Hearing God’s voice can at times seem daunting.  

I – many times – have felt like it’s hard to hear God. I felt like I couldn’t possibly accomplish what God is telling me to do or that I couldn’t possibly live THAT perfect.

But thank God that we don’t go by what we feel or see! 

Today, we are talking about doing the right thing.  When we do the right thing, we increase our ability to HEAR God voice.  Hearing God’s voice comes to those who are willing to listen, and just as we talked about last time you have to know what the Word of God says first and foremost if you want to hear God. (See Faith begins by knowing the Word )

The best place to start learning to hear God is by learning His Word because nothing He tells you to do will ever violate His Word.

This post outlines the next step in the process of learning how to hear God’s voice. 

Our Text

25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

2 Timothy 2:25-26 KJV

We oppose ourselves

Paul in this verse is telling Timothy to instruct those that oppose themselves. You’d think we’d all be smart enough to do the right thing when we know it’s good for us, but I can attest to the fact that that’s not always the case. 

Just because we KNOW the Word of God and believe that it’s the right thing to do, doesn’t mean that we will actually follow what it says to do. 

Sometimes our reasons are malicious.  We don’t want to do what the Bible says because we don’t believe that it’s true.  We might not come out and say it like that, but we do when we act in direct contradiction to what it says.

You have to stop those thoughts and actions right when you get them because that’s rebellion.  

Other times it’s not rebellion but laziness.  I know what to do, but I don’t want to put that much effort into it.  I don’t really want my whole life to be about God.  He’ll understand.  Sundays are my only day off.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

James 4:17 KJV

I will point you back to another blog post Hearing Better or Doing Better?. 

Acknowledge the Truth and Obey

The second part of that verse goes something like this…

“…if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;” 

When we acknowledge what we know to be truth from the Bible and repent for being rebellious against it, then we will see things turn around in our life.  

I have never seen a Christian that feels like their life is a shamble also be doing everything they know to do.  Most of the time they feel that way because there’s something that they know they should be doing, but don’t want to do it.

I’m here to tell you that is sin.  Moreover, that is THE sin that is making you feel like your life is a shamble and is stopping you from hearing the voice of God.

God told us…

5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Hebrews 13:5 KJV

I’m not telling you these things to put condemnation on you.  You aren’t without hope. You simply feel that way because your heart is convicting you of what you know to do. 

God hasn’t left you but as we will see in the next verse the devil has you in a snare. 

Snare of the devil

25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

2 Timothy 2:25-26 KJV

That word “snare” in the original Greek means “moral trap”.  The snare of the devil is the moral trap or thing that you know you should or shouldn’t be doing that you aren’t.  

This snare will keep you from hearing the voice of God clearly.

Taken Captive by him at his will?

Now you might ask yourself, I thought satan was defeated.  How can he take me captive at his will?  

The answer is that he cannot!  Unless you specifically give him that power by disobeying God.

In effect you use your will to put yourself within the grasp of satan and his trap.   

When you choose to walk into the moral trap and do (or not do) the things you are supposed to, then in that moment the devil has the ability to trap you.  

God doesn’t hold you accountable for things you should be doing that you don’t know about. It’s only the things you know you should be doing but aren’t doing that He holds you accountable for.

It’s what happens when you ignore the knowledge of the truth for something else. 

God won’t violate your will, but thank God we don’t have to stay trapped.

Freedom comes with Repentance and Submission

I’m reminded of a song that tells us, “…and in a mind there can be prison bonds stronger than jail…” 

This is what 2 Timothy 2:26 is talking about!  

You can get so far in rebellion and avoidance of the truth that your ear becomes hard of hearing to the voice of God.  

These are not the moments to give up and give in. 

As the verse before tells us… “…God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth…”

Step 1: Repent 

“Are you tired of going the way you’ve been going? You can change?” 

 The first step in changing the way you hear God is to repent for sinning.  Turn from any amount of sin you have in your life. 

This could be the sin of…

• Commission – doing something you aren’t supposed to do. 
• Omission – NOT doing something you are supposed to do.

Either one is still sin.

Repent from the avoidance of the truth. For not wanting to listen to what you knew was right.

Step 2: Submit (Acknowledge the Truth)

The next step is to acknowledge the truth.  DO what God is telling you to do. 

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7 KJV

This is a cause and effect kind of situation here. 

First you submit then you resist and then the devil flees.

If you miss the very first step – to submit – then the rest will fall apart. 

How are you Hearing God’s Voice?

So I ask you again – how is your hearing?  Are you aware of what God is telling you to do? 

Have you taken the time to do what our first post in the series says and actually read the Bible with a desire to know more of what you’re supposed to do?

Moreover, have you then put it to practice in your life?  

If you want to know the best way to increase your hearing ear when it comes to God, start with where you are and be instant to do everything you know God wants you to do.

There is grace and mercy. God isn’t up there with a legal pad marking every little mistake you make, but listen when I tell you that if you want to hear God clearly in your life you have to start by operating in what knowledge of God’s word you have.