Hey friends—

Welcome back to Sunday Ripple. Today we’re tackling something that doesn’t usually show up on inspirational mugs or bumper stickers: God’s warnings. Yep. We’re going there.

Now, before you hit pause and go listen to something a little more feel-good, stick with me—because this episode is actually full of hope. See, God isn’t out here throwing lightning bolts every time we mess up. He’s a gracious Father who warns us… kind of like that one friend who gently says, “Hey, maybe don’t eat gas station sushi at midnight.” It’s not judgment—it’s love.

All throughout Scripture, God gives His people heads-ups: “Don’t go there.” “Turn around.” “This ends badly.” And spoiler alert: most of the time, they didn’t listen. Which, honestly, feels a little too familiar.

But what if we did listen early? What if we tuned in to His voice—through conviction, community, or the Spirit—beforethings hit the fan?

That’s what we’re unpacking today: how to recognize God’s gentle warnings before they become loud wake-up calls—and how obedience on the front end leads to peace on the back end.

So grab your coffee, maybe a notebook, and let’s talk about how to stop ghosting God when He’s trying to help us out.

Section 1: God Warns Because He Loves

Let’s be honest—nobody likes being warned. Whether it’s the “Check Engine” light flashing on your dashboard, a dentist reminding you it’s been “just a bit too long” since your last cleaning, or that passive-aggressive note on the office microwave about reheating fish—warnings tend to feel like interruptions. Inconvenient. Unwelcome. Easy to ignore.

But most warnings, if we’re honest, are an act of kindness. A blinking light means you can fix the problem before the car dies. A friend’s concerned question might help you course-correct before something blows up. A warning is rarely about shame—it’s usually about protection. And that’s exactly what we see in the way God interacts with His people throughout Scripture.

From the very beginning, God’s warnings have been an expression of His mercy. One of the first moments we see this is in Genesis 4. Cain is angry—burning with jealousy after God accepts Abel’s offering but not his. And right there, before anything happens, God steps in with a quiet but clear warning:

“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7)

That’s not God wagging His finger. That’s not a thunderbolt from the sky. That’s a Father gently saying, “You’re on the edge. Turn around.” Sin is crouching—that’s the language of danger, of something hiding, waiting to pounce. But it’s not inevitable. God tells Cain that he still has a choice. He can rule over it. He doesn’t have to go down that road.

But Cain doesn’t listen. And that decision leaves a mark—not just on his story, but on his relationship with God, with his family, and with himself.

This isn’t a one-time thing. If anything, the Bible is full of divine warning labels. God told Noah about the coming flood—not to scare him, but so he could act in faith and save his family. God warned Pharaoh—over and over and over—through Moses. Each plague wasn’t just a punishment; it was another chance to humble himself, to let the people go, to stop resisting. He didn’t. And the cost was enormous.

Fast forward to the prophets, and the entire tone of their ministry is one big spiritual megaphone shouting, “Turn back!” Over and over again, we hear God’s plea to His people: You’re wandering. You’re compromising. You’re chasing idols. Come back to Me. And yes, judgment is part of the message—but even then, it’s wrapped in love. God doesn’t want to destroy them. He wants to restore them.

And then there’s Jesus. One of the most emotionally charged scenes in the Gospels comes in Luke 19. Jesus rides into Jerusalem—not with fanfare in His heart, but grief. He weeps over the city, saying:

“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace…” (Luke 19:42)

Can you feel the ache in that? The heartbreak? Jesus knew what was coming. He knew the consequences of their spiritual deafness. And even though He was about to lay down His life for them, He still mourned that they wouldn’t listen.

Here’s what all of this tells us: God’s warnings are never random. They’re not arbitrary. They’re not mean-spirited. They’re a form of grace.

When God warns us, it’s because He loves us.

He doesn’t want us to crash. He’s not sitting in heaven hoping we’ll mess up so He can say, “I told you so.” He wants to redirect us before we fall off the cliff. He sends people. He sends nudges. He uses Scripture, conviction, even circumstances to wave a red flag in front of us and say, “Hey—slow down. This isn’t where I want you to go.”

And if we’re honest, we’ve all experienced that kind of moment.

Let me share one of mine.

Last year, I lost both of my parents—just two months apart. It was sudden. Painful. And in the middle of that grief, I found myself craving something solid, something familiar. My brother and sister and I grew closer than ever through that season, and for the first time in a long while, I deeply wanted to move back to Oregon to be near them. We talked seriously about it. My job is remote, so it was possible. We toured homes in the area. We even began telling close friends we were planning to relocate.

But underneath all that momentum, something wasn’t sitting right. I couldn’t explain it. There was no flashing neon sign from heaven—just a quiet, persistent nudge in my spirit: Not yet. Your work in Alaska isn’t finished.

It wasn’t easy to accept. I wanted to be with my family. I wanted comfort. But eventually, after a lot of prayer, we paused. We listened. And we stayed.

We ended up moving—not to Oregon, but to Homer. And since then, our ministry has grown in ways I never could’ve planned or imagined. Looking back, I see God’s kindness in the unrest. He wasn’t keeping something good from us. He was guiding us toward something better—something sacred we almost missed.

Here’s the truth: God doesn’t stop warning just because we stop listening. But wouldn't it be so much better if we responded early—before things fall apart?

So maybe a better question than, “Why does God warn us?” is:

“What would it look like to actually listen the first time?”

Because the warnings aren’t the problem. Ignoring them is.

Section 2: Three Ways God Warns Us Today

We’ve seen how God has always warned His people—not as punishment, but as protection. But that was then, right? Burning bushes, booming voices, camel-hair prophets yelling in the streets. How does God warn us now?

Good news: He hasn’t stopped. He just speaks in ways that match our context. No, you probably won’t hear a donkey talk or see writing on your wall in Aramaic (if you do, maybe get that checked out). But God still speaks—clearly and graciously—through three primary means: conviction, community, and Scripture.

Let’s break those down.

1. Conviction from the Holy Spirit

Let’s start with that quiet inner nudge—the one you feel when you're about to click “send” on a passive-aggressive email, or when you're about to make a decision that you know isn’t wise, but feels convenient. That’s not your conscience. That’s not your gut. That’s often the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said in John 16:8,

“When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment.”

Conviction isn’t guilt. Guilt says, “You’re a failure.” Conviction says, “You’re drifting—come home.” One accuses; the other redirects.

It can be a sudden awareness that you’re out of alignment. Or a growing discomfort that refuses to go away. The Spirit doesn’t twist your arm. He whispers. And if we’re paying attention, that whisper can change everything.

2. Community That Speaks the Truth in Love

Next up: people. Yes, people. The very ones who get on your nerves in small group. The friend who texts, “Can we talk?” The mentor who doesn’t sugarcoat things.

God often uses others to warn us—and not just the “spiritual giant” types. Sometimes it’s your spouse. Your child. Your coworker. Someone who sees something you don’t and loves you enough to say something, even if it’s awkward.

Proverbs 27:6 puts it like this:

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

Real love wounds sometimes. It pokes. It confronts. But it also saves. A true friend is less concerned about your comfort than your character.

The hard part? Listening without getting defensive. It’s easy to write people off as being critical or judgmental, especially when what they’re saying hits close to home. But what if they’re not attacking you? What if they’re echoing something the Holy Spirit’s already been trying to say?

3. The Voice of God in His Word

Finally—and most consistently—God warns us through Scripture. Psalm 119:105 says:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

A lamp doesn’t shine miles ahead. It gives just enough light for the next step. That’s how Scripture works. It reveals things we need to stop, things we need to start, and attitudes we need to surrender. It shapes us, corrects us, and warns us—not in vague spiritual terms, but with specific, soul-anchoring truth.

You can’t live by God’s Word if you’re never in it. One of the most overlooked ways God tries to warn His people today… is by speaking through a Bible that stays closed.

There are verses that act like speed bumps, like Proverbs 14:12:

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”

Or Galatians 6:7:

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”

These aren’t just theological statements. They’re wake-up calls. Not to scare us—but to steer us.

The Challenge: Are You Listening?

God is warning us. The question is: are we listening?

Sometimes He speaks in a quiet stirring in your soul. Sometimes it’s a friend who loves you enough to risk your opinion of them. Sometimes it’s a verse that feels like it was written just for you—even though it was penned thousands of years ago.

But if you’re only listening for the dramatic, you’ll miss the divine. God’s not always in the earthquake or fire. Sometimes He’s in the whisper (1 Kings 19:11–12).

Listening requires humility. Slowness. A willingness to pause and ask: “Lord, is there something I’m not seeing?”

You don’t need a burning bush to know God is trying to get your attention. You might just need to open your Bible, pick up the phone, or sit quietly long enough to hear the nudge that’s already there.

Section 3: The Danger of Delayed Listening

We’ve talked about how God lovingly warns us—and the ways He still does it today through conviction, community, and Scripture. But here’s where the rubber meets the road: what happens when we hear the warning… and choose not to listen?

Let’s call it what it is: delayed obedience is just a polite way of saying disobedience.

And while we might think we’re buying time, what we’re actually doing is hardening our hearts.

The Slow Drift Toward Deafness

There’s a sobering verse in Hebrews 3:15:

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”

That word “today” is doing some heavy lifting. It doesn’t say “tomorrow,” or “when it’s convenient,” or “once you’ve finished this next thing.” It says now. Right now. Because something happens when we delay—we become less sensitive. Less responsive. And over time, we can stop hearing Him altogether.

Think about it: if your smoke detector chirps at 3 a.m. and you rip the battery out to shut it up, you’ll sleep better… but you’re not safer. You’ve just silenced the system that was trying to save your life.

God’s warnings work the same way. They’re meant to keep us from destruction, not disrupt our comfort.

Biblical Case Study: Pharaoh’s Hardened Heart

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the story of Pharaoh in Exodus. God, through Moses, gives Pharaoh warning after warning: “Let my people go.” And at first, Pharaoh could have listened. His heart was soft enough to make a different choice.

But with each plague, each escalation, and each opportunity to repent, Pharaoh chooses delay. And something shifts.

At the beginning of the story, Pharaoh hardens his own heart. But as the story progresses, Scripture says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. That’s not because God wanted him to fall—it’s because Pharaoh continually refused to rise.

God gave him chance after chance. But there comes a moment when delay becomes destiny. When resistance becomes your reality.

That should make us pause.

Modern Case Study: The Check Engine Light

Let’s bring it into modern life for a second.

You ever ignore a “Check Engine” light? Maybe you think, “It’s probably nothing. I’ll get it looked at eventually.” But the longer you drive like that, the more you train yourself to pretend the warning isn’t there.

Eventually you stop noticing it altogether. And one day… boom. Breakdown. Tow truck. Regret.

This is what delayed listening does to your spiritual life. God nudges you about your attitude. Your honesty. Your marriage. Your integrity. And you tell yourself you’ll deal with it “later.” But each time you push it aside, your heart gets a little more calloused. A little more convinced that the warning doesn’t really matter.

Until you hit a wall.

When It’s Too Late

Scripture is full of people who waited until it was too late.

• King Saul was warned multiple times, but his obsession with control and appearances cost him the kingdom (1 Samuel 15).
• Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 tried to lie to the Holy Spirit—despite knowing the stakes.
• Even the five foolish virgins in Jesus’ parable (Matthew 25) were warned that the bridegroom could come at any moment. They waited. They missed Him.

It’s not that God didn’t warn them. It’s that they didn’t respond.

And I think that’s the most tragic part: it’s not that God stops speaking. It’s that we stop responding.

A Story About Delay

Let me paint you a picture.

Imagine you’re walking through a dense forest, and the trail is well marked—but at some point, you wander. Maybe just a little. You ignore the signs. You think, “I’ll find the path again eventually.” But the longer you walk, the more lost you become. And then night falls. You don’t know where you are. The sounds get scarier. The shadows longer.

Eventually, you stop and say, “I should’ve turned back when I had the chance.”

I know that feeling. I’ve lived that feeling. There have been seasons where I knew God was prompting me to change—through sermons, friends, inner conviction—but I told myself I was too busy, too unsure, or too far gone. And every time I delayed, it didn’t get easier. It got harder. The voice got quieter. My defenses got stronger.

And yet… He didn’t give up on me. His warnings didn’t stop. But the recovery would’ve been so much easier if I’d just listened the first time.

Today If You Hear His Voice…

So let’s circle back to Hebrews 3:15 one more time:

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Not next week. Not after this project wraps up. Not after you clean up your act. Today.

God’s grace is available today. His guidance is available today. But so is His warning.

And when you feel that gentle pressure in your spirit—the conviction, the nudge, the verse that won’t leave you alone—that is not the voice of a nagging critic. That’s the voice of a loving Father saying, “Please don’t wait until it hurts more.”

If God is speaking… respond. Don’t let delay become disobedience. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Section 4: Tuning Our Ears to Hear Early

By now, we’ve seen the pattern: God warns, we delay, things break. But what if we flipped that script? What if, instead of treating God’s warnings like divine speed bumps, we actually trained ourselves to listen early?

Think about how much pain we could avoid. The spiraling thoughts. The fractured relationships. The silent “I knew better” moments. Most of the messes we find ourselves in don’t come out of nowhere—they come from ignoring what we already sensed deep down.

The good news? You can learn to hear God sooner. It’s not some mystical gift for the spiritually elite. It’s available to anyone willing to slow down, pay attention, and respond in faith.

So how do we actually do that? How do we tune our ears to hear early?

1. Build a Habit of Invitation: “Search Me, O God”

Start with posture. Hearing early begins with a humble, listening heart. One of the most dangerous—and freeing—prayers in all of Scripture is found in Psalm 139:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (vv. 23–24)

This isn’t a one-time prayer. It’s a lifestyle. A daily rhythm of coming before God and asking—not passively, but expectantly—“Is there anything I’m not seeing?”

Here’s the trick: you can’t just ask that prayer and then move on to your to-do list. You have to actually wait for an answer. Sit with it. Journal. Reflect. Don’t rush. Think of it like a spiritual diagnostic tool—God’s way of running a scan before something misfires.

2. Welcome Correction Without Collapse

Let’s be real: most of us aren’t great at receiving correction. Someone offers feedback and we instantly want to defend, explain, or ghost them. But listening early means learning how to receive hard truth without falling apart.

Proverbs 12:1 doesn’t pull punches:

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.”

That’s Scripture, not sarcasm. And it’s true. If you want to grow in wisdom, you have to stop seeing correction as criticism and start seeing it as a lifeline. Even if it stings. Especially when it stings.

Ask yourself: Do I have people in my life who can speak hard truths to me? And if they do, do I thank them… or freeze them out?

Sometimes the reason we don’t hear God early is because we’ve trained everyone around us to keep their mouths shut.

Practical challenge:

Invite someone you trust—spouse, mentor, close friend—to lovingly call you out when they see you drifting. It might feel awkward, but it’s one of the best safeguards you can build.

3. Slow Down Enough to Listen

We live in a world of noise. Notifications, deadlines, podcasts (hey now), kids, streaming, meetings, repeat. Silence is rare. Stillness even rarer. But if you want to hear God early, you have to learn to slow down.

God doesn’t usually shout over our chaos. He speaks into it—but you have to leave space to notice. Elijah didn’t hear God in the earthquake or the fire. He heard Him in the gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12).

And let’s be honest—how many of us are living at a pace that makes whispers easy to miss?

You don’t need a silent retreat. You just need ten minutes of intentional quiet. No phone. No music. Just you and God. Breathe. Ask. Listen.

It might feel weird at first. Like you’re “not doing anything.” But this is the kind of not-doing that transforms your life.

4. Picture the Parent at the Curb

Here’s an image that’s stuck with me:

Imagine a child running toward a busy street, chasing a ball. And the parent yells, “Stop!” It’s not because they want to ruin the fun. It’s because they see what the child can’t. There’s a car coming. And if that child listens the first time, everything is fine.

If they don’t… the consequences are devastating.

That’s God with us. He sees what we don’t. And when He speaks, it’s never random. It’s never for control. It’s always for love. He’s not trying to rob you of joy. He’s trying to keep you alive.

When we train ourselves to hear His warnings early, we start walking with more peace, more clarity, and less regret. We stop living in cleanup mode and start living in wisdom mode.

5. Tuning Your Life = Tuning Your Ears

This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being tuned in. Like an old-school radio—sometimes you just need to adjust the dial. Static clears. The voice comes through.

And suddenly, you realize… He’s been speaking all along. You just needed to slow down, open up, and lean in.

What might God be whispering to you right now?

And are you willing to listen before the storm?

Section 5: What Happens When We Listen Early

We’ve talked about the risks of ignoring God’s warnings. But let’s flip the coin.

What happens when we actually listen early?

What happens when we respond to conviction, accept correction, and lean into the Spirit’s nudge before things blow up?

Here’s the truth: when we listen early, we don’t just avoid pain—we walk into peace. Into blessing. Into maturity. There’s fruit on the other side of early obedience.

Listening Leads to Protection

One of the clearest pictures of this comes from Jesus Himself, in Matthew 7:24–25:

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

Notice that both the wise and foolish builders experienced the same storm. Listening to God doesn’t make your life storm-free—but it does make you storm-proof.

That’s the power of early obedience. It doesn’t always feel dramatic or exciting. Sometimes it’s just a quiet decision to do the right thing now, instead of putting it off. But when the storm comes—and it will come—your life holds steady.

Listening early is how we build on rock instead of sand.

Peace on the Front End

Let’s be honest—delayed obedience always comes with stress. When you’re resisting God, there’s this inner tension you can’t quite shake. You rationalize. You make excuses. You stay busy. But deep down, you know something’s off.

When you listen early, that pressure lifts. There’s peace in knowing you’re aligned. That you’re not running from anything. That you’re walking with God, not dragging your feet behind Him.

It’s kind of like doing your taxes early. Is it fun? No. Does it feel good when it’s done and you’re not panicking on April 14th? Oh yes it does.

Obedience doesn’t always feel amazing in the moment—but peace is waiting on the other side.

Obedience Grows Spiritual Muscle

Early listening doesn’t just protect you—it matures you.

Every time you choose to respond to God’s voice quickly, you’re training your spirit. You’re strengthening your ability to discern. You’re building what Hebrews 5:14 calls “spiritual senses”—

“those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

In other words, obedience sharpens your hearing. It doesn’t just help you this time—it prepares you for next time.

We all want spiritual maturity. But maturity doesn’t come from information alone. It comes from application. And applying what you hear from God—quickly, humbly, and consistently—is how you get there.

A Story About Listening Early

Let me share a story—not from Scripture, but a modern one that paints the picture.

Imagine this: A young woman is offered a job that looks great on paper. The salary’s good, the perks are solid, and her friends are telling her to go for it. But in her prayer time, she keeps feeling unsettled. There’s no obvious red flag—just a quiet, persistent check in her spirit.

She talks to her mentor. They pray. She decides to walk away from the opportunity, even though it doesn’t make logical sense.

Three months later, the company is in scandal. Layoffs. Lawsuits. The whole thing implodes. And that gentle warning she listened to early? It saved her a world of stress—and positioned her for something far better.

Now, could God have redeemed it if she took the job? Sure. But how much sweeter is life when we don’t need rescuingbecause we were willing to listen?

Examples from Scripture

The Bible has plenty of these “early listeners,” too:

• Joseph obeys when God warns him in a dream to flee to Egypt with Mary and baby Jesus (Matthew 2:13–14). His quick response protects the Savior of the world.
• Daniel refuses to compromise, even in the little things (Daniel 1:8), and that early integrity lays the foundation for his influence and courage later.
• Paul listens when the Spirit tells him not to go into certain regions during his missionary journeys (Acts 16:6–7). As a result, the gospel spreads exactly where God wants it to.

Each of these people heard early. Responded early. And walked in the blessing that followed.

What Might Be on the Other Side?

So here’s the question I want to leave you with:

What might be waiting on the other side of your early obedience?

What pain might you avoid?

What peace might you discover?

What growth might take root in your life if you say “yes” to God now, instead of later?

If God is speaking, don’t wait. Don’t brush it off. Don’t assume you’ve got time.

He’s not trying to ruin your plans—He’s trying to redeem them.

He’s not trying to spoil your fun—He’s trying to save your future.

When we tune our hearts to listen early, we step into a life of wisdom, freedom, and deep, lasting peace.

Outro

So… what’s God been saying to you lately?

Maybe it’s a gentle nudge. A verse that’s been stuck in your head. A conversation you can’t shake. A growing discomfort in your spirit. Whatever it is—don’t wait. Don’t tell yourself it’s nothing. Don’t assume you’ve got time.

Because the truth is, God warns us not to scare us, but to save us. He doesn’t throw up roadblocks to ruin your fun—He puts up guardrails to keep your soul intact.

When we choose to listen early—through conviction, through godly friends, through time in His Word—we begin to live with less regret and more peace. Less chaos. More clarity. And a whole lot more room for growth.

So today, ask Him:

“Lord, is there something You’re trying to tell me?”

And if the answer is yes—don’t put it off. Don’t wait until it hurts. Obey while the warning is still a whisper.

Thanks for being here today. As always, I’m so grateful you’re part of this journey.

Small ripples can make a big impact—go make yours.