"Treating Itchy Ears"

Due to this pandemic, its been a few months since I've gotten my nails done.  Many of us are learning to handle things in the raw... no extra hair care, no eyebrow work, no gym, and no nails.  Though it may seem challenging, I am finding that I may never go back.  See the problem with acrylic nails is that they don't scratch well. They look good, but because of the rounded edges and the nice finish, they don't really get to the heart of an itch.  So when you try to scratch in that hard to reach place in the middle of your  back, or between a braid on the top of your head,  scratching with fake nails does not satisfy. 

ITCHY EARS -NATURAL

I often look for natural things when seeking spiritual solutions.  God has used every day things in life to help us understand spiritual truths better.  So let's begin in the natural.  Some itchy ears are a condition caused by a nervous habit, a fungal infection or the beginning of an infection. The natural thing to do when something itches is to, well... scratch it. The problem with just scratching is depending on the cause, you literally only 'scratch the surface'. If there is an underlying problem, you will continue to itch until you deal with it.  Many of us are okay with the temporary relief from an irritating condition, but truth is, scratching the itch from an underlying problem is much like scratching with acrylic nails.  It doesn't work.

 ITCHY EARS- SPIRITUAL 

The bible speaks to us in 2 Timothy 4:3 and it says: 

"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."

One of the problems we have today is too many people with platforms that only scratch the surface of  life issues and they only scratch to appease the itch. If you have a true ministry given by God to help people, you have to do more than minister to itching ears.   See itching ears don't really want a solution, they just want to feel better about what is irritating them.  God has a solution for their itch, but they don't want it because it requires more than they are willing to do.  Sometimes it is because the cause of the 'itch' is  too fun to let go of.  Some would rather ignore the itch than to correct the area in life that it is coming from.  Yes, you could have had a brush with poison ivy, or a touch of something that was irritating, but itching ears can also come from a life style choice or a deeper condition that can become worse when ignored.  

If we want to use our voices to help people, the last thing we need to do, is to avoid the the truth, and try to  find a way around it.  Before we can be effective at treating the itch, we have to admit the cause.  That includes asking hard questions about life.  "Where have you been, what have you been doing, and what have you gotten yourself into? " People with itchy ears often want to avoid anything that looks like blame.

TREATING ITCHING EARS

"If people have persistently itchy ears, they should see a doctor to find out the underlying cause. People may be able to relieve itchiness by using a few drops oil."

To treat a outward itch, you may require a good set of nails, a good lotion or cream is a good balm for  itchy skin.  When the issue  is deeper you may require an antibiotic.  With spiritually itchy ears, it will require the oil of the word of God.  

If you or someone you know suffers from spiritually itch ears, it may be due to an underlying issue of disobedience or pride.  Sin seeks to be satisfied without being confronted.  If we have itchy ears, it is because we want what is right in our own eyes, and we want someone somewhere to validate us by simply scratching it without fixing it, or causing us to admit wrong.  This is seen by life choices we make that the bible says is wrong.  We try to get someone to tell us that we don't need to feel condemned, or  guilty about our sin, so we don't change, we just allow them to scratch itchy ears with acrylic nails.  It may feel better, but the itch will come back until we deal with the underlying problem.  

The bible talks about oil, or the anointing that destroys yokes.  The anointing of God works as an antibiotic to destroy what is trying to destroy us.  Instead of allowing the itch to continue, deal with it with the word of God.  Whatever you underlying problem is, God holds the solution. If we don't deal with it at the root, it will later resurface.

As spiritual people who are called by God, we can't afford to value our platforms more than we do His word.  We owe it to the people we serve, to care enough to call wrong, wrong, to love them and give them the oil of the word of God to help them to heal from past hurts, and current bondage. If you are trying to help someone with itchy ears, understand that just scratching their itch will not help them. God can handle all itchy ears, but His word works best in the raw... He does not need our smooth edges to try to stop the itch.  Trust His word to work in us, and in those who choose to please Him.