5 Reasons Why You Might Not Be Hearing from God

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“Excerpt from one of my keynotes: When God Is Silent

Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.” Exodus 33:7

I remember tucking my boys in bed each night and just standing there watching them sleep. My mommy heart was crazy about them. Still is!

Did you know God loves you like crazy? Did you know you are the apple of His eye? That He knows the number of hairs on your head and the thoughts of your heart? Did you know that He yearns for you?

God longs for you and I to meet with Him, to bask in the beauty of His presence…but we get so distracted by all the things that are going on INSIDE THE CAMP that we don’t take time to leave it.

Inside the camp represents the whole of our lives

  • Our families
  • Our friends
  • Our homes
  • Our jobs
  • Our circumstances
  • Our busy days filled with the clamor of chaos
  • Our dishes, doctors appointments, dailies and distractions
  • Our marriage, our ministries, our meandering and our mom stuff

Sometimes, we’re so busy with all the activities inside the camp that we don’t stop long enough to go outside the camp so that we can truly ENTER IN.

But it is outside the camp in the tabernacle of meeting that God meets us like a man meets with a friend…face to face and heart to heart.

It’s outside that camp… in the tabernacle of meeting that we seek God’s face for the future of our family and friends. It’s outside the camp in the tabernacle of meeting where we cling to His promises and claim His Word.

We all have lost loved ones, and family and friends who are walking through some tough times and if you and I are going to intercede for them, we must be willing to close the door on our own personal camps, remove ourselves from all that distracts us and make our way into the TABERNACLE OF MEETING where we can meet with God, not only to worship Him…not only to seek His face for His direction and His grace, but that we may STAND IN THE GAP FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T OR WON’T PRAY FOR THEMSELVES.

Today, I want to encourage you, challenge you…even beg you…won’t you step OUTSIDE the CAMP so that you can ENTER IN to the presence of God and bask in the beauty of knowing Him. Revel in your relationship with Him-enjoy meeting with Him-because it is for that relationship that Jesus died.

C.S. Lewis once said, “He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other.”

It’s outside the camp in the tabernacle of meeting that we are nourished by the Living God.

There is no other!

I realize that many of you are in some type of ministry. You are serving God with all you’ve got. But never let your ministry for God become more important than your relationship with God. Your ministry for God is to be from the overflow of your relationship with Him…not a substitute for it.

Maybe you haven’t heard from God in a while. Perhaps you’re in a season of silence and you’re wondering where God is. I’m not sure where you are or what you’re going through. But I know that if you’re in a place where you can’t seem to hear from God, there may be a multitude of reasons why.

Today, I want to leave you with you 5 reasons why you might not be hearing from God.

1. Your life may be too loud ~ It’s hard to hear from God when our lives are so loud that we can’t stop long enough to hear His still small voice say, “This is the way, walk in it.” We get so busy that we drown out the still small voice of God and then wonder where He is. You may need to make some choices to de-clutter your life and find your tabernacle of meeting where you can enter in, settle your mind and just bask in His presence.

2. Your priorities are out of whack ~ Life is crazy busy these days. It’s so easy to get ourselves busy doing GOOD things and then, later on, discover they weren’t GOD things. I’ve learned that no matter how old I get, my priorities remain the same. God. My family. My church. My ministry/calling. It’s hard to successfully fulfill your calling when you are too busy for God or for your family.

3. You need to learn to say NO ~ Women. We want to help everyone. We see a need and we think we need to step in and help. We are nurturers by nature and it’s hard to say NO to a legitimate need. But not every door is yours to walk through. Not every need is yours to fulfill. We are part of a very uniquely gifted body and we all have a part. Learn to say NO to that which is really not yours to do.

4. God has you in a season of silence ~ Sometimes, God calls us to a season of silence and we don’t always know why. Sometimes it is so He can reveal Himself in a more marvelous way. Sometimes, it is because He loves us and wants to show up in our lives in ways that will be very obviously HIM and blow us away. And at times, it’s because we have some areas in our lives that need to be realigned with the Word of God, sin we need to repent from or a lesson God wants us to learn. Sometimes God puts us in a season of silence because He is showing us what we are made of because He knows we have a skewed view of ourselves.

5. You don’t really know Him ~ Sometimes, people spend their lives never hearing from God and wonder why. They believe in God, but as I shared in an earlier post, believing in God is not enough to secure eternal life. You must be born again. Religion won’t save you. Church attendance won’t save you. Denominational affiliation won’t save you. You must be willing to repent from your sins and surrender your life to the Lord, trusting Him as the Savior of your soul. And so, some people never hear from God because they don’t really know Him.

Today, I pray you will get outside the camp and run to the tabernacle of God. He’s there. Waiting for you to show up with more than a fleeting prayer on the go as if you’re ordering something through a drive through restaurant.

QUESTION: DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH GETTING OUTSIDE YOUR CAMP? ARE YOU IN A SEASON OF SILENCE NOW?

*This post was taken from an expert from one of my talks from The MORE Conference.

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10 Comments

  1. Hello Stephanie, I ran across your link on Pinterest. As your last reason #5 why you might not be hearing from God, you say you must be born again. I love that, Religion won’t save you, church won’t save you, etc… But what exactly do you see as being born again? I believe the holy spirit baptism is the new birth that everyone must be born again to. The new birth with speaking in tongues, like what happened to Cornelius in the bible…As came like a mighty rushing wind! What do you believe being born again is??

    Julie

    • Hi Julie!

      I’m so glad you found this post on Pinterest and that you popped in to my site! What a great question!

      The first time the term ‘born again’ was used, it was used by Jesus in John 3:3. He told Nicodemus, one of the most religious men of the day, that he had to be born again. Jesus went on to say that which was born of flesh is flesh. That which is born of spirit is spirit. And then He gave an illustration of how when we are born again (born of the spirit) we can’t see it actually happening, but we can see the results. Just like when the wind blows, we can’t see the wind, but we can see the results and therefore we know it is real.

      When we are born into the world, we are all born with a dead human spirit. The Bible in 1 Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” Because we are born dead spiritually, we must be born again spiritually. That’s why Jesus told us in John 4:23-24 that in order to truly worship God, we must do so in spirit and in truth. But if our spirits are dead, we can’t worship Him in spirit and in truth. Our spirits must be made alive unto God. We must be born again.

      When Paul was writing to the church at Ephesus, he wrote in Ephesians 2:5, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” The word ‘quickened’ means to make alive. And in Colossians 3:13-14, the Bible says, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

      Biblically speaking, being born again is when our dead human spirit is made alive unto God.

      That happens at the time of salvation. The Holy Spirit comes into a believer (is baptized into a believer) and changes the heart and life and eternal destiny of the new believer. That’s why 2 Corinthians 5:17 says we become new creations in Christ Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit who makes us new and different. We have no power to do that on our own. We must be born again. We don’t see the Holy Spirit come in, but the results are very obvious. He changes us and gives us a heart for God, a heart of repentance and faith and the ability, through His power, to live the Christian life, please God and worship Him in spirit and in truth.

      Ephesians 1:13-14 explains it well, “13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

      The Holy Spirit is the One who comes into our lives at the moment of salvation and makes us new. If a person does not have the Holy Spirit, they are not a Christian. ” Romans 8:9 says, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

      Tongues is one of the spiritual gifts given to some believers after they are saved. Spiritual gifts are God’s choice for us, not something we can choose for ourselves. Each person who has been born again is given at least one spiritual gift and they are distributed by God according to His will for the edification of the body. Tongues is only one of many spiritual gifts and not all believers have that gift. There are many other gifts given, such as service, administration, hospitality, teaching and so on.

      The mention of tongues in Scripture (with the exception of 1 Corinthians 14 where the original word can be used either way) is always referred to as a language that other people of different dialects understand. But whether is is a language or an ecstatic tongue, it is only one of the gifts given, not a requirement of being born again.

      I hope this helps you and encourages you in your walk with the Lord. The Bible is SO rich and SO deep and SO precious and God has given us the blessing of knowing Him more through His Word.

      Thank you again for popping in and sharing your heart! May God bless you and may you see Him do exceedingly, abundantly above all you could ask or think! 🙂

  2. I was raised under the Catholic roof and at some point I realized God is more of a label to put on people, that God is beyond that. I don’t doubt how great He is and that he loves us all but I’d like to feel also in my heart that glorious feeling of being in tune with Him.
    How do I do that? Do I really need a priest, pastor, deacon, rabi, etc to tell me how? My reasons run along numbers 1 to 3. But I also believe I’m in reason # 4 and since I can’t grasp what the lesson I am supposed to learn at this moment in my life I can’t step forward.
    As I grow older I feel that desire to run to that Tabernacle and meet with the God you describe, not because I am afraid I won’t earn eternal life which opposite to what you say I believe it is given to you even if you don’t believe, it just makes your ladder more difficult to climb. No that’s not my reason, I feel like I need to meet Him because I don’t want to miss the opportunity to have that feeling in my heart while I breathe and live this life.
    I believe life is a causality and I’m getting more and more aware of this kind of posts that I “accidentally” find here and there. I believe, it’s also a way of God to pull me towards Him.
    Thanks for your post.

    • Hi Minerva!

      I’m SO glad you popped in! The Lord has a wonderful way of leading us where He wants us to go and reading just what we need when we need it.

      I was raised Catholic too. Catholic school and all. 🙂

      As I read through your comment, I’m not sure I understand all that you are saying and I apologize, but I do love that you desire to run to that Tabernacle of Meeting because you just want to be with Him.

      He longs for His people to just want Him and to love Him with their lives.

      I don’t think I mentioned be afraid you won’t earn eternal life. Eternal life cannot be earned. If it could…Jesus died in vain (Galatians 2:21). And one of the many beautiful and wonderful things about God is that He pursues us and some of the ways He does that is by opening our heart to the things of God and leading us to certain places, books and so on that will point us to Him and His amazing love for us.

      Here is a link to a post I wrote the other day. I would love for you to read it and share with me what you think. http://stephanieshott.com/2013/07/the-most-important-thing-i-can-tell-you/

      I look forward to hearing from you and pray you have a WONDER-full day as you press into God to know Him more! 🙂

  3. Great post. It’s in that season of silence that I have discovered God has been working the most in whatever situation I am facing. Thanks for sharing!

  4. I’d like to know when God gave permission to say “believing in God is not enough to secure eternal life”? Each person must stand before Him and pray that we are forgiven of our sins. NO ONE has a right to cast judgement as to whether God will or will not accept someone that is not born again, as only He has the final say so. Being born again doesn’t prove that you believe in God more than someone who isn’t. There is no “holier than thou” meter. I appreciate your posts however I believe that #5 could be a detriment to someone on edge! In this messed up world of today, let’s continue to spread hope and joy. If your message reaches someone and helps them just to believe, I think that is a plus in a world filled with negatives, don’t you?

    • Hi Lisa!

      I’m so glad you stopped by and read “5 Reasons Why You Might Not Be Hearing from God.” I’m not sure if you read the post that was linked to it (The Most Important Thing I Can Tell You) but I wanted to share with you that I was not determining whether someone is saved or not, but I was sharing what the Scripture teaches. It wasn’t my own words that I used, it was Jesus’ words. He was the one who said, we must all be born again or we can not see the Kingdom of God.

      In the Bible, our English word for believe does not relate the depth of the meaning of that word. That’s one of the reasons I love to go back to the original language and study what it means, as well as studying it in context.

      I realize you may not agree with what I wrote, but I want to share some verses that might help you understand why I wrote them. And ultimately, none of us can decide whether someone is sincerely saved or not. We don’t know whether someone has been born again. But when someone has been born again, they know it.

      Here are some of the verses that are the basis for what I wrote and why salvation (the new birth) is the result of faith and repentance:

      ” There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

      3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

      4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

      5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:1-8

      “25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:25-28

      “Therefore, if anyone isin Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

      “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, ” 2 Peter 1:3

      “19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” James 2:19

      “Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Mark 7:6

      ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21

      “2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. ” Luke 12:2-3

      “9 Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation. 11 The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed. 12 [No one] for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all [of us] and He generously bestows His riches upon all who call upon Him [in faith]. 13 For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13 (Amplified Version, which helps you see the definitions more clearly.)

      Lisa, although you may not agree, I wanted you to hear my heart. I share this because it really is the most important thing I can tell people. Not because it’s my opinion, but because it came from the very lips of Jesus. We must all be born again.

      I’m not trying to decide who is or who is not, I am just called to share God’s Word.

      Your comment is so very much appreciated and I hope you understand I cannot change what I shared because if I did, I would be going against Scripture and God has called me to share His Word, even when it’s hard and even when it might not make sense.

      He is such a good God and has given us His Son who freely paid for our sins and gave us a way to not only gain eternal life, but live an abundant life while we live on this planet. And I can’t get over how much He loves us!!

      It reminds me of that song that says, “Amazing love, how can it be…that You my King would die for me. Amazing love, I know it’s true…and it’s my joy to follow You, in all I do, I follow You.”

  5. This is beautifully written from a heart of a true believer in Christ, in which you’re using your gift, along with Biblical scripture, to help others understand why it’s so important to have a constant personal our relationship with God, as believers in Him. Once saved, we do need to be in constant, continual, fellowship with Him. He is who knows our hearts and minds, our joys and our sorrows, our triumphs and struggles and all we have to do is CALL UPON HIS NAME and He is there to meet our needs or share in our happiness. This reminds me of a few precious hymnals that say exactly how I feel. “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mind.” “…I KNOW who holds the future and I know who holds my hand.” “Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am, found, Was blind, but now I see.” “…And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His Own. And the
    Joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known.” Then, in knowing this, I can sing or say, “It is well with my soul.” With God, we are on the winning side, so we can face the difficulties of living in this crazy, too busy world. I much prefer the slower pace of life, so I try not to get distracted with my daily fellowship with Him, but even with a slowed down life, especially because I am chronically ill, I am only human and I will forget to go to Him. However, I am covered by His Loving Grace, something only a Perfect God can provide. When I finally go to Him and say “My Precious Lord, I’m sorry for trying to do this on my own. Thank you for always being there and reminding me that all I have to do is call upon Your Name.” It’s taken me a long time to figure all this out. I now know that a daily walk with Him is so very vital in my life. I now know to always go to Him in Thanksgiving and glorify His name, even when times are rough. Now, I’ve found that in doing this daily, what a difference He is continually making in my life, especially as I struggle with several chronic illnesses, I CAN BE HAPPY. HE IS THE SOURCE OF THAT HAPPINESS.
    The Holy Spirit fulfills me and because of my faith in Him, that’s all I need. ♡♡♡

    Thank you Stephanie for sharing this and how today, when I was on Pinterest, I came across somebody who had posted it, and it was a “no questions asked, but to read what you wrote” and then read the comments following.
    I hope to find your blog or website, so I can read what you write because it speaks to my heart. Your loving and touching words changed my day and have reminded me of knowing that I need to walk with Him all day and all night. Thank you for the inspirational words you said. You’ll never truly know how it’s changed my perspective and my life. Today, February 13th, 2016, is a day of love I’ll never forget.
    In His Loving Name,
    Michele Tibbits

  6. I don’t think you have to be born again to communicate with God. You just start by talking to Him like you would to a friend.

    Lord, I need your help.
    Lord, I’m lonely.
    Lord, Direct my life thought people around me.
    Lord, Bring a Christain friend into my life.
    And than (very important) be grateful for the changes you see in your life. Say thank you Lord. Give thanks. Everyday, all day long!!

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