In a crowd of a thousand people a child can recognise the distinctive voice of its parent. In the spiritual, it’s even more important for us to learn how to recognise the distinct voice of our Heavenly Father in the crowd of deceptive other voices. Let’s admit something we all have in common: we each hear voices.
The Godhead speaks
John 16:13 – But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future].
•1st Point – God’s voice reveals truth.
Adam heard God’s voice – Genesis 2:16, 17 “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
•2nd Point – God’s voice teaches us of the rewards and consequences of our decisions
Cain heard God’s voice – Genesis 4:6-12 “And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, what hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground…”
•3rd Point – God’s voice warns us of the dangers of sin and convicts us when we choose the wrong path
Abraham heard God’s voice – Genesis 15:1-3 “After all these things, this word of God came to Abram in a vision: “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I’m your shield. Your reward will be grand!” Abram said, “God, Master, what use are your gifts as long as I’m childless and Eliezer of Damascus is going to inherit everything?” Abram continued, “See, you’ve given me no children, and now a mere house servant is going to get it all.”
•4th Point – God’s voice assures us of His presence in defence of fear
The enemy speaks
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and it is your will to practice the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths.”
Eve heard the enemy’s voice –
Genesis 3:1-5
“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
•5th Point – The enemy makes consequences appear insignificant and encourages us to doubt God’s commitment to care for us
The enemy spoke to Jesus –
Matthew 4:3
“And when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”
•6th Point – The enemy tempts us to trust in our own power in a way the only serves self and inflates pride
Jesus teaches us how to overcome the voice of the enemy. In Matthew 4:4 it says:
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
We are not victims of the voices we hear. We have the ability to choose to yield or not. We have to discipline our minds to focus on the path that leads to life and reject the ideas that lead us off course. This discipline comes through practice and diligence.
More grace is given to enable us to grow stronger in this area but growth begins with recognizing the voices that we are following.