Psalm 66:18 says, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
The Psalmist speaks to the reality of walking with a pure heart; unconfessed sin is one of the most significant barriers to not hearing God's voice. We usually don't need to dig too deep to know if we have unconfessed sin. It often sits close to the top of our hearts and minds; nagging at us until we deal with it. When we make unconfessed sin right, the burden lifts, and it's almost as if the heavens open up, and we begin to hear God again.
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."
When I have had unconfessed sin in my life, and I bring it to the light and make it right, the burden lifts, and I can hear God again. Until then, that is all I can think about. It consumes me. We must go before the Lord and have the heart attitude of the Psalmist that says “search me O God.” We must walk in such a manner that we are asking the Lord to reveal anything in our lives that grieve Him.
A soft heart towards God and others is crucial to living with a pure heart. It can be the difference between walking with God and his people for many years or walking with offence and bitterness. A prayer that I have prayed many times is, “Lord, keep my heart soft towards you and your church.” I have seen far too many people get hurt, walk in unforgiveness, get angry at God, and leave the faith. This is heartbreaking. Scripture reminds us not to let bitterness take root; don't let it get a foothold in your life because it will wreak havoc.
Hebrews 12:15: "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled."
Ephesians 4:31: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”
Today as you lean into hearing God, ask him to search your heart and see if there is anything that needs to be set before him.
If you want to dive deeper into hearing God's voice, check out my latest book, "Hearing God's Voice: The Extraordinary Journey of Listening to God"
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