Voices
You do not have to be a Bible Scholar to realize that we are living in the last days before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now more than ever, we need to guard against the deception that is loose in the world. In Matthew’s gospel Jesus answered His disciple’s questions of when and what would signal His coming not with a specific date and time, but with a warning.
Matthew 24:4 AMP
Jesus answered, “Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error].
Truth or Lies
On the earth there has always only been The Truth and lies. The Truth is in and with God and should be reflected in and being proclaimed by His Kingdom here on the earth. The Truth is eternal and will sound the same no matter who is speaking it. Lying or lies comes from satan and fills the world today with noise. Lies speak distraction, deception, and destruction.
One of the best ways to avoid being deceived, which simply is believing something that is not true, is to recognize who is speaking to you. Or more accurately, who is the influence or character behind and in authority over the noise you are hearing. Truth declares that at the top of the hierarchy of voices, there are only two. Some might not like that and decide on a third choice, but there ain’t one. There is God. Then there is satan.
The enemy, satan, that stinky, defeated fool, speaks lies, and is the father of all lies. (John 8:44) He couldn’t tell the truth to himself when he was a beautiful archangel before God in heaven. So why would we think anything he says would be true? As one brother once said, “With all the lies he tells no wonder hell burns so hot.” Some suggests that the inspiration for the idiom, “Liar, liar, pants on fire” came from his lying nature.
The enemy whispers in our ear things meant for our destruction. His tactic of casting seeds of doubt on what God has spoken has not changed from the beginning. He deceived Eve in the Garden with a question that planted doubt, then followed it up with a lie.
Genesis 3:1, 4 NLT
“Did God really say…”
“You won’t die!”
Later he tried it with Jesus in the wilderness. (Luke 4, Matt 4) Twice he asked Him,
“If you are the Son of God…”
And then offered a shortcut around what God (Himself as the Word made flesh) had said concerning His purpose on the earth as the Messiah and the taking back of all power and authority. I laugh when I read about the enemy trying to tempt Jesus. If Jesus had wanted to, He could have turned the wilderness into the world’s largest bakery with bread and pastries of every sort.
What God speaks is love, peace, guidance, and wisdom. How God speaks is through His Word (Bible), His Holy Spirit, other believers. Having His Spirit in us is a part of our birthright as children of God. (Romans 8:14, Psalm 143:10, John 16:13) One of the qualities of God’s Spirit is that He is a gentleman. He never pressures us to do anything. He gently leads and prompts us in the paths of righteousness. And the best part of Him leading us is that it is always an open book test.
God through His Spirit is always speaking to His children, even in their sleep. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. He will always guide and teach us the truth. John 16:13 The Truth speaks Provision, Protection, and Purpose. When the Spirit of God speaks to our spirit, or through another person, it will always line up with the Word of God. One thing that has helped me and others is to filter everything we hear with the Truth of God’s Word.
However, one does not need to be out of bed for five minutes, and the noise of the world tries to fill a person’s thinking. It comes as conversations, other’s opinions, on radio and television, and in social media. The god of this world works through pressure. Through those under his influence he manipulates, tries to control by fear, and place demands on our attention. If you have read any of my earlier articles, you have seen that I like to be transparent and share stories of lessons I learned through things I experienced. Here is my offering for recognizing the enemy and stopping his noise quickly.
Decades ago, I was travelling on a train from Denver to Chicago. I had chosen a book by Andrew Murray, “True Vine” to read for the ride. A gentleman seated close by commented on it and asked if I enjoyed Murray’s writings. As we talked more, he revealed that he was a Pastor of a Church in Michigan. Our conversation turned to and settled on Jesus’s words in John 16:12 15. As the train rolled into Nebraska, I sat listening to this Pastor as he spoke words that have stuck with me all these years. Here are a couple of instructions he gave me.
“If you will learn to hear God’s voice, and obey quickly, you will be one that is hard to deceive.”
“Doing the truth that you understand, will allow you to receive the truth you need to know.”
He talked at great length about being very selective in what you allow inside you. Not everyone should be speaking over or prophesying to you. He spoke the reverse of the adage Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. With these words,
“The enemy has and will continue to put just a little truth in his lies. Many people will keep dirty bath water in their house (hearts) for the sake of the baby.”
I was so thankful that God brought us together for those few hours on that train. And He confirmed that Pastor’s words the next Sunday in church when my Pastor preached a message titled “Take Heed What You Hear.” I sensed the Holy Spirit’s illumination when my Pastor said these words,
“Before receiving anything from anyone, check inside. If the Holy Spirit is not confirming their words, smile and let it go in one ear, and out the other. Garbage in Garbage out.”