Revelation 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” ’
2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat.
2:29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’
Everyone has an ear. But not everyone hears. The Bible teaches us that we have an inward man and an outward man. Obviously, the inward man cannot be see with a natural eye, but just because he can’t be seen does not mean he isn’t in there. He’s actually the one that gives life to the outward man. When you look at the lack of manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the church and in our lives, then that’s a good indicator of how much we neglect the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirits desire to manifest and say things to us. The problem is never the fact that He is not speaking. The question is, are we hearing? God is always talking! In the Old Testament, God had to speak through appearance of angels, Christophanies and visions/dreams. They were spiritually dead. We have an advantage under the New Testament because we can speak directly to God. We are spiritually alive.
Ephesians 2:18 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
We have access by our born-again spirit. The Old Testament people didn’t have what we have. God is a spirit and we are a spirit. The Holy Spirit only speaks what He hears The Father and The Son say. His ministry is to relay the message to us. This is why we MUST develop a relationship with Him. Never let a day pass that you do not commune with Him in spirit. We should be in constant contact with Him.
Why is it that people have such difficulty hearing from God?
1 Corinthians 2:9-16 and 3:1 But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 3:1And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
We have to be able to hear what the Holy spirit is saying to us, individually and collectively. If He is always talking and His will is to talk to everyone, then we should all be able to hear Him. Then why aren’t we?
There are 3 types of men that Paul mentions.
1. Natural Man – not born again
2. Spiritual Man – born again
3. Carnal Man – born again but carnal (never developed himself spiritually)
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A carnal man is someone who is filled with envy, jealous, strife, and division. Your spirit is eternal. It will never die. The body is natural it will die. Food and water feed our natural bodies. What feeds our spirit? The words that are in the Bible. They are life! If you don’t feed your body it will die. If you don’t feed your spirit it will not die, but it will never grow. It is eternal.
We don’t have a spirit. We are a spirit. We have a soul. And we live in a body. These three can be divided. They are not the same. Why can’t we hear from God? Because most people live in and through their soul and not their spirit. If you notice in the diagram, the soul has openings. Things can go in, and things can go out. We filter everything we see and hear through our soul. That why it’s so important what’s in there. If you have more input from mainstream media than from the Word of God, then your discouragement (fears) is self-inflicted. If you’re going to have the spiritual things in life, you have to spend more time doing spiritual things.