Exposing the Counterfeit Bride: Ep 4: The Ears, Itching for Lies

0:00 Music. Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast with your host, Connie Morris, where healing has a voice and truth is no longer silent. Father God, like Jabez, we cry out that thou would bless us indeed. Bless every woman listening beyond trauma, beyond limits, beyond what she thought was possible. Enlarge her territory. Expand her purpose. Let your hand be upon this moment. Saturate every word with oil and truth. break cycles, cancel every curse sent to silence her. This isn't just a podcast.

0:49 This is holy ground. In Jesus' name, amen. Welcome back, family, to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. Church Chronicles, episode four, The Ears, Itching for Lies. I'm your host, Connie Morris, And today we're continuing our journey through removing the cover, exposing the counterfeit bride. We've heard the whisper of counterfeit churches. We've exposed the head being replaced by man. We've uncovered the blindness of the church bride's eyes. And now the Spirit of God is pulling back the cover on the ears of the bride.

1:31 The Bible tells us plainly in 2 Timothy 4, verses 3 and 4, For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myth. John 10, verse 27 tells us that my sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. And then in Jeremiah 5, verse 31, the prophets prophesy lies. The priests rule by their own authority and my people love it this way.

2:15 But what will they do in the end? The bride was meant to recognize the voice of her bridegroom, to follow him and him alone. but in counterfeit churches, her ears have grown dull. Instead of longing for truth, she craves comfort. Instead of heeding correction, she pays for entertainment. Instead of listening to the shepherd, she gathers teachers to tell her what she wants to hear. And the Spirit of the Lord says, the ears of the bride was meant to be tuned in to the voice of the bridegroom. My sheep listen to my voice.

2:58 I know them and they follow me, John 10, 27. But instead of listening for his whisper, unoffent churches have developed. Itching ear. Well, what does that mean? It means they don't want truth. They want comfort. They don't want conviction. They want entertainment. They don't want holiness. They want hype. Apostle Paul warns us in 2 Timothy chapter 4, the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. We see here that the people will not put up with it. So instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

3:42 They will turn their ears away from truth and turn aside to myths. And family, that time isn't coming. It is here. You can hear it in sermons that never mention sin, repentance, or the cross. You can hear it in messages that promises blessing without obedience, prosperity without purity, and favor without faithfulness. People flock to churches. People flock to voices that soothe. They flee from voices that correct. Jeremiah 5.31 says it plainly, The prophet prophesies lies. The priests rule by their own authority. And my people love it this way.

4:26 But what will you do in the end? This is a danger of itching ears. It feels good in the moment, but it leads to destruction in the end. Because when the bride stops listening to the bridegroom, she loses her direction. She becomes vulnerable to deception, tossed back and forth by every smooth talker who knows how to tickle her ears. And the Lord says the counterfeit bride pays for lies, but refuses the truth. Where is my bride, cries the bridegroom. Where is my bride who loves truth even when it cuts?

5:09 Where is my bride who treasures my word more than the applause of men? Where is my bride who leans in to hear my whisper instead of chasing voices that flatter her flesh? Proverbs 23, 20, and do not sell it. Wisdom, instruction, and insights are well. John 8.32 reminds us, Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. My bride does not rent her ears to every prophet for profit. My bride does not crave lies that soothe while her soul is starving. My bride does not despise correction. For she knows correction is love. Where is my bride?

5:50 Not the one who demands sugar when she needs salt. Not the one who gathers false teachers like trophies. Not the one who mocks holiness because it doesn't fit her desires. But the bride who loves the shepherd's voice, who says, Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. 1 Samuel 3.9. Guarding your ears. The ears of the bride our gates. What you let in will shape what you believe, how you walk, and who you will follow. And that's why the Lord is calling us to guard our ears and tune them back to his voice. And here's how to do that. Measure every word by scripture.

6:33 Acts 17.11 tells us that the Barians received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. If even the Apostle Paul was tested against the word, so must every preacher, prophet, evangelist, teacher today. Refuse flattery. Romans 16, 18 warns us, by smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the mind of the naive people. Don't confuse flattery with faith. A true word from God won't always make you feel good, but it will make you free. Tune out the noise. Not every voice deserves your ear. Just because it's popular doesn't mean it's pure.

7:17 If the message never convicts, never challenges, and never points you to Christ, it's not the voice of the bridegroom. And finally, number four, practice hearing God for yourself. John 10 27 says, My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. Prayer, fasting, and time in the word sharpens your ears. Don't just depend on others to hear God for you. Cultivate your own intimacy with the shepherd. The counterfeit bride chases words that soothe, but the true bride longs for the word that saves. She doesn't rent her ear to the highest bidder.

7:58 She reserves them for the bridegroom alone. Let's pray. Father, we come before you with a humble heart. Forgive us for every time we crave words that soothe us instead of words that sanctify us. Forgive us for wrenching our ears to voices that flatter us while ignoring the whisper of the shepherd. Cleanse us. Lord, cleanse our ears and sharpen our discernment. Teach us to recognize your voice in the middle of all the noise. Close our ears to deception and open them to truth. Help us to love correction, to treasure your word, and to hunger for what is real, even when it cuts. And I now decree that we decree my ears are tuned to the voice of my shepherd.

8:43 We decree we will not be soothed by lies that flatter or soothe our flesh. We decree we will buy the truth and not sell it. And we decree the bride of Christ will love truth, treasure correction, and follow the voice of her bridegroom alone. In Jesus' mighty name, amen. So family, today we've exposed the ears of the counterfeit bride, ears that itch for lies, ears that chase flattery, ears that reject the truth. But the cry of the bridegroom is still calling, where is my bride? The one who loves truth, even when it cuts. The one who treasures the shepherd's voice. The one who says, Lord, your servant is listening.

9:27 This week, I challenge you to guard your ears, test every word by the scripture. Refuse the lies of flattery, and lean into intimacy with God so his voice become unmistakably in your life. Thank you for joining me today on Diary of Black Women podcast, Church Chronicles. If this episode spoke to your spirit, share it with someone who needs to stop renting their ears to lies and stop listening and start listening for the shepherd's voice. You can always connect with me at my website, diaryofblackwomenllc.com or by email, diaryofabblackwomenpodcast at gmail.com. And don't miss the next episode in this series, The Mouth, Preaching Another Gospel.

10:10 We'll talk about puppets that promise prosperity without purity, blessing without repentance, and healing without holiness, and why the bridegroom is calling his church back to the true gospel. Until next time, healing, truth, and faith are found in Christ alone. This is your host, Connie Morris, signing off with love, strength, and a touch of class. And I'll see you on the next episode. Thank you for listening to this episode. And before we close out, I want to speak a word of promise over you from Jeremiah 29, 11 through 14. Father God, you declared, I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.

10:53 Plans to give you hope and a future. So today we receive that truth. You said when we call on you, you will listen. So we pray. You said that when we seek you with our hearts, you will be found. So we pursue. You said you will restore us from captivity. So we declare freedom over every place where our listeners feel stuck, silenced, or small. Thank you for always drawing near when we show up and faith. In Jesus' name, Amen. Music.