Voices: Whose Are You Listening To?

Whose Voice?

Impressionable human beings hear voices every day from different sources. Aside from our own thoughts, the human mind is susceptible and able to “tune in” to different “channels,” if you will. As a taboo and touchy topic, when I say “hearing voices”, I don’t strictly mean in an inner-ear of the mind.

Whose voice is it that these thoughts originate from? As Christians, we can be assailed with self-generated thoughts, the voice of God, or the voice of the enemy.

1.  It’s probably God’s voice if…

• His Word is being spoken or a reference is being brought to mind. Being still before the Lord and His Spirit, He may bring a chapter and verse to mind, or stir up a complete direct quote of a verse in my heart. Sure enough, listen closely and He speaks.
• His images of life and scripture come to my mind’s eye. Praying and asking the Holy Spirit to use and manifest in my mind is okay and safe, not to mention a proof of trust and willingness to let God use my mind fluidly.
• I’m searching for it, being still and quiet before the Lord, asking Him for His presence and a release of His Word into my heart (provided I am in His word frequently for it to saturate my mind)

God is eager to tell us His thoughts toward us and how deep His unconditional love is for us. When I am in His Word, the Bible, and studying what He is communicating to me at this moment, then I can weigh the wobbly thoughts that waver in my mind and feelings about my worth against the truth of Scripture.

There are times when my own voice tells me what to do, or offers different solutions than God. In that case:

2.  It’s probably my voice if…

• If it’s a voice suggesting carnal, fleshly images or ideas (Romans 8:6)
• I have naturally emerging questions based in reason
• My heart feels anxious, nervous, doubtful, frightened, hateful
• I’m proposing immediate human or sinful answers

Second Corinthians 10:5 states: “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.” Taking every thought captive is a charge to distinguish the kind of thoughts I’m vulnerable to thinking. I am fallen and spiritual, so I am still able to be influenced by that which is unseen – thoughts from the enemy.

3.  It’s probably a demon, spirit or Satan if…

• I’m tempted to think sinful (hateful, hurtful, lustful, dark, abrasive, unholy) thoughts
• I’m given inappropriate expressions or responses to say/think/do
• I’m taunted or degraded, put down or condemned

Listening for a voice of the heart, or the voice of the Almighty Living God can be anything from a potentially risky shot-in-the-dark, to a due-course action of faith, depending on the station I’m probing to hear from. If I’m wanting to discern my voice from God’s, it is extremely important to use the scriptures to review my “voices” against.

Do You Hear Voices?

What do you think about the voices in your head? What are you hearing? Are they God’s, yours, or the enemy’s?

Share below and let’s talk about it!