{"id":14381,"date":"2026-07-24T08:24:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T12:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&#038;p=14381"},"modified":"2026-07-24T09:06:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T13:06:01","slug":"stop-listening-%e2%86%92-start-straying","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/stop-listening-%e2%86%92-start-straying","title":{"rendered":"STOP LISTENING \u2192 START STRAYING"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cCease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.\u201d (Proverbs 19:27 ESV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Solomon warned his son and the young people of Israel about the danger of abandoning wise instruction. The word translated \u201cstray\u201d meant to wander, err, or go astray. The proverb described a clear cause-and-effect relationship: Stop listening \u2192 start straying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wisdom is not something a person hears once and permanently possesses. God\u2019s people need to remain teachable throughout their lives. The moment someone decides that correction is no longer necessary, spiritual and moral drift have already begun. People rarely abandon wisdom all at once. First, they stop listening. Then they resist correction. Eventually, they find themselves far from \u201cthe words of knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>True wisdom is ultimately found in Christ and received through His Word. Paul reminded Timothy that the Scriptures were \u201cable to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus\u201d (2 Timothy 3:15). The Bible makes us wise because it reveals our need and leads us to Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Christ perfectly listened to and obeyed the Father. Where we wandered, He remained faithful. At the cross, He bore the judgment deserved by straying sinners. Through His Spirit, He opens our minds to understand the Scriptures and leads us back to the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We must guard against the subtle beginnings of spiritual drift. Are we still listening when God\u2019s Word confronts us? Are we receiving correction from mature believers, or have we become defensive and unteachable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our hope is not merely that we will try harder to listen. Our hope is Christ, who forgives our wandering and restores us through His Word. Let us remain humble, teachable, and attentive to Scripture. Because when we stop listening, we start straying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Father, forgive us for the times we have resisted Your Word and ignored wise counsel. Keep our hearts humble and teachable. By Your Spirit, open our minds to understand the Scriptures and lead us continually to Christ. Guard us from spiritual drift and keep us faithful to the words of knowledge. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cCease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.\u201d (Proverbs 19:27 ESV) Solomon warned his son and the young people of Israel about the danger of abandoning wise instruction. The word translated \u201cstray\u201d meant to wander, err, or go astray. The proverb described a clear cause-and-effect relationship: Stop listening [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"audio":"https:\/\/garycombsorg.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Jul-24-2026-at-8_19_30AM-esv2-50p-bg-10p-music-10p.mp3"},"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1287],"scripture-chapter":[1352],"oyb_day":[1732],"class_list":["post-14381","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-proverbs","scripture-chapter-1352","oyb_day-july-24"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/14381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14381"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=14381"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=14381"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=14381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}