WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
AUGUST 16, 2026
TOPIC: DO YOU HAVE ITCHING EARS?
BY T. O. BANSO
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 New King James Version).
The Bible contains many instructions that some people are unaware of and, therefore, do not obey. Other people know these instructions yet choose to obey some and disobey others. In other words, they reject certain teachings. Many dislike it when the pastor preaches about these scriptures. This must not be confused with legalism, which undermines the work of grace Christ accomplished on the cross.
Someone left a church because he didn’t like the way the pastor emphasised the truth in the Bible about sin and salvation. He complained that it made him uncomfortable. What the pastor said was neither wrong nor presented harshly, but the truth was bitter. The truth offended him.
The instructions in the Bible are not meant for people to pick and choose what to obey. The truths in the Bible may be bitter, but we must accept them. We don’t need to move from one denomination to another or from one place of worship to another just because we are running away from the truth. However, there are biblical reasons for changing churches or denominations, such as heresy or false doctrine.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 warns, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (New King James Version). We are already in the time that Paul said people would not endure sound doctrine. Note the phrase “itching ears.” It is only used in the Bible in this passage.
Those who have itching ears dislike listening to sound doctrine. But according to their desires, not God’s desires, they accumulate or multiply for themselves new teachers who will teach them new doctrines and gratify their lust —teachers who will not offend their sinful lifestyle. They prefer ministers who will tickle their ears with false doctrine or teaching rather than teach them sound doctrine. They look for false teachers who will tell them only what pleases them or what their itching ears want to hear. Do you have itching ears?
Some people today have itching ears. They cannot endure or tolerate sound doctrine. They have a wrong understanding of what the church is. Perhaps some preachers in the past, with whom they were associated, gave them a wrong impression of what to expect from a pastor anytime they come to fellowship with other believers.
They believe that the pastor’s job is to make them laugh or feel good. So, when they hear a pastor preach the truth that makes them uncomfortable, they conclude that he doesn’t know his job. They might not go to church services again or start looking for a good church to join—a church that will not say anything that makes them feel guilty for living their lives in disobedience to the Word of God.
What should a true servant of God do in this circumstance? Should he adjust his message to please the people? In John 6, after many of the disciples left Him because of His hard saying, He didn’t change His message because of that. Instead, He asked His twelve disciples if they also wanted to go away (verse 67). “But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (verses 68-69 New King James Version).
A true minister of the Gospel must not change His message to please people. He must preach the truth. Paul told the Galatians, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10 New King James Version).
Should a minister of the Gospel dilute or adulterate the Word of God so that the members will not leave the church or so that the crowd will keep coming? Before Paul’s warning in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, he said, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (verse 2 New King James Version).
Also, immediately after the warning, Paul said to Timothy in verse 5, “But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (New King James Version). A servant of God must not be intimidated or compromise the truth. He must continue to preach sound doctrine. He must preach the truth in love, not caring whose ox is gored. Paul told Titus, “But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1 New King James Version).
One of the qualities of a bishop or pastor that Paul highlighted in Titus 1 is that he must hold fast to the faithful word, as he has been taught, so that he may be able, by sound doctrine, to exhort and convict those who contradict (verse 9). Paul did not say a pastor or bishop should look at the face of the people and package his message to make them feel good.
A true servant of God should not allow anyone’s hatred for the truth of God’s Word to make him adulterate it. He must not dilute his message to massage the people’s egos out of fear that they will leave the church if they hear the uncompromised truth. He must be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work God has assigned him, and fulfil his ministry. He is not an entertainer. His job is to be God’s mouthpiece to his listeners. Sometimes God may make the audience rejoice, and at other times, He may cause them to weep! Nevertheless, a minister of God must preach the truth with compassion and gentleness, not with harshness. There must be a balance of love and truth.
Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost did not cause his audience to dance and rejoice. Acts 2:37 says, “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’” (New King James Version). The phrase “they were cut to the heart” means they were pricked in the heart, their hearts were troubled, or they were conscience-smitten. However, in Acts 8, after Philip preached Christ in the city of Samaria, the multitudes heeded his words, and various healings took place. Consequently, verse 8 notes that there was great joy in that city.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. As Paul told Timothy, a servant of God must keep a close watch on himself and on the teaching and persist in this, for by so doing, he will save both himself and his hearers (1 Timothy 4:16).
A minister of the Gospel must not seek to be popular but truthful. Jesus said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26 New King James Version). A true minister must not corrupt, peddle, or merchandise the Word of God. The apostle Paul said, “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17 New King James Version).
Do you have itching ears? Do you listen to sound doctrine? Do you love the truth? Do not give in to itching ears. And don’t be a false teacher who preaches what pleases people, which is contrary to the Word of God.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must give your heart to Jesus now. Please take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life—your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church. There, they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me, and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I invite Jesus into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: In the name of Jesus, I shall listen to and obey sound doctrine. I shall love the truth and not patronise lies and false teachers. I will not seek teachers who tell me only what is pleasing to my ears. Father, I pray that all those with itching ears who have turned their ears away from the truth will repent and settle down in Your house to receive sound doctrine rather than continue to listen to false teachers.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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