TL_46_Hear_God’s_Voice_4
HINDRANCES TO HEARING – Part 3
4. Disobedience Stops God’s Voice
Brother Judson Cornwall said he was fervently praying, asking the Lord to speak to him. The Lord finally said, “Judson, why should I speak to you again, when you haven’t obeyed what I told you the last time I spoke to you?” Brother Cornwall got right up and did what the Lord had previously told him to. Then he started hearing the Lord’s voice again.
“So then faith comes by hearing the word of God” (Rom 10:17).
Faith can be defined as “Obedient action to what God says.” to hear God’s voice doesn’t mean just to hear with your ears. It means to respond obediently to what He said.
When my son was about nine years old I spoke to him and said, “Son, take this sack of garbage to the waste bin.” He said, “OK, Dad!” Thirty minutes later I cam back and the garbage was still there. Did he hear me? Not in the biblical sense. Until he obeyed me, he had not heard me.
I called my son back in and showed him the “board of education” which I was getting ready to apply to his “seat of learning.” Then he heard me, and took out the garbage.
Faith comes by hearing .. the word of God – that is, hearing and obediently responding to what god has said.
a. Pride Prevents Obedience.
A great hindrance to our obedient response is PRIDE. I heard Oral Roberts say, “Every time I’ve prepared to pray for the sick, I’ve had to hang my pride on the cross again – because I know that only a few of those I pray for will be healed.”
Despite doubters, scoffers and critical newspaper reporters, Oral Roberts persevered through humiliation to do what he heard God telling him to do. Because of his faithfulness to an unpopular calling, thousands have been healed and the ministry of healing is practiced more widely all the time.
Many of us have been held back from doing what God is saying to us because we fear what others will think of us if we obey the Lord. ‘The fear of man bringeth a snare” (Prov 29:25). the “fear of man” is just another expression of pride. Basically, we don’t do what we know God wants us to do because of PRIDE.
Our carnal mind thinks, “If we try what God is saying and fail, what will the people think? My minister friends won’t understand me. My denomination will not agree with what God is telling me to do.”
All these thoughts have their root in the fear of man – PRIDE! Many who desire to do the will of God are held back by fear of man.
I am often asked, “Brother Ralph, how can you be sure God is speaking to you?”
I reply, “I can’t always be sure. Often I am not sure. I test it out. I try it. I check out the facts with others it might involve.
“The Bible says ‘prove all things’ (1 Ths 5:21). The only way you can prove something is to try it. I often fail in the trying – but one of the elements of faith is risk. You have to take the risk of becoming a fool for Christ’s sake.”
Don’t let pride paralyze you. Try to do what you feel God wants you to do. Though you may have some failures – there will be some successes too. Take the risk. Step out on faith and attempt great things for God.
b. Preconceptions Hinder Obedience.
One of the most interesting stories in the Bible is in 2 Kings Chapter 5. It vividly illustrates how our preconceptions prevent us from hearing and obeying God’s voice.
1)Naaman almost Misses A Blessing
Naaman was a Syrian general whose Israeli housemaid was a captive from war. Naaman had the incurable disease of Leprosy. His maid told him about a prophet in Israel named Elisha who had power from God to heal people.
Through diplomatic channels, Naaman contacted the king of Israel and made arrangements to visit Elisha. When Naaman arrived at Elisha’s modest home, the prophet sent out his servant to gell General Naamanwhat God said he must do. “Go wash in the JordanRiver seven times, and you will be healed of every trace of your leprosy” (vs 10).
Naaman was angry and stalked away. “Look!” he said, “I thought the prophet would have the common courtesy to come out and see me. I thought he would call on the Name of the Lord his God, and wave his mantle over the leprosy and I would be healed.” (Note his preconception of how he would be healed.).
“If it’s rivers I need – I’ll go back to Syria to wash in the crystal waters of Abana River or Pharpar River – not down in the muddy Jordan River.” With that he left in a rage.
One of his servants pled with him. “Sir! If the prophet had asked you to do some great or difficult thing you would have. So why don’t you obey (key word) when he has asked you to just go wash and be cured?”
Finally persuaded, Naaman went down to the Jordan river and dipped seven times as the prophet had told him. When he obeyed, his flesh became as healthy as a little child’s. Naaman was completely healed.
Naaman almost missed receiving the blessing he sought. Why? Because of a preconceived idea of how God would heal him. His preconception and pride prevented his obedience.
You see, a preconception is rooted in pride. It is in effect a statement that “I know everything. I can conceive things before they happen – as they will happen” (a deific quality).
When things do not happen as we preconceive they will – it undermines our deific (pride-filled) image of ourselves, and we, like Naaman, stalk away angry and resentful because God didn’t conform to our preconception of how He would do it.