For some, one key to hearing God’s voice is stop trying to abuse His grace. They’ve been compromising, believing grace makes it okay. It’s like a child of Light trying to tiptoe in darkness, and that’s a dangerous place to be. 1 John 1:5-7 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Fellowship implies relationship, which means our relationship is based on Light; not darkness. Moreover, grace never sanctions or sanctifies sin. It is unmerited favor that enables us to do the things of God that we cannot do on our own, and that includes living a life of holiness onto Him. In the Greek, the word is CHARIS, from which we get the word CHARISMA which refers to the endowments or “gifts” of God (see Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 1:7; 12:4,9, 28, 31, et.al.). Carrying an attitude that essentially says, “I’m under grace, I can do what I want, God’s got me covered” is way out of bounds. Sure, He is merciful and He has made provision for sin, but taking it beyond His intent is arrogant. In this case humility is a major key to hearing His voice. James 4:6-10 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you (be sure to read verses 1-5 for fuller context).
The things written in Scripture were written for our examples from which we can learn much (see 1 Corinthians 10:6-11). With that in mind, consider what God said concerning the false prophets of Israel. Micah 3:6-7 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. Did you notice the connection between darkness and inability to see a vision or receive an answer from God? When a person lives in darkness, he cannot enjoy the things of Light. Some of the most miserable people on the planet are the ones trying to live in the Kingdom of God and in the world simultaneously. It doesn’t work very well. This is not intended to condemn anyone; rather, it is intended to encourage us all to walk in the Light, not considering the things of darkness or disobedience. If the Lord has been convicting you of something, and you ignore Him, don’t be surprised if you find yourself spiritually deaf. On the other hand, if you heed the conviction and repent, you will find it much easier to hear.
Perhaps, you’re the one who tried playing both sides of the fence, and you repented; yet, you’re still having difficulty discerning His voice. It may be that you’ve allow guilt to cloud your conscience. Guilt is an unholy counterfeit of conviction. Conviction will cause us to run to God, while guilt takes us the opposite direction. If you’ve been avoiding Him because of what you’ve done, you’re allowing guilt to rule in your heart, instead of His peace. Jesus is worthy for you to live guilt free. If you truly repented, let it go. The only reason guilt can hold you in its grip is if you haven’t fully repented. One might say he’s sorry, and perhaps even mean it in the moment; however, he may still be planning to do whatever it is he did again. Being sorry and repentance are not the same. A person can be sorry for being busted, but it doesn’t mean he changed the way he looks at his offence (whatever that might be). 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Did you confess? Then take Him at His word!
