How can we avoid ignoring others today?
In what ways can we ensure we are not "refusing to listen" today?

The Call to Listen

“See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks…” (Hebrews 12:25)

Scripture assumes God is speaking and warns that turning a deaf ear carries serious consequences (Zechariah 7:11-12). The issue is not God’s silence but our responsiveness.


Common Obstacles to Hearing God Today

• Noise overload – constant media, entertainment, and busyness drown out His voice.

• Selective hearing – embracing verses we like while ignoring commands that confront sin (James 1:22).

• Pride and self-reliance – assuming we already know best (Proverbs 14:12).

• Unconfessed sin – cherished sin hardens the heart (Psalm 66:18).

• Cultural pressure – fearing people’s opinions more than God’s (John 12:42-43).


Practical Ways to Keep Our Hearts Responsive

1. Daily, prayerful immersion in Scripture

• “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

• Read with the intent to obey, not just to accumulate knowledge.

2. Cultivate a quiet spirit

• Schedule technology-free moments to listen for the Spirit’s prompting (1 Kings 19:12).

• Simplicity in lifestyle creates room for reflection.

3. Immediate obedience to revealed truth

• Light obeyed brings more light; light resisted brings darkness (Luke 11:28; Mark 4:24-25).

4. Regular self-examination and confession

• “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7-8).

• Keep short accounts with God; repentance keeps spiritual ears unclogged.

5. Stay in Christ-centered community

• God often speaks through faithful believers (Hebrews 3:13).

• Welcome loving correction; it is a safeguard against self-deception.

6. Practice discernment through the whole counsel of God

• Compare impressions, advice, and cultural ideas with Scripture (Acts 17:11).

• The Spirit never contradicts the written Word.

7. Foster humility and teachability

• “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2).

• Ask God to expose blind spots; listen to those who differ if they point you to the Word.


What Obedient Listening Produces

• Growing intimacy with the Shepherd—“My sheep listen to My voice” (John 10:27).

• Increasing faith—“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

• Fruitful living—obedience aligns us with God’s purposes (John 15:5,10).

• A clear witness—responsive believers display the reality of God’s kingdom (Matthew 5:16).

By guarding our hearts from hardness and positioning ourselves to hear, we honor the God who still speaks and ensure we are not refusing to listen today.

How does Jeremiah 7:27 connect with Jesus' teachings on listening to God?
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