I want to start today with a question. It’s simple, but it cuts to the heart:
“Is God still speaking? And if so, are we listening?”
In Jeremiah 23, the people of Israel were surrounded by noise. Competing voices. Smooth-talking prophets. Religious leaders claiming to speak for God but whose words didn’t line up with God’s heart. Sound familiar?
We’re not in ancient Israel, but let’s be honest, we’ve got our own fair share of spiritual noise. Podcasts, YouTube preachers, social media opinions, religious slogans. Everyone’s got a word from the Lord, but not all of it reflects God’s character. And when the noise gets loud, it’s hard to hear the true voice of the One who made us.
So let’s open the Word together. Jeremiah 23:23–29 is God’s mic-drop moment. He says: “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?”
...“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”
This is a warning and a promise. And it raises three big truths we’ve got to wrestle with:
The first truth is: God Is Not Distant—He’s Personal and Present
Jeremiah 23:23 says: “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away?” Have you ever felt like God was far away? Like He was somewhere up in the sky, watching from a distance but not really involved in the day-to-day mess of your life?
Maybe it was during a tough season—when the diagnosis came, when the job disappeared, when the relationship ended. Or maybe it was during a time of quietness, when your prayers seemed to bounce off the ceiling. You wonder, Is God even listening? Is He close? Does He care? If you've ever asked those questions, you're not alone.
In Jeremiah 23, God speaks directly to this feeling. His people were surrounded by prophets and religious leaders who were saying all sorts of things about Him, but many of them had lost sight of who God really was. So God clears things up Himself. He asks, “Am I only a God nearby... and not a God far away?” What a powerful question.
He’s reminding them, and us, that He is not confined to certain spaces. He’s not just a “local deity” who lives in the temple or shows up on holy days. He’s not limited to Sunday morning worship or silent retreats.
God is everywhere. He is both near and far. He fills heaven and earth. There’s no part of your life that’s off-limits to Him. We tend to think of God in two ways: either He’s far-off and unknowable, or He’s right beside us like a spiritual buddy. But God is both infinitely big and intensely personal.
He is powerful enough to create galaxies, and gentle enough to comfort you in the middle of the night. He holds the stars in His hands and yet knows the number of hairs on your head. When you’re stuck in traffic, God is there.
When you’re doing dishes, God is there. When you’re crying in your car, unsure how you’re going to make it through the day. God is right there with you.
Look at verse 24: “Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” God isn’t asking that to scare us. He’s not saying, “I’m watching you…don’t mess up!”
He’s saying, “You’re never alone, not even in the hidden places.” That’s incredibly comforting.
Have you ever tried to hide your real self from someone? Maybe from your family, your friends, your church? You put on a smile. You act like everything’s fine. But deep down, you’re hurting or doubting or just plain exhausted.
Here’s the good news: You don’t have to fake it with God. He already sees the parts of you that no one else does…the fear, the anger, the wounds, the questions. And He doesn’t turn away. He draws closer. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Not only does God see you, He wants to be near you in your pain. He’s not waiting for you to clean up your act or get it all together. He’s present right now, just as you are.
One of the biggest misunderstandings about God is that He lives at church. That His presence is limited to stained-glass windows, padded pews, or a well-worded sermon. But Jeremiah reminds us: God fills heaven and earth. That means God is just as present in your living room as He is in the sanctuary. Just as active in your workplace as He is during Sunday worship. Just as available in your quiet walk as in a prayer meeting. You don’t need perfect conditions to meet with God. You just need a heart that’s open.
He is already near.
And you’re not just one of the crowd to Him. He’s not dealing with you in bulk. He knows you by name. He knows your story. He knows what brings you joy, and He knows what keeps you up at night.
Jesus once said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and my sheep know me.” You matter to God. Not just humanity in general, but you.
And when you feel like no one understands, God does. When you feel like no one sees, God sees. When you feel abandoned, God says, “I’m still here.”
Now here’s the flip side of all this good news: if God is always present, then we have to ask ourselves…are we paying attention? Sometimes we live like God is distant because we’ve put distance between ourselves and Him.
We get so distracted. So noisy. So hurried. We miss the voice of God, not because He isn’t speaking, but because we aren’t listening. His presence is not something we earn. It’s a gift. But we experience it more fully when we create space for it.
So maybe the real question isn’t “Is God near?” It’s “Are you drawing near to Him?”
James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” The promise is there. He’s not playing hide-and-seek. He’s already leaning in. He’s already listening. He’s already close.
Bottom line? God is not distant. He is personal. He is present.
And He’s inviting you to walk with Him today…not in theory, not in theology, but in real, daily life. He’s not waiting for a Sunday visit. He’s already with you, right where you are.
Truth #2. Not Every Voice That Claims to Speak for God Is Speaking the Truth Verse 25 says: “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream!’”
Let’s be honest: we are surrounded by voices. There’s no shortage of opinions, preachers, authors, influencers, and social media posts telling us what God says or what we should believe. Some sound convincing. Some are inspiring. Some are just plain loud.
But God’s Word reminds us of something really important: Just because someone says they’re speaking for God doesn’t mean they are.
That was the problem in Jeremiah’s day. Prophets were saying things like, “I had a dream from the Lord!” or “God told me this!” But those words didn’t reflect God’s heart or truth. They weren’t rooted in what God had actually said.
They were speaking out of their own opinions, their own imaginations—and then slapping God’s name on it. And that’s dangerous.
Let’s be real. We deal with this exact same issue in our world. People share spiritual-sounding messages all the time that have no basis in Scripture or truth. You’ll hear:
• “God just wants you to be happy.”
• “If you have enough faith, you’ll never struggle.”
• “God told me to tell you to give money—and He’ll bless you big time.”
• “All religions are basically the same.”
Some of those things might feel right in the moment, but they’re not grounded in God’s truth.
Jeremiah says these false prophets were leading people astray by saying things they made up…dreams and visions that didn’t come from God at all. And the people loved hearing it, because it was easy, comfortable, and encouraging. It didn’t require anything from them. No repentance. No obedience. Just warm, fuzzy words. But God wasn’t in it.
In verse 28, God makes a clear distinction: “Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully.”
In other words, don’t confuse personal inspiration with divine truth.
There’s nothing wrong with creativity, dreams, or ideas. But there’s a difference between a good idea and a God idea. There’s a difference between human wisdom and divine revelation. So how do we tell the difference?
Here are three practical questions to ask whenever you hear someone claiming to speak for God:
1. Does it align with Scripture?
God never contradicts Himself. If someone says something that clearly goes against what the Bible teaches, it’s not from God. No matter how passionate or sincere they are. God’s Word is our foundation. That’s why it’s so important to know it for yourself. If the only Bible you get is on Sunday morning, it’s easy to be misled. But when you’re grounded in God’s truth, you’ll spot a lie a mile away.
2. Does it glorify God…or the person speaking?
True messages from God always point us back to God’s character, God’s truth, and God’s purposes. False messages tend to center on the speaker. They make a big deal out of the messenger, not the message. If someone always seems to be drawing attention to themselves, if they’re using God’s name to build their platform, that’s a red flag.
3. Does it produce fruit?
In Matthew 7:15–20, Jesus said we’ll know false teachers by their fruit. In other words, look at the outcome. Does the message lead to humility, repentance, love, justice, and obedience? Or does it lead to confusion, division, pride, or greed? God’s truth transforms people. It leads us to become more like Christ. If it’s not producing real fruit, it’s not real truth. Let’s talk about something that’s tough but true:
God’s Word doesn’t always make us comfortable. In fact, sometimes it does the opposite. It convicts. It challenges. It calls us to change. That’s a good thing, even if it doesn’t feel good in the moment.
The false prophets in Jeremiah’s time were saying, “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace. They were offering cheap comfort instead of hard truth. And God says, “That’s not from me.” It’s tempting to only listen to voices that tell us what we want to hear. But spiritual maturity means we’re willing to listen to God even when it’s uncomfortable. Because real love speaks the truth—even when it hurts.
Truth Isn’t Measured by Volume or Popularity Just because something’s loud doesn’t mean it’s right.
Just because it has millions of views doesn’t mean it’s from God.
Truth isn’t measured by how trendy or viral it is, it’s measured by faithfulness. And sometimes, the most faithful voices are the quietest ones. They’re not shouting. They’re not flashy. But they are consistent. They are grounded. They’re speaking God’s Word, not just their own.
And You Don’t Have to Be a Pastor to Be Discerning This isn’t just a warning for church leaders. It’s for every believer. You are responsible for the voices you allow into your life. You have to guard your heart. You have to test what you hear. You have to stay rooted in truth. That doesn’t mean walking around in fear or suspicion. It means listening carefully. Asking questions. Holding everything up to the light of Scripture.
Brothers and sisters, God is still speaking, but so are a lot of other people. And not all of them are telling the truth. Your job is not to listen to every voice. Your job is to listen for His voice. And His voice will always lead you to what is true… what is good… what is holy… and what is real.
So tune your heart to hear Him clearly, and speak His Word faithfully.
Truth #3. God’s Word Is Not Soft…It’s Fire and Hammer
Verse 29 says: “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” This is one of the boldest statements about the power of God’s Word. God doesn’t say, “My word is like a gentle breeze.” “My word is like a cozy blanket.” He says, “My word is like fire... and like a hammer.”
Let’s break that down, because this image is meant to shake us awake and show us just how powerful, transformative, and necessary God’s Word really is. Fire in the Bible isn’t always about destruction. Often, it’s about refinement, about burning away the things that don’t belong so something pure can remain. Gold, for instance, is purified by fire. The heat exposes and removes the impurities so that what’s left is solid, strong, and beautiful.
That’s what God’s Word does to our hearts. It exposes what needs to be burned away. Things like:
• False beliefs we’ve picked up over time
• Habits that are hurting us or others
• Attitudes like pride, bitterness, or fear
• The lies we believe about ourselves or about God
God’s Word doesn’t leave us in the dark. It brings truth to the surface and shines light in the places we’d rather keep hidden. And here’s the thing: refinement isn’t always comfortable, but it’s always good. When we open Scripture with a soft heart, we should expect God to speak with fire, not to consume us, but to cleanse us. To burn away the junk that keeps us from fully living in the freedom He offers. That’s why reading the Bible isn’t just a task, it’s a transformation. It’s not a to-do list item. It’s an invitation into the fire that purifies.
Then God adds this second image: His Word is like a hammer that breaks rocks into pieces. Now, that might sound a little harsh at first. But think about what a hammer does: It breaks through what’s hard. It shapes and forms things that are otherwise unmovable. It can demolish walls that were never supposed to be there in the first place. And if we are really honest: sometimes, we’re the rock.
There are parts of our hearts that grow hard over time. Not because we want them to, but because life is heavy. Disappointments come. People hurt us. We build up walls to protect ourselves.
Or maybe it’s not pain that hardens us, it’s pride. We get stuck in our ways. We don’t want to be challenged. We assume we already know what God thinks. So we stop listening. That’s when we need the hammer of God’s Word.
Not to crush us, but to break through to what’s real. To crack open the shell around our hearts so we can finally let healing in.
God doesn’t describe His Word as something that just sits quietly on a shelf, collecting dust. He says it’s active. It’s powerful. It does something.
Hebrews 4:12 says: “The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword... it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
To say it another way, when you open your Bible, your Bible also opens you.
It reads you. It reaches into the places that no one else can. And it doesn’t just inform, it transforms.
We live in a world of soft words. We’re surrounded by messages that tell us:
• “You’re perfect just the way you are.”
• “You deserve to feel good all the time.”
• “Nothing should ever challenge or offend you.”
Now, hear me: God loves you as you are. That’s 100% true.
But He also loves you too much to leave you where you are. His Word is not interested in just making you feel better. It’s interested in making you more like Him, stronger, freer, more loving, more grounded in truth.
And sometimes, that means fire. Sometimes, that means a hammer.
So What Should We Do with This? We’ve got two choices when it comes to God’s Word:
1. We can resist it. We can close the book. Avoid the hard parts. Pick and choose what we like and ignore what we don’t.
2. Or, we can receive it. We can lean in. Ask God to show us what needs refining. Let Him gently chip away at the hard places in our hearts.
You get to choose. But only one of those leads to real freedom.
When we welcome God’s Word into our lives, we’re saying, “God, I trust You more than I trust my own feelings. I trust Your truth more than my own opinions. And I trust that whatever You burn away or break apart, it’s for my good.”
So What Do We Do with This?
Let me give you three simple action steps to carry into this week:
1. Tune Out the Noise
Take a good, hard look at what voices you’re allowing into your life. Are they leading you closer to truth, or just making you feel good?
Mute the ones that create confusion or compromise. Be cautious about who you trust with your soul.
2. Stay Rooted in the Bible
If you want to hear God’s voice, open His Word.
Don’t just wait for a sign or a feeling. Don’t rely on secondhand faith. God has already spoken through His Word, and He still speaks through it.
Start with a chapter a day. Ask God to speak to you. He will.
3. Let the Word Work on You
Don’t just read the Bible like a checklist. Let it shape you. Let it correct you. Let it encourage you.
God’s Word is not meant to decorate your bookshelf, it’s meant to renovate your heart.
Here’s the bottom line: God still speaks. Not with confusion. Not with hype. But with truth, power, and love. And when He does, listen.
