us that wants to blurt out all that we know. Rather than become a babbling brook when someone asks a question just smile and say, “Why do you ask?” We discover more about someone listening to them than when we speak to them. Resist the temptation to tell people just how much you know. Rather, be quiet.

Practice: Practice discerning where someone is in their journey. To do so you must become a good listener. It also helps to be a good observer. People want to reveal themselves to you. Just be sure you give them that chance. See how little you can say while discovering someone’s life story.