Voices

The voices that you listen to will become your viewpoint.

The media knows it. The politicians know it. Advertising companies make their living by it. The devil performs his lies within this very truth. 

Satan deceived Eve by his voice, twisting Eve's viewpoint of the fruit of the garden and of God’s goodness, causing her to question what God had said. I’ll admit that I have had moments where I wonder how she could have fallen for that one. There was a whole garden at her fingertips. She couldn’t just trust God on that one tree? 

But Eve wasn’t the first creature to be deceived by him. Before he was kicked out of heaven, Lucifer was the lead worship angel. He was so beautiful, covered in every precious stone and equipped with instruments from the day he was created by God. (Ezekiel 28:14). He was given the authority to cover worship from the sacred altar in the fire of God. Literally in God’s presence and empowered and anointed by God to deliver to Him the worship He is worthy of, Satan sinned. But he didn’t just take himself out. Somehow he managed to convince a bunch of the angels in heaven to do the same. Eve looks a little crazy to me but I can’t even imagine what Satan could have possibly said that could convince angels to listen to him over the God in whose presence they abided day and night! 

The Bible says our enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil. It’s pretty obvious why. All three have voices and therefore the ability to establish our viewpoints if we listen to them. And they are listed as our enemies because what those voices say will not lead us into victory if we listen. What they say will change the champion viewpoint that God is speaking to us. Just read the Bible with that one lens- watch who the characters were listening to. Everything makes so much sense as it shows you exactly how the end of each story is connected to the words that the people listened to the most. 

The same truth has played out in my own life. When I listen to myself- my own thinking- I’m not in alignment with God. Without the transformation of my mind into the mind of Christ, I think so much less of myself than God does. My “flesh” viewpoint says that I should stay safe, not risk myself in connections or in endeavors that could bring about my possible failure. It says that others are more capable than me. It tells me to stay in my own lane, bro. Settle into less, stay comfortable. My thinking without God has no real joyful expectation over me. It chooses comfort over moving forward every time.

Thankfully, God sings a different tune to us than we do to ourselves! And we have access, not only to God’s word but to His Spirit that connects with us and gives us truth to feed on. Our success hinges on the fact that God’s voice must be the one that has all the say. We may hear other voices but He is the only one we should listen to.

Sometimes my mind tells me that my ways are better than whatever God is directing me to do. And it’s sneaky. Like that serpent in the garden, it twists me into believing myself over God. Our inner voice is a dangerous thing if not renewed by the washing of the word.  A huge red flag to me, and maybe it will help you too, is to pay attention to the people I am agreeing with. That will tell me a lot about what is really going on inside of me. 

Here's why- mic drop:  No one can take you where you don’t already want to go.

That’s what I mean about your inner voice being dangerous and that’s why God said your flesh was your enemy.  A few years ago, I was having some small minded thoughts about myself that wanted to keep me safe. They conflicted with my heart for unity and authority because I have an awesome Pastor who loves me and calls me to grow. I began to question his voice on some things he was saying. I really started to think that he was trying to lead me where I wasn’t supposed to go. I could feel the conflicting voice of the Holy Spirit calling me to come under authority and my own voice that said I was right. I loved Jesus. I read my Bible. I loved my Pastor and my church. And yet, my sneaky inner voice was silently taking me down. Then one day I noticed something. I paid attention to who I was listening to...unsubmitted people, ununified people, mindsets that were self-protecting and self-excusing and self-promoting. And I realized that those voices had strengthened my own inner enemy and my viewpoint was cloudy with a chance of bonehead.

God says that we will know who belongs to Him by their fruit. In a real way, Eve was eating the fruit of her own inner viewpoint. She was already questioning something about God’s goodness or that snakey voice wouldn’t have had any impact on her at all.

Who are you listening to and what voice is forming your viewpoint?

A third of Heaven’s angels fell because they listened to an unsubmitted voice of disunity! No wonder God says to guard your heart with all diligence. Your life will follow the voice you give residence there… so keep a close watch. Do an inner self-check and align with the truth that God is speaking to you.

And it’s not the other people that are the problem really. God wants to use you with people. God loves people!  But you can watch over who you are listening to. Where do their words line up with the thoughts in your own mind that have become strongholds of self? God’s voice will always lift you up to be the best you can be and make you bigger than just yourself. That takes stretching and can be painful at times but He always leads you into triumph! He calls the things that are not to what they really are. Don’t settle and don’t be small. You can do it. And then you can be salt and light to all people when you have His mind and the voice of the Spirit forming your viewpoint of truth.