Ernest Smith

Hearing from God is one of the most difficult aspects of having a relationship with God.  It’s not as simple as picking up the phone, dialing a number and hearing God’s voice on the other end.  However, it also doesn’t have to be as difficult as people think or believe that it is.

Over the past two weeks we have looked at different ways to hear from God.  I did not give an exhausted list, but rather I tried to highlight some of main forms in which He communicates.  Then, I decided to change directions and ask the question of “why can’t we hear clearly from God?”  The last post was about our inability to hear clearly because many times our prayers are so concerned about our will being done rather than the will of God.

For my final post on this subject, I want to hit on another reason it is difficult for us to hear from God.  One of the greatest reasons that it is difficult for us to hear from God at times is because we Grieve the Spirit of God.

Ephesians 4:29-32 states, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

The very first time I was asked to plan, write and speak a sermon it was on Ephesians 4:29-32.  As I read this passage I was shocked at what I was reading.  Could I really grieve the Holy Spirit?  I had only heard the term grieving when someone lost a loved one.  Was that the same thing?  Could God really grieve like a loved one does when someone passes away?

As I began to study the passage more, I began to understand the heart of God more.  The Holy Spirit, who is the third person of the Trinity, is grieved, feels sorrow, when we have bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice, corrupting talk or any other number of sins in our lives.

Did you catch that?  The Holy Spirit…God…is saddened when we sin.  It is like His heart breaks, like the heart of a grieving widow, when you and I live a life of sin.  Therefore, if God is grieving when we live a life of sin, then it will be very difficult for us to hear clearly from Him, not because of Him, but because of our sin.

Our sin, when it is un-confessed and unrepentant will always present a barrier between us and God.  God wants to have a relationship with each of us and wants that relationship to be one of intimacy, where we can know the depth of who God is.  However, God also can’t be with sin because He is holy and stands apart from any sin.  He does not associate with sin in any way because of His holiness.  Therefore, if we are living with unrepentant sin, then our ability to hear from God will be hindered.

If you find yourself in a place today where you are finding it difficult to hear from God then I want to encourage you to take an inventory of your life.  Is there any un-confessed sin in your life?  Is there anything that could be grieving God?  If you aren’t sure, then simply pray a prayer of “God, search the dark corners of my heart and reveal to me any unrepentant sin.”  Allow God to speak to you and bring to your mind anything that you may not have remembered, then confess it and receive God’s forgiveness.

The beauty of God is that His grieving only lasts as long as our denial.  Once we have confessed, then “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Pray, Confess, Receive.  Do these three things and see God’s grieving turned to rejoicing.

Side Note: I am speaking on this subject this coming Thursday at theWell.  If you are a college/20 something in Charleston, South Carolina, I would love to invite you to come out and hear more on this subject.  For more information check out theWell