What does it mean to be spiritually blinded?

on Jul 5, 2025

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: What does it mean to be spiritually blinded? I hear this often, but I never hear it explained. – S.B.

A: The devil is the god of this world, and he has blinded our eyes so he can lure us into his traps! The Bible teaches that man is in a period of spiritual blackout. Spiritually, he is blind. “We grope for the wall like the blind” (Isaiah 59:10, NKJV). “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV).

Man is also deaf spiritually. “They have ears to hear, and hear not” (Ezekiel 12:2, KJV). Jesus said, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31, KJV). Spiritually, man is even “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, NKJV).

All of this means that the communication between God and man is broken. There’s a wonderful world of joy, light, harmony, peace, and satisfaction to which millions of people are blind, deaf, and dead. They search for serenity, they long for happiness, but they never seem to find it.

Many give up the search and surrender to pessimism. Often, their despondency leads to frantic rounds of alcohol, drugs, distractions through entertainment, and the practice of immorality, completely ignoring God in their desperate search to find an escape from sin-blighted existence. But God is there, speaking and beckoning. He sends forth His message of love, but we must be on the right wavelength. We must be willing to receive His message and then obey it. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12, NKJV).

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)