6 December 2023 - What voice are you listening to?

There are three voices that talk to us:

• The voice of Satan: Disease, cancer, trouble, disaster, calamity, fear, worry, depression, discouragement.

• The voice of God: Healing, health, peace, joy, salvation, acceptance, forgiveness, good success.

• Your own voice: The power of death and life are in your tongue. The Lord can become weary of your words when they are filled with doubt and worry and negativity.

Have you ever wondered if you hear God’s voice or that of the devil, in your life? Satan cannot speak the truth. There is a characteristic his voice carries that gives him away. His words always push us into bondage. The devil points us toward sin, shame and condemnation, but God directs us to true freedom.

When God speaks, it will always align with His Word and will.

Proverbs 16:3(AMPC) Roll your works upon the Lord so shall your plans be established and succeed.

The Lord manifests Himself to us and through us as we humbly seek Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6(AMP) Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth .

Isaiah 30:21(NLT) Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

The Lord constantly speaks to us and gives us His direction. It’s never the Lord who is not speaking, but it’s us who are not hearing. Jesus made some radical statements about hearing His voice in John 10:3-5(TLB) “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. He walks ahead of them; and they follow him, for they recognize his voice. They won’t follow a stranger but will run from him, for they don’t recognize his voice.”

James 1:5(NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

It’s important to keep in mind that God’s voice will never contradict Scripture. So, you can always take what you are hearing and look to see if it is consistent with what God’s word has already said. If it is, you can be fairly assured that you have heard God’s voice. God will never tell you to do something that would contradict what His written word says.

God’s voice will convict but in love, whereas the enemy’s voice will bring guilt and condemnation. God’s voice will encourage and reassure, whereas the enemy’s voice will discourage and frighten. God’s voice will lead, guide, and still. The enemy will push and rush. God’s voice will calm us. The enemy will make us obsess and worry. God’s voice will bring comfort. The enemy’s voice will bring chaos and compromise. God’s voice will bring clarity and confirmation. The enemy’s voice brings confusion. God’s voice will bring Christ closer. The enemy’s voice will push you away from God.

I conclude with words by Jared Brock: “You have to be near Him to hear Him.”