3 Potential Roadblocks to Hearing God
Hearing God’s voice is actually easy and does not need to be complicated.
My experience is that most Christians have not been trained on how to hear the voice of God, how to respond to Him or to understand His timing.
God still speaks today. Hearing His voice for yourself will activate you into a deeper relationship with Him.
Since our beliefs are formed at an early age, we all can carry around some “belief baggage” that is not necessarily based on fact or reality.In many cases, strongly-held beliefs that have been passed down through generations are not actually based on the Bible. Some beliefs have been based on a Bible verse but were taken out of context.Jesus often said the words, “believe and you will receive.” We need to examine what we believe because negativity and criticism are like dark filters that distort how we view God, others and ourselves.
Here are 3 potential roadblocks you might be facing in your journey of learning to hear God.
1. Not being proactive
Just after Jesus taught the disciples to pray the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11), He told two parables to activate it.One was of a man who needed bread in the middle of the night, so he came to a friend’s house and persisted in asking until he got it.“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9–10 NIV.
We need to “ask … seek … knock” and have shameless audacity!
Then Jesus goes right into another parable that explains God’s heart as a Father. This provides confidence and trust that God will speak to us (Luke 11:11–13 NIV).If we have a preconceived belief that God is harsh or militant, we will interpret the things He says to us through a filter of fear. But God is a good, loving Father who gives good gifts to His children.
2. Fear
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV.
Many people are afraid that they will be deceived or that what they are asking is not in God’s will. You can trust that God is a good Father, and He does not want to be harsh or mean to you.
If you are trying to be perfect, there is no room for you to grow. God uses our mistakes to train us. I have made my share of mistakes—and I still do—but God uses them to teach me and help me make a greater impact later.
It is important to understand that we will never be 100 percent accurate. There are times when “we know in part and we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9), without knowing the full message.God says that we are to love each other. One of the ways He helps us do that is by making us need each other. He often gives people different parts of a message, like puzzle pieces, so that we have to bring our pieces together before we can see the whole picture.
3. Logic and Reasoning
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.Hebrews 11:1 NIV
Most of us were raised with a logical mindset based in scientific beliefs and actions.
But God likes to change things up!
For example, Jesus healed blindness at least three different ways: He spit on a guy’s eyes(Mark 8:23), He cast out a demon (Matthew 12:22) and He told blind Bartimaeus that his own faith had made him well (Mark 10:52).
Bartimaeus is a prime example that faith is being sure of what we do not see. God’s supernatural power through the Holy Spirit is far beyond logic. We must be careful not to get into a “show me the money” mentality.We can love God, but we need to seek a personal relationship with Him, so we’ll know His heart and ways and understand that He wants nothing but the best for us.
[This has been an excerpt from my latest book—Hearing God Every Day]