When you turn off the sound of a warning message are you still be responsible for the consequences?<\/p>\n
The story is told of a park ranger at Yellowstone National Park who was leading a group of hikers to a fire lookout. The ranger was so intent on telling the hikers about the flowers and animals that he considered the messages on his two-way radio distracting, so he switched it off. As the group neared the tower, the ranger was met by a nearly breathless lookout, who asked why he hadn\u2019t responded to the messages on his radio. A grizzly bear had been seen stalking the group, and the authorities were trying to warn them of the danger.<\/p>\n
As God speaks to us through His Word we may become weary of the constant warnings against sin, maybe considering these warnings to be unimportant or just unnecessary to follow. What are the consequences of this decision? Consider the warning of God\u2019s Word;<\/p>\n
\u201cHe that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer\u00a0shall be<\/em>\u00a0abomination.\u201d (Proverbs 28:9)<\/span><\/p>\n Keep in mind that the Bible says, \u201cALL Scripture is<\/em> given by inspiration of God<\/strong>, and is<\/em> profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.\u201d (2 Timothy 3:16)<\/span> ALL the words of the Bible are the very words of God. They are beneficial for teaching (what is right<\/em>), convicting (what is wrong<\/em>), correcting (how to make the wrong right<\/em>), and instructing in righteousness (how to stay right<\/em>).<\/p>\n To \u201cturn away from hearing the law<\/em>\u201d is to turn off the sound or mute the voice of God.\u00a0 This action speaks of a person having a lack of value for the message of God\u2019s Word.\u00a0 This is a very dangerous attitude and action. God\u2019s Word was given for us for the benefit of knowing wisdom in order to live an obedient life. \u00a0Here is a tremendous warning that must be heeded.\u00a0 To turn away from hearing the law<\/em> is to neglect opening up God\u2019s Word and therefore rejecting its truths.\u00a0 How often is the Christian guilty of this? How often are you guilty<\/em>?<\/p>\n We wonder why our prayer lives are so ineffective.\u00a0 For many this is the reason.\u00a0 God is trying to give us His counsel, yet we refuse to listen. We reject His words of wisdom.\u00a0 But when we are trying to get what we want from Him we wonder why He doesn\u2019t seem to be listening.<\/p>\n God\u2019s response to this selfish activity is to see our prayers as an abomination or something repulsive.\u00a0 The cry of the unrighteous shall not be heard (Proverbs 21:13) for the unrighteous is only seeking to please himself as he cries out to the Lord.\u00a0 \u201cThe sacrifice<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>[prayer\/ worship]\u00a0<\/em>of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD:\u00a0BUT\u00a0<\/em><\/span>the prayer of the upright is His delight<\/em>\u201d (Proverbs 15:8)<\/span>.\u00a0 These \u201cprayers of the upright<\/em>\u201d are the prayers of those who are being diligent in turning up<\/em> the sound of God\u2019s Word by listening and doing what He says.\u00a0 The warning here is to be ever diligent to seek the Lord with a pure heart.\u00a0 \u201cThe sacrifice<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>[worship]\u00a0<\/em>of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>[intent]\u201d (Proverbs 21:27)<\/span>.<\/p>\n Consider the comments on Proverbs 28:9 from the Life Application Study Bible: \u201cGod does not listen to our prayers if we intend to go back to our sin as soon as we get off our knees. When we forsake our sin and follow Him, however, He willingly listens\u2014no matter how bad our sin has been. What closes His ears is not the depth of our sin but our secret intention to do it again. God hears our intentions as clearly as He hears our words.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYe ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss [wrong motives<\/em>], that ye may consume it<\/em> upon your lusts.\u201d (James 4:3)<\/span><\/p>\n James tells us that we don\u2019t see our prayers answered because we are going about it the wrong way with the motive of \u201cconsuming it upon our lusts<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, we are seeking to \u201cwaste it on our own selfish pleasures.\u201d\u00a0 Our human nature drives us in a direction of pride and selfishness, yet we too often give into it at every turn.\u00a0 Let us learn what the Bible says about prayer and learn to practice it in the proper way\u2014that is God\u2019s way.<\/p>\n Prayer is not<\/u> conforming God<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s will to my will!\u00a0 Biblical prayer is conforming my will to God<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>s will.<\/strong><\/p>\n Do you ever feel as if when you pray that your prayers just bounce off the ceiling and do not reach the listening ear of\u00a0 the Father?\u00a0 Why do you think this is?<\/p>\n Consider the Psalmist’s warning when he says, \u201cIf I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord<\/strong> will not hear me:\u201d <\/em>(Psalm 66:18)<\/span><\/p>\n The Psalmist then makes this eye-opening statement, \u201cIf I regard iniquity in my heart.<\/em>\u201d \u00a0As he is giving testimony of God\u2019s goodness in his life he pauses for a moment to give a warning with regards to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n Warren Wiersbe writes that \u201cthe verb regard<\/em> means to recognize and to cherish, to be unwilling to confess and forsake known sins.\u00a0 It means approving that which God condemns.\u201d<\/p>\n Often a believer is convicted of sin and yet they disregard the conviction as they \u201cregard<\/em>\u201d the iniquity that is present and unconfessed.\u00a0 This is willful disobedience.\u00a0 In these times God has clearly spoken to us through a guilty conscience.\u00a0 He is communicating to us that we are in sin and we must confess it before Him.<\/p>\n Is there anything that you continue doing even knowing that God condemns it?\u00a0 Have you at one time been convicted of it and now you realize you are justifying it?<\/p>\n The psalmist goes onto say, \u201cthe Lord will not hear me.<\/em>\u201d To \u201chear<\/em>\u201d is hearing with intention or paying attention with the intent to act upon what is heard.\u00a0As we are made aware of unconfessed sin being present in our lives, yet go before God to worship Him, He actually does not listen because He cannot look past the sin that we are dismissing and therefore justifying.<\/p>\n At these times He has communicated to us our sin. When we draw near to God in prayer we are seeking to communicate with God.\u00a0 When we are \u201cregarding iniquity in our heart<\/em>\u201d we are telling God that what He says is not that important because of our action of willfully disregarding His convicting words.\u00a0The Psalmist clearly states that in these times of \u201cregarding iniquity in our heart<\/em>\u201d God does not and will not pay attention to our prayer.<\/p>\n Consider what our sin does to our fellowship with God. \u201cBehold, the LORD\u2019S<\/strong> hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His<\/strong> ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God<\/strong>, and your sins have hid His<\/em><\/strong> face from you, that He<\/strong> WILL NOT<\/u> hear.\u201d (Isaiah 59:1-2)<\/span><\/p>\n God hears all things in the sense that nothing is hid from Him, but God does not heed or pay attention to a prayer from a heart that is covering sin.\u00a0There is a need for reconciliation before proper worship can continue.<\/p>\n Now consider the Psalmist\u2019s confidence.\u00a0 God has heard his prayer.\u00a0\u201cBut<\/em> verily God<\/strong> hath heard me;<\/em> He<\/strong> hath attended to the voice of my prayer.\u201d (Psalm 66:19)\u00a0<\/span>How can he be so confident?\u00a0 The answer is that he knows that nothing is hindering his prayer because he has a clear conscience with God.\u00a0 He has been searched by the Spirit of God.\u00a0 He has gone before the Lord asking Him to reveal any unconfessed sin to him.\u00a0 He has dealt with his sin and he is confident of his right fellowship with God.<\/span><\/p>\n As a result he says emphatically, \u201cBut verily God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 He is confident his prayer has received divine attention<\/em>.\u00a0How often are you confident that your prayers received divine attention?<\/p>\n The Psalmist is encouraged by the fact that he is confident that God is listening because he has come into HIS presence with a heart that is right before HIM\u2014he is humble and repentant.\u00a0 God pays attention when our heart is right. He pays attention when we obediently confess our sin.<\/p>\n David confidently says, \u201cThe LORD<\/strong> is<\/em> nigh unto all them that call upon Him<\/strong>, to all that call upon Him<\/strong> in truth<\/u>. He<\/strong> will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him<\/strong>: He<\/strong> also will hear their cry, and will save them.\u201d (Psalm 145:18-19)<\/span><\/p>\n Turning\u00a0off<\/em>\u00a0the sound of God\u2019s Word has drastic consequences but listening and obeying has great blessing.\u00a0We must learn to come to God\u00a0NOT\u00a0seeking to conform His will to our own, but seeking to conform our will to His.<\/strong>\u00a0 This is done as we\u00a0turn up<\/em>\u00a0the sound of His Word by reading it and heeding (obeying) it.\u00a0The\u00a0precious truth<\/em>\u00a0that we are confronted with is that we can have confidence that God hears our prayers with the intention of acting upon it. Know God\u2019s warnings and choose His blessings.<\/p>\n