Death To Life VI

“That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear His voice don’t harden your hearts…” Heb.3:7-8

From death to life goes beyond moving from slavery to freedom. From death to life also means moving from spiritual death to spiritual life. For some people, the best way to describe their spiritual state is that they are spiritually dead. There are two pointers to spiritual death. If you have any of these two, you are spiritually dead.

#1. You cannot praise God. If you cannot praise God, you are spiritually dead. When you see people praising God, you struggle and you cannot connect. You are spiritually dead. No offense, it is just the Bible. “Only the living can praise you as I do today…” Isa.38:19. This goes beyond physical life. It is only the spiritually alive that can praise God. But you will come to life, today in Jesus Name.

#2. You cannot hear God. You do not know what God is saying to you personally, or about your family. You find yourself hinging major decisions in your life on what other people are doing instead of on what  God is saying to you. That is a huge pointer to spiritual death. How do I know? “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” Jn.10:27.

One of the key things that separates a child of God from others is, a child of God can hear God. And guess what? Hearing God is not limited to the prophets and the bishops alone. Hearing God is for every single child of God.  It is possible to go through the motion of praising God, maybe because you have stayed long in church. You know when to lift your hands and shout even though it is not an expression of your heart. And you claim you can hear God.

Is it possible to have any of these two and still be spiritually dead? Yes, because it is possible to hear God saying repent of your ways and ignore His voice. That is hearing God but the difference is that you are not listening and you are not obeying. That is the place of death. It is because inherent in hearing is obeying; is following. Another translation of John 10:27 says, my sheep follow my voice. It is not enough to hear His voice; , His sheep follow His voice.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, move me from spiritual death to spiritual life. My heart will find reasons to praise God and my heart will do what God says to do, in Jesus Name.