THE BATTLE OF THE VOICES

There are so many voices I take in throughout the day. Some are beneficial, while others are obviously wrong. And then some voices sound so close to the truth they are almost believable. So, how do you discern whose voice to listen to? Whose advice to adhere to, and whose do you turn away from? 

The problem of discerning whose voice to listen to is not new in this day and age of information overload. Even before the attachment of phones to hands {which now serves as a extra appendage to the modern human} there was a battle of the voices. 

At the beginning of time (Genesis 1), God spoke our world into existence and called it good. God made people in His image and spoke the words “very good” over them. He tasked His very good created people to have dominion and authority over the world, and He gave them purpose and community with Him and each other. I imagine Adam and Eve’s conversations with their Creator as He walked through the garden in the coolness of the day. How delightful it all must have been. 

However, the perfect design God had in mind was broken when Adam and Eve chose not to trust God’s good and perfect words (Genesis 3). 

In this day and age, we, too, are tempted to listen to and trust any voice except God’s. We read catchy memes that support being true to ourselves. {If only our world understood that being true to yourself is to be true to sin and leads to death.} Christians find their hearts and minds becoming increasingly “okay” with sin as they allow the media they watch and listen to desensitize them by normalizing their acceptance to sin {Gulp. That one was for me}. If we, as followers of Jesus, are not careful, we will begin using the Bible + something else as our source of truth when God’s words have been good and perfect all along; they need no additions. 

In Matthew 7:24-25, Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with these words:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

Matthew 7:24-25

God has chosen to use the holy scriptures as a primary communication between Him and His people. He wants His words to be heard, trusted and lived out. When God’s people adhere to His voice, they will find themselves on a solid foundation that is unshakable, no matter their circumstances. 

If you are a believer, one of the best ways to develop a strong faith foundation is through reading the Bible regularly. I’m not talking about reading the verse a day on your Bible app, though that is a step in the right direction. I’m talking about reading a book of the Bible, starting at the beginning and reading it through. 

But, I will warn you, it will take strength and discipline to set aside time to hear from God through reading the Bible. Satan does not want you to know God’s voice well enough to trust Him. He questioned God’s Word with Eve, and He wants to do the same to you. 

Therefore, to arm yourselves against the tactics of Satan, God’s voice must be louder than any other words you hear. In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus could withstand the temptations of Satan because he knew God’s Word so well that when the devil twisted scripture, Jesus quickly saw and refuted the lies. Would you be able to do the same? 

For those in a first world country, there are an abundant of opportunities to access the Bible, including free apps. In the battle of voices, will you make God’s word the loudest and obey it? 

Reflect and Connect

How have you noticed social media, memes, TV shows/movies, etc. affecting the way you think?

What is challenging about discerning God’s voice from the lies of the culture and Satan?

How can you practice trusting God’s voice?