Some of Israel's elders came to the prophet Ezekiel to ask God for guidance, a normal and expected thing to do. God's reaction through the prophet is jarring: "Should I let myself be consulted by them at all?" (Ezekiel 14:3). He says he will answer them, but "according to the multitude of his idols" (Ezekiel 14:4), meaning the answer they'd get would be shaped by the very idols they'd refused to deal with in their hearts.
They wanted direction. God's point was that their hearts weren't in a condition to receive it clearly.
Guidance Isn't Neutral
This is uncomfortable for anyone who has prayed for direction and felt sure about the answer. An idol left alone in the heart doesn't sit quietly while I ask about something else. It colors what I hear, or what I think I hear. Ezekiel 14 suggests I can sincerely believe I'm hearing from God while I'm really hearing an echo of my own unaddressed desires.
Self Deception Can Harden
Paul warns the Thessalonians about something heavier. People who "refused to love the truth" are given over to "a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false" (2 Thessalonians 2:10 and 11). That isn't God being petty. If someone keeps turning truth away, eventually they lose the ability to recognize it.
What This Changed for Me
I used to assume that if I sincerely ask God for guidance, I'll sincerely receive clear guidance. Ezekiel 14 complicates that. Being sincere isn't the same as having a clean heart. I can ask honestly and still hear something distorted, because the question was never the real problem. The idol behind the question was.
The practical side is almost embarrassingly simple. Before I ask God what to do, it's worth asking what I'm already unwilling to let go of no matter what he says. That's usually where the real obstacle to hearing him is hiding.
If you've been praying about a decision and keep getting fog, try asking that first. It may not be silence from God. It may be the noise of something we're holding on to.