6’i’sPART-2
(PART# 2 of 6 “i’s” that lead to desp’I’sing God,‘Interruption’)
1 Sam 2:36 “for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed”
‘Despise’ means to regard as unworthy of one’s notice or consideration.
The second of the six ‘I’s’ that lead to despising God is the word, ‘Interruption’. The first ‘I’ was the word ‘I’. The Word ‘I’ is a big part of the 2nd word ‘Interrupting’. Interrupting people is interrupting God. While God speaks to us through others, the main reason not to interrupt others is because you put yourself over them. A sign of a person who puts ‘I’ first, is a person who interrupts.
How you treat a fellow human being shows how much you honor God. Honor people, you honor God. Despite people, God will hold you in light esteem. In other words, He will dishonor you. A chief way to despise God, in despising man, is by interrupting a person while they are talking. If someone says they honor God but dishonors (despises) everyone they know, they are lying.
1 John 4:20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
A reason most car salesmen are disliked is because they interrupt the customer. The poor salesman is so eager to make the sale that he talks instead of listens. Here’s a person in front of him making the 2nd largest buying decision of his life, and he is interrupted continuously.
When we want to interrupt, we aren’t listening to the person, we are thinking about what we are going to say. We aren’t honoring them. Plus we look pretty stupid when we answer before knowing what the question or concern is.
Ecclesiasticus 11:8. “Answer not before thou hast heard the cause: neither interrupt men in the midst of their talk.”
When you interrupt, you are dominating the conversation. You are thinking and saying your thoughts without even listening. When you do this, you are saying that your opinions matter more than the other person’s. You are respecting and honoring yourself, and are dishonoring the other person. You are dishonoring God as well. If you are in a business meeting, honor your clients by not interrupting them.
What I regret most in life was interrupting my children when they were saying something that was usually absolutely adorable. My kids, wise beyond their years, never repeated their pearls of wisdom and love. I really tried my best to drop everything I was doing and hang on their every word, because I knew they would never repeat themselves. I respect, honor and love my kids as I respect, honor and love God. In both cases however, there is so much room to grow. And so many lost opportunities to honor them. If you have kids in your house, honor them by not interrupting them. They will love you for that, and will honor you, even if it doesn’t seem like it for now. Trust God.
Before interrupting, I assure you that you aren’t paying attention to what is being said. Even if you are excited about the topic, and trying to pay attention. You lose the last train of thought of the speaker when you start thinking and engaging your mouth. Not interrupting is a skill. You have to train it. The Bible calls it bridling of the tongue. (As in horse’s bridle.)
James 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
My neighbors had ‘sulky racing horses’. They would spend hours a day just reining the horse with a bridle in it’s mouth. After hours, weeks, years of training, the horse would follow the riders command (reining) with just the slightest amount of pressure on the bridle.
The word horsemen use for reining is interesting. They are talking about the reins, accustoming the horse to obey the pressure or suggestion of the bit. When the Holy Spirit reigns our mouth, it is tamed by the slightest bit of pressure too. Reigned as in ruled. Reining and reigning sound identical.
One piece of advice before you interrupt someone. Feel how bad you will feel after the act if you blow it by showing lack of respect. Now use that little bit in your mouth of pressure BEFORE you open your mouth. If you do, maybe the Holy Spirit will be able to control what you say. I am still a work in progress. But I do shut up,ask for forgiveness and receive correction if I do blow it. I just wished I had obeyed the pressure of the rein’s bit in my mouth before rather than after making a fool of myself.
Lastly, when you are praying, honor God by not interrupting Him with your words nor your thoughts. Prayer by definition is communicating with God. Communication is hearing and talking. Let Him speak to you. He knows your needs are before you ask. Don’t interrupt Him with your scattered thoughts and empty words. If you are not going to honor God with your words, ears and thoughts when you pray, why pray at all?
Matt 6:7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Have a good night, Purehearts!
Dean andWinnie Peters
