Last week, we talked about what hearing from God is like.

There are a couple of different reasons why we won’t be able to hear from God. I really want to emphasize something I said last week. When God is silent, God usually isn’t the problem in the equation.

The more you accept God’s love and realize how much he cares for you, in my experience, the more and more we’ll hear from God.

I was worshiping this past week, and was having a hard time getting into it.

I didn’t want to just go through the motions. I wanted to experience Him. I wanted to worship. But my heart was pretty numb. A tiny voice whispered, “What if there’s something wrong in my heart, and that’s why I’m not hearing God? What if that’s why I can’t fall into his presence? What if I secretly don’t measure up?”

I started to search myself, to find all the ways and reasons I didn’t measure up. Which one was the reason I couldn’t fully surrender? What part of me was keeping me from God’s presence?

I apologized to God, offering up my weakness and asking him to help me through it, when I heard a soft whisper.

“Do you think tearing down my creation is a good way to worship me?” It wasn’t said in a mean or judgmental way. His tone was soft and gentle. It was a reminder. I struggle with not tearing myself down. It’s something God and I talk a lot about. Once I realized that I’d fallen into the old mindset of criticizing myself and repented of it, I experienced a new level of worship that I hadn’t ever experienced before.

But it’s not always like that. Sometimes, we don’t catch on to what’s going on. What happened in the story above wasn’t all me. There was something else at play. Which leads me to my second reason why we can’t hear from God.

Reason #2 – Interference from The Enemy

It’s really clear in scripture that the enemy is seeking to literally destroy you. I have a saying, “Commit arson against the enemy.” And I mean it. (For more on that saying, check out the article I wrote explaining why I recommend committing a felony in this one instance!)

There’s one guy out there who is beyond thrilled when you can’t hear from God. He leaps and jumps for joy at your self-doubt, at your guilt, at your shame. He’s our enemy. Sometimes, I think, we forget that there is something out there actively working against us.

Sometimes we can’t hear from God because there are demonic forces at play.

This isn’t something that’s scary, mind you. It’s pathetic. It’s pathetic and stupid that something is trying to interfere with my relationship with God. The relationship I have with God is sacred. It’s so special to me. So whenever I can’t hear from God because the demonic has the gall to try and mess with it? I think I get justifiably miffed.

What happened when I was worshiping was interference from the enemy. He didn’t want me to inter into the presence of God, so he suggested a tactic (beating myself up) that he knows is a sure-fire way to get me in my shame and focusing on things I shouldn’t (like myself instead of God’s glory).

There was a moment where I fell for it, too. I could spend time beating myself up for that, or I could recognize the enemy’s scheme, repent for the moment I agreed with the lie, and turn my focus back to Jesus.

Sometimes, we help the enemy more than we want to admit. Believe it or not, we aren’t perfect. There can be things in your life that welcome that interference. Things like habitual sin.

So what do we do when the enemy has decided to wage war?

Step 1: Repent

Oooh, spooky big scary word.

Repenting isn’t some terrible thing. God gave us repentance as a gift. We’re told in scripture time and time again to repent and confess to one another. The best example is in James 5:16!

You can just repent in your head, but if the demonic are waging against you because of habitual sin, take that step and go to someone you trust and confess and repent of it. Or if it’s something that’s really bothering you, even if it isn’t habitual, go and repent.

Something strange happens when we confess to a fellow believer and are forgiven of our sins. The enemy can’t torture you with it anymore. He can’t point at that thing and say, “Look! Look! See! This is why you’re a horrible person! You will never be forgiven!”

Well, guess what SUCKER, I have! I have been forgiven! Repentance is so great. (If reading that word “Repent” sent a sick, heavy feeling into your stomach, take a deep breath and ask God to teach you repentance. Ask him to guide you in this.)

Step 2: Focus back on God.

The more you focus on the enemy, the more power you give him in your life. If you’re feeling interference from the enemy, focus back on God. Read your bible. Get involved in your community of believers and surround yourself with like-minded individuals. We weren’t meant to fight this thing alone. Which leads to my final step.

Step 3: Ask for prayer.

Prayer is how we wage warfare against the enemy. Prayer is powerful. When spiritual warfare is happening around you, gather two or more together and pray. This (and worship) are amazing tools when you encounter that spiritual attack.

Next week we’ll dive into another reason why we can’t hear from God, but for now, I hope this gives you some helpful tools to start combating those lies and get connected with God. 🙂 God loves you, keep fighting.

One of the best ways I’ve found to remind myself of the truth is through daily affirmations. For a list of biblical affirmations, check out this free 21-day devotional!

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Each time you think a thought, you reinforce it. That's why it's so hard to fight the enemy's lies on your own.

 

Each day, for 21 days, you'll get a short email with a biblical affirmation or truth! So let's break those nasty lies and start walking in the freedom God has called us to!

 

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The post Why Can’t I hear from God? Part Two appeared first on Alli Prince.