Why can’t I hear God’s message?

“Why can’t I hear God’s message? A lot of people say how a specific verse changes their life or impacts their decision, or shows them an answer. When I read the Bible I can’t underline one such verse. Why?”

The above question appeared recently on a popular question and answer website I frequent. I felt compelled to answer with the following:

First, make sure that you have truly experienced what the Bible calls the “new birth.” Are you sure you have been “born again?” This is what Jesus meant when he talked with Nicodemus in John 3:3- “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And this is what Paul is referring to in 1 Cor. 2:14- “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

You can settle that issue right this moment. Romans 10:9–11 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’”

Secondly, make sure there is no unconfessed sin in your life that may be blocking your ability to hear from the Lord and His word. Hebrews 3:15 says, “… ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.’ Instead, confess your sins and repent of them, and the Holy Spirit will enable you to hear from the word.” 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Thirdly, it may be a matter of not knowing how to hear from the Lord, that is, how to read the Bible in a way that you can hear the Lord speaking to you personally. For excellent training on this, go to wordview.org to learn a simple plan for reading the Bible daily in an “inductive,” devotional way that will allow you to hear from the Lord through His written Word. Using the WORDview plan for just 15 minutes a day, five days a week, will change your world.