Who Are You Listening To?
By Melanie–Heart of Worship
Have you ever felt bombarded with the overwhelming ‘noise’ of life? Many times we are accused, made fun of, or caused to feel unworthy because of voices that attack us. Sometimes these thoughts can even be our own. It is my prayer that we can look to God’s Word for answers on how to respond when the ‘voices’ of this life try to tear us down.
Voices of Shame and Guilt
Many new believers struggle with the memories of past sins. The thoughts of shame and guilt can prevent new believers from claiming victory and freedom in Christ. For some, the idea that a Holy God can forgive and love them after the many wrong things they have done can just be hard to believe and accept.
How should we respond when the voices of shame and guilt attack us and accuse us of being “too bad” for God to forgive? I urge you to claim the promise of 1 John 1:9, which says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I love the visual picture that the psalmist paints in Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” When you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, His precious, redeeming blood cleanses you from your sins and God does not remember them any longer. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come!”
Voice of Fear
I have vowed over a million times to stop reading the news or watching it on TV. It is so discouraging! It seems like every news story is negative and causes me to feel fearful. I hear about abducted children, and I fear for the safety of my children every time we leave the house. I hear news stories of burglaries, and I fear for my safety during the night.
How can we respond to the voice of fear in the way that God wants us to as Christians? The psalmist writes in Psalm 56:11, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Our safety can only be found in the Lord. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous hand.” Hear God’s words in Joshua 1:9, which says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” God wants us to rely wholly on Him and to tell Him about our fears. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”
Voice of Temptation
Another dangerous voice that distracts us from God’s will for our lives is the voice of temptation. Many times the voice of temptation seems to start innocently enough. However, once we start to listen to this voice and stray from God’s commands, only terrible things can happen.
When the voice of temptation speaks lies to us such as, “Come on, one time won’t hurt,” “Everybody else is doing it,” “You won’t fit in if you don’t do it too,” or “No one will see,” we must immediately flee from temptation. Temptation does not come from God, for James 1:13 says, “For God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” Therefore, the voice of temptation can come only from Satan. 1 Peter 5:8-9 describes Satan as he tries to attack us, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” Avoid going to places or keeping the company of people who tempt you. Proverbs 4:14-15 warns us, “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by; Turn away from it and pass on.” Speak the Word of God to Satan, just as Jesus did (Matthew 4), when temptation comes. Lastly, stay on guard and continually in prayer to overcome temptation. “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
Voice of Truth
I encourage you today to silence the voices and thoughts that tear you down, and to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). How do we take every thought captive so that we can hear God’s voice, the voice of Truth? The first way is to read God’s Word and meditate on it each day. The psalmist writes in Psalm 119:9, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word.” Psalm 119:105 says ,“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” God has given us His instructions in the Bible, and has so many things He wants to say to us through it!
Pray and seek God’s face each day so that you can hear the truth He is speaking to you. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” I encourage you today to claim God’s promises for your life. He loves you more than we can comprehend.
Remember, friends, the words of Proverbs 3:5-6, which say, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”
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I love Heart of Worship’s response. She is so right. We have to learn to listen to that still small voice that lives in us and will guide us in our daily lives. Make sure that you follow the link to the posting she suggested because she goes into even more detail that will answer your question. What I am about to say goes with what she says in her other response.
When I need to make decisions for my life I will pray and ask the Lord for wisdom and I trust Him with all of my heart to lead me to the answer. I believe that He will answer me. Listen to what James says about this..
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, BE SURE that your faith is in God ALONE. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided by God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” James 1:5-8
We need to long to hear from God, not from the world. We don’t need to seek counsel from worldy people. We must seek counsel from people of God who we know have the Spirit of God in them and are living for Him in their own lives. These are the people that have the mind of Christ and will speak the Truth of God’s Word to us in love.
Most importantly we need to search God’s Word about whatever it is that we are trying to make a decision on. Sometimes we may not be sure on where to begin because it may be a very specific issue that we need an answer on and it may not be in the bible..so we think. But all the answers we need are there. So we must run to it to seek the counsel and direction we need.
This is what happened to me just recently. My daughter was encountering some issues in school and my husband and I became very concerned about whether or not we should allow her to continue to attend school or if I should homeschool her instead. I surely didn’t know where I could find a scripture verse that would give me the answer, but I knew that my heart was troubled and I needed to just hear from Him. So that night I sat down and just started reading as I felt lead. Before I know it the Holy Spirit was leading me through the Word bringing to my remembrane scriptures to look up. Then I came across Romans 15:13-14 and there it was. For me it was a clear as ever. The Holy Spirit was comforting me and giving me the answer to whether I was to homeschool her or not.
Here is the comfort part..
verse 13
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
He did not want me to fret over the situation. He was reminding me that He is the source of my hope and that I will be filled with joy and peace again because I am choosing to trust Him in this situation.
verse 14
“I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well YOU CAN TEACH EACH OTHER ALL ABOUT THEM.”
I received that word immediately. I felt like He was telling me right there that I did need to teach my daughter myself and that I was equipped to do it.
I sought the Lord and He answered me sister. He will answer us when we seek Him with all of our hearts. His Word has never ever failed me. Every time I need direct I seek His Word and I seek His true followers, those that know His Word because that is what we need to hear, GOD’S WORD.
Be blessed sister and stay on the narrow road!
Sincerely,
Trophy of Grace
Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for your question. That is an excellent question! I think that we must seek God and truly expect to hear from Him. He longs to speak to us and to guide us in our lives.
God does not always speak in loud, blaring ways. 1 Kings 19:1112 says:
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.”
The Lord did not choose to speak to Elijah in loud, obvious ways such as the windstorm, earthquake, or the fire. God chose a “gentle whisper”. This is also translated as “a still, small voice”. To hear that voice, I would encourage you to be quiet and calm within your heart. Quiet the distractions around you. Give your cares and anxieties over to Jesus so that these things will not cause noise within your heart and drown out the “still, small voice”.
We should always be sure to confess any sins in our lives in order to renew our sensitivity to God’s voice. When God reveals His voice to you, I urge you to willingly and immediately obey His voice. He will continue to direct you as you live for Him.
I would also encourage you to read the answer at the following link for more information:
http://www.weusedtobeyou.com/2010/09/13/how-do-you-know-when-god-is-talking-to-you/
We are praying for you!
in His precious, unfailing love,
Heart of Worship
Thankyou. Would you please also talk about how you hear God’s voice clearer, especially if you need to make a decision and you really need Him to direct you. Thank you
The more you get into the Word the more you will use it to overcome the thoughts that come against your mind and the more you will learn how to take your thoughts that don’t line up to God’s will, Word, and plan for your life captive. You have to learn to take them captive and not let them dominate your thinking. Think on what you know is True, which is God’s Word. The more you read it the more you will find yourself mediating on it. It will just rise up in your mind. Trust me..this is all a process, but you need the Word to help you through it.
The second one for sure. It’s not that I mean to, but it’s hard to tune out my own thoughts.