There are TWO KINDS OF HEARING—hearing with
your ears and hearing with your heart. Everyone has TWO KINDS OF EARS—physical ears
on your head (“ears”) and spiritual ears on your heart (“ears to
hear”). Jesus said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark
4:23). The people listening to Him teach could hear His words with their ears, but not everyone could hear with
their spiritual ears. Jesus explained,
“While hearing (with their ears), they do not hear (with their hearts)” (Matt. 13:13).
They heard God’s Word but they never changed because it never went deeper
and pierced their hearts.
Some people say, “I’ve never heard God
speaking to me.” You assumed He would speak in an audible voice to your ears,
but He usually speaks with thoughts and impressions on your heart. “Today if
you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb. 3:7).
WHY CAN’T
PEOPLE HEAR WITH THEIR HEARTS?
1. Your
heart is closed.
Jeremiah said, “Their ears are closed, and they cannot listen” (6:10). You
can turn off your phone if you don’t want to be bothered. Someone may be trying
to contact you to give you an urgent message, but you cannot hear it because
you chose to turn it off. God wants to speak to you, but your heart must be
open and you’re willing to hear what He has to say.
2. Something is
blocking your ability to hear. A man said to his friend, “You’ve got a
carrot in your ear.” His friend said, “What?” The man yelled, “You’ve got a
carrot in your ear!” The friend said, “I can’t hear you. I’ve got a carrot in
my ear!”
Some
people cannot hear God because something is blocking their hearing. God
says, “You’ve got unforgiveness in your heart.” You say, “What?” He says, “You’ve
got unforgiveness in your heart.” You say, “I can’t hear you. I’ve got unforgiveness
in my heart.” But if you will forgive, it will remove the blockage that’s keep
you from hearing.
If
you will open your heart and remove the blockages, you will be amazed at how God
will speak to your heart because you now have “ears to hear.”
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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net Twitter: @KentCrockett
