Hearing Voices

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." -2 Corinthians 10:5

I spent two hours this morning listening to The Voices. Don't call the men in the white coats! It happens to all of us sometimes: we hear the replays of something hurtful that was said - something that cut us to our very soul. We feel rejected, ashamed, worthless. But then I heard another Voice speaking Truth and Love into my heart...

"I CAN'T BE FRIENDS WITH YOU FOR AWHILE."
"I will never leave you or forsake you." -Hebrews 13:5

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO TALK TO YOU OR BE YOUR FRIEND BECAUSE YOU'RE SO NEGATIVE."
"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." -Psalm 56:8

"SOME OF US DON'T GET TO SLEEP IN UNTIL 10AM EVERY DAY OR LIE DOWN AND REST WHENEVER WE WANT."
"...for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." -Psalm 103:14

"I'M TIRED AND DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU RIGHT NOW."
"You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You perceive my thoughts from afar. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely." -Psalm 139:1-4

"NOW'S NOT REALLY A GOOD TIME TO VISIT; THERE'S JUST A LOT GOING ON."
"Whoever comes to me I will never drive away."
-John 6:37

"YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING ALL DAY. YOU DON'T CONTRIBUTE."
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

"IT WAS NICE TALKING TO YOU, BUT I WANT TO GO SAY 'HELLO' TO SOMEONE [more interesting]."
"The Lord your God...will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." -Zephaniah 3:17

"EVERYONE'S BAILING ON YOU RIGHT NOW, AREN'T THEY?"
"I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." -Isaiah 41:9-10

"OH? YOU HAVEN'T BEEN HERE IN SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR 5 WEEKS?"
"You know when I sit and when I rise. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" -Psalm 139:2,7

"Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will learn to listen and believe the Voice of Truth." -Casting Crowns

The Voice of Truth

Satan is a liar - a good liar. He attacks my mind when I'm alone and vulnerable. He knows which buttons to push and exactly when to push them. He's a strong enemy who always knows where and when to strike to get the best results. He tells me I'm worthless - that my life is worthless. I don't contribute to anyone or anything because I'm shut in my house all day every day. He tells me I don't matter to anyone and that no one notices when I'm missing. He tells me that I'm unattractive because I'm overweight and that people don't want to be around an unattractive person. He tells me that I have no friends and that no one understands the challenges I face every day because of my health. He tells me things in my life will never change and that I should give up hope.

But I have learned to recognize the voice of the enemy, the lies of the enemy. And because I walk with God and hide His Word in my heart, when the enemy speaks I hear another voice: the Voice of Truth. And that Voice tells me something else; that Voice tells me who I really am - who God says I am - because of Jesus Christ. And here it is:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence," - Ephesians 1:3-8

I am blessed
I am chosen
I am adopted
I am accepted
I am redeemed
I am forgiven

When I believe that I am who God says I am, the lies of the enemy have no power over me, whether they come from my own thoughts or by the lips of another. So when those thoughts come in a moment of weakness or distress, I just choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth.

Memorize it. Hang it on your fridge. Tape it to your full-length mirror. Attach it to your sun visor. Satan knows your weak spot and he's waiting for a chance to attack. Be armed with God's Word so the Voice of Truth can drown out the lies of the enemy.