Have you ever said something to someone and they completely misunderstood what you said (and the heart of what you said)? Have you ever done that to someone else? Of course, we all have experienced this. 

What makes us hear people wrong? Certainly, it can be because of normal communication challenges like not hearing some of the words spoken or having different meanings for certain words. Still, often we mishear because of our prejudices, pride, insecurities, preconceived notions, and past experiences. We “filter” what we hear through those lenses and misinterpret the message and heart of the one speaking. What I am saying here does not just relate to people, but, more importantly, it relates to what we hear God saying to us. 

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). This verse is talking about mindsets called strongholds. Some common ones are unworthiness, insecurity, insignificance, victimhood, and disappointment. They are developed by regularly getting our beliefs from our past experiences and feelings. They become the “filter” for how we interpret what life and God are saying to us. 

Our strongholds always seek proof of what they already believe is true. If we have a stronghold belief that we are a person of little favor, then we will tend to only see where we have little or no favor. If we believe that our prayers are not working, we will fixate on where we think our prayers are not working. These strongholds create a negative filter for interpreting what we are hearing, seeing, and feeling. 

Hopelessness is what keeps feeding our strongholds. In any area where we do not have hope, then we cannot trust the filter we are using to interpret what life and God are speaking to us. Our negative strongholds are protected by hopelessness. When we defeat the lies creating our lack of hope, then strongholds start crumbling. 

How does this teaching relate to our relationship with God? First, when we understand that any interpretation of scripture, or interpretation of His voice, that doesn't result in hope, then we cannot trust what we are hearing or concluding. Secondly, as we press into hope (and our reasons for not hearing hope in God’s words to us), we will be forced to question whether we have an Old Testament or New Testament (new covenant) relationship with our Heavenly Father. If we are not grounded in new covenant truths, we will have a bad filter that negatively affects what we hear God saying to us. 

To make sure we have a new covenant filter, I suggest spending a lot of time in these seventeen chapters of the New Testament: 

• Galatians 1-6
• Ephesians 1-3
• Colossians 1-2
• Romans 4-8
• Hebrews 4

As we use the tremendous truths in these chapters as the filter for how we interpret the rest of the Bible, we will hear more accurately what God is saying about us and to us.

As we close this blog, let me ask you a question. What do you believe God is most interested in speaking to you? It is a powerful question. I will tell you what I think about this in next week’s part two of this message.