018 God Speaks: Hinderences to Hearing God part 5

Disobedience: A Major Hindrance to Hearing God

One of the most significant barriers to hearing God’s voice is disobedience. When we knowingly go against what God desires for us, it disrupts our fellowship with Him and makes it difficult to hear His guidance. Disobedience doesn’t just create distance—it requires us to intentionally tune out His voice to avoid conviction.

My Personal Struggle with Disobedience

I vividly remember a time in my life when I was willfully disobedient to God. I was a teenager, about 15 or 16 years old, and I had made choices that I knew were not in line with what God wanted for me. At the time, I couldn’t have articulated it as God speaking to me, but I distinctly felt a sense of broken fellowship.

This disobedience didn’t just affect my relationship with God; it also created a rift in my relationship with my parents. I didn’t want to hear their advice or correction because it reminded me of the conviction I was avoiding. The weight of those broken relationships became unbearable.

One of the hardest decisions I made during that time was breaking up with a girl I had been dating—a decision that came at a personal cost. She was one of the most popular and beautiful girls in school, and dating her had brought me closer to being part of the “in-crowd.” But the strain on my relationship with God and my parents mattered more.

The Nature of Sin and Disobedience

Sin has a way of isolating us. When we choose to disobey God, we often have to suppress His voice to avoid the conviction that naturally follows. It’s not that God stops speaking—it’s that we stop listening. The noise of guilt and the effort to justify our actions drown out His still, small voice.

Isaiah 50:4-5 beautifully captures the heart of someone who is attuned to God:

"The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away."

This passage shows the beauty of a heart that is open and obedient to God. But disobedience does the opposite—it closes our ears and turns us away from His guidance.

How Disobedience Hinders Hearing

When we disobey God, several things happen:

We Avoid Conviction
God’s voice often brings conviction—not condemnation, but a loving nudge that guides us back to Him. When we disobey, we avoid this conviction by distancing ourselves from God.

We Lose Intimacy
Disobedience creates a barrier in our relationship with God. Just as sin strained my relationship with my parents during my teenage years, it also strained my connection with Him.

We Harden Our Hearts
Repeated disobedience can harden our hearts, making it even more difficult to hear God’s voice. Hebrews 3:15 warns us, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

We Miss Out on God’s Best
God desires to guide us into His will, which is always for our good. When we disobey, we forfeit the blessings that come from walking in step with Him.

Returning to Obedience

The good news is that disobedience doesn’t have to define us. God is always ready to restore our fellowship with Him when we turn back in repentance. Here are some practical steps to realign our hearts:

Acknowledge the Disobedience
Be honest with yourself and with God about where you’ve strayed. Confession is the first step to restoration (1 John 1:9).

Seek Forgiveness
God’s grace is abundant, and He is eager to forgive. Approach Him with humility, asking for His forgiveness and strength to obey moving forward.

Recommit to Obedience
Obedience is a daily choice. Start by saying, “Lord, I want to hear Your voice and follow Your will. Help me to obey.”

Stay in the Word
Scripture is one of the primary ways God speaks to us. Spend time in the Bible to realign your heart with His truth.

Listen for His Voice
As you walk in obedience, you’ll find it easier to hear God’s voice. The conviction you once avoided will become a welcome sign of His loving guidance.

A Prayer for Obedience

Lord, I confess that disobedience has hindered my ability to hear Your voice. I don’t want to tune You out any longer. Open my ears to hear as one being instructed. Remove any rebellion from my heart, and help me to walk in obedience to You. Restore our fellowship, and let me experience the joy of Your presence once again. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Final Encouragement

Disobedience is a heavy burden, but it’s not the end of the story. God’s grace is greater than our failures, and He longs to draw us back into fellowship with Him. When we choose to obey, our ears are opened, our hearts are softened, and our relationship with Him is restored.

No matter where you are today, know that it’s never too late to return to obedience and hear God’s voice again. Let Him root out disobedience in your heart and restore the joy of walking closely with Him.