How to hear God’s voice (3)

In the last few days,we have looked at the three D’s that can prevent one from hearing God’s voice: Disquietude, Distractions and Disobedience.The fourth ‘D’ is my focus today.

4) DEAFNESS

This is inability to hear or pay attention to something.Its synonyms are being insensitive,indifferent,inattentive,careless and unaware.

Spiritual deafness means God speaks to you but you can’t hear because you are not sensitive to His voice or you see so many activities around you but you don’t know God is speaking to you through them.

I want you to imagine a deaf man going in a wrong direction that can lead to his death and you are trying your best to call him from a distance but he can’t hear you! How will you feel?I am sure if you love him,you might run ahead of the deaf man to block his path.At least if he can’t hear you,he can see you block his path!

God had to use this method to communicate with Balaam(I taught about him in the Part 2 of this series) on his way to curse God’s people:

“So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials.But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the LORD to stand in the road to block his way…”-Numbers 22:21-22

Balaam was already spiritually deaf to the nudgings of God by that time.

What are the things that can cause this spiritual deafness?

“Therefore get rid of all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls”-James 1:21

The Greek word for ‘filthiness‘ is /ruporia/ which means ‘a waxy build up in the ear’.

Unconfessed sins are like impacted wax in the ear that causes ‘conductive’ hearing loss!It makes a man deaf to God’s voice.Apostle James says if this waxy build up in the ear is gotten rid of,such man will be able to receive the implanted word.

If you have any area of your life where you are still struggling with God or sins that you are yet to confess to God,this is an opportunity to sort out such things because sins do make people insensitive and indifferent to God’s voice.

My prayer is that everyone reading this today will receive grace to do the needful: To get rid of any ‘ruporia’ that has blocked God’s voice in their lives.Amen

“The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise”-Prov 15:31.