John 10:27a “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them”.
Our mind becomes the student of the voice it entertains. There are three voices that constantly converse with us. The voice of the Holy Spirit, the demonic noise and our own human voice. The struggle is to distinguish between the three and choose to become the student of the voice of the Holy Spirit. When we are unable to differentiate between the three voices, we will be in a state of “confusion”. When we are able to discern yet, unable to subdue the temptation of the deceiver, we will be in a state of “frustration”. When we rebuke the distractions of the devil and overcome the afflictions of the human soul, we will come under the “instructions” of the Holy Spirit. As we are familiar with the voice of our close family or friends, we will be able to recognise the voice of the Lord.
Whose voice are you listening to? The voice we lean on and listen to will soon control our mind.
Three basics to identify and determine the voices that echo in our soul (mind):
1. Confusing: Our own human voice will talk about our weakness, inabilities and limitations. When we entertain the human voice, we will be pushed into melancholy, misery and minuteness. Human voice named Gideon “a good for nothing – looser”! Gideon politely replied to the Angel of Lord who called him a “Mighty Warrior”, “Pardon me my Lord. My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (Judges 6:15). When an opportunity knocks at our door, our human voice will say, “You don’t have the skill set, you don’t have the qualification, fluency, talent or tenacity”. “You will make a fool of yourself”. If this sounds familiar, drive out the spirit of stupor that is trying to stop you from reaching your God given opportunity and destiny.
2. Contentious: The demonic voice will demean God and you. The voice of the devil will plant doubt and disbelief in our thoughts. Questions such as, “if God is good, why is there poverty, brutality and adversity in this world?” Gideon contended with the Angel of the Lord, Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian (Judges 6:13b). The truth was that the Israelites abandoned and wandered away from the Lord, hence fell into the clutches of the enemy. Demonic voice is contentious, controversial and notoriously conclusive. “God will never hear you, He will never deliver, heal or set you free”. Rebuke the contentious spirit of the devil and cry out to the Holy Spirit for help.
3. Comforting: The voice of the Holy Spirit will be gentle, soft and comforting. He will not growl at us but will steadily guide us. Anxiety, fear or worry will not be found in the vocabulary of the Holy Spirit. His voice will be a calm assurance even in the midst of a rough, raging sea or storm. His voice will be reassuring, reaffirming and re-echoing the promises of God. Once we learn to tap into the realm of hearing His voice, the human voice will be muted and the demonic voice will be mutilated.
Taciturn your own human voice of insufficiency, insecurity and incapacity; rebuke the demonic voice of doubt, depression and distrust and listen to the voice of Faith, Hope and comfort of the Holy Spirit. Surrender your mind to become a passionate student of the remarkable Teacher, the Holy Spirit.
Judges 6:12b “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
Prayer: Dear Holy Spirit, I surrender my mind to become your student and to listen to your guiding voice. Teach me to rebuke the demonic and silence the human noises. Amen
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