Who else is overcome by the cacophonous barrage of discordant voices in the world? I'm sorry to use such complex language, but the word cacophony popped into my head as I tried to figure out how to describe the sensations my spirit is feeling in the midst of all the "noise" I'm hearing. To be honest, I wasn't even sure I knew what the word meant, but when I researched it, it seemed to fit.
As I earnestly seek to hear the voice of my Lord, it is sometimes drowned out by the din, racket, babel, screaming, whining, and yes, even cajoling, coaxing, and smooth-talking voices of the Enemy's servants -- the very definition of what a cacophony sounds like. And it is often quite apparent [to my spirit] during ministry that there are many who truly love the Lord, but who can't distinguish His voice from those sent to confuse or misguide them. And, in full confession, I am discerning how successful the Enemy has become in imitating the Lord's voice. In this time of so much division and disunity, we (I) must be sure we are hearing correctly.
As a Christian, I desire to hear my Master's voice because I know I can trust it. But how many times have you encountered fellow Christians who excitedly tell you that they have "a word" from the Lord for you, or "God told them" to tell you something He wants you to do? How can you trust that they have heard correctly ... or even heard at all? And I strongly believe that the Enemy has sowed many false prophets into the world [especially within our churches and Christian communities]. These self-proclaimed prophets have done so much damage by misleading faithful Christians down paths that are not according to the will of God for their lives. That often leads Believers to become confused, discouraged, and disheartened. So, if we aren't hearing from God, do we disregard all prophetic words that are declared to be for us?
The answer is "No"! The Holy Spirit is involved in speaking prophecy to people, and the Bible tells us, Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil [1 Thessalonians 5:19-22]. Ultimately, we need to learn to spend time with God and Jesus in order to recognize His voice through the voices of the prophets. Remember, He is our Good Shepherd. He says, I know My sheep and My sheep know Me. And He knows our names and everything about us! So, how do we get to know Him so that we can recognize Him through the ones He sends to us, and discern the ones sent by the devil?
Like any relationship, it takes time and commitment. He reveals Himself through the Word, so we have ample opportunity to identify His character, His nature, His commandments, His leadership, and His heart. In fact, we are commanded to "Listen to Him" by God Almighty! To me, this command makes it clear that He has things to share with us, and we should be expecting to hear from Him! But somehow, we have interpreted hearing from God to simply mean He answers our prayers. But that makes it about us and what we want; our needs and desires. And this can lead to us controlling the outcome of those prayers to get what we want and convincing ourselves it's what God spoke to us in a dream, or what someone spoke that aligns with what we asked for. But that voice is more likely to be your own or the Enemy.
I'm not saying that God doesn't speak to us in dreams or through other people, or through a spontaneous thought in your own mind. That's often how He speaks to me! For instance, that sudden, spontaneous thought will give me an answer or direction that I have been asking God about. It will be unrehearsed and unforced; in other words, it won't be something that I have analyzed and dissected beforehand, but will be clear and precise and will sound like my own thoughts, but not analytical or well-organized from prior examination.
In fact, these thoughts will sound like me, but actually be wiser, more loving, more healing, and more intentional than my mind's thoughts, which can randomly wander. I instinctively know where they come from; that it is Jesus flowing through my heart and combining with my mind to present His and the Father's will. And more often than not, this sudden, spontaneous thought will illicit a reaction in my soul -- a sense of excitement at recognizing His voice; a heartfelt conviction that I am hearing His truth, and a sense of awe or peace. And the more I train myself to get in that quiet place, the easier it has become to hear Him.
I think that is especially true in these days of chaos and evil in the world. For Christians, there are so many voices clamoring for our attention, and it should be obvious to perceive the outright evil ones; but it can be difficult to discern the wolves in sheep's clothing, or even those with good intentions, but who are not sent by God. Our Leaders are supposed to be serving us, but it is too often readily apparent that they seek to only benefit themselves. So how do we protect ourselves and thrive in a society and culture that doesn't hear God's voice? How do we hear His voice as we try to navigate through spiritual noise in order to walk the straight and narrow path to His will for our lives?
I believe that to truly hear and recognize the Lord's voice, we must focus on Jesus's heart. How do I do that? For me, I have to make sure that I am not seeking to hear Him through my Soul -- which is focused on my mind and thoughts, my feelings, and what I hope and want to hear. I have to intentionally focus my spiritual eyes on Jesus's heart. If not, whatever I am focusing on will affect the accuracy of what I am hearing from God. Let's say you are praying about making an important decision regarding you or your family's future ... do you take the latest vaccine or not; do you leave your child in public school or home-school; how do you best serve an aging parent; or, how should you protect your family in the midst of the drums of war sounding throughout the world?
Those are all important, momentous, and consequential issues, and the answers are not going to be easy or simple. You would want to make sure you are hearing from God, and not letting your mind project your personal desire, or mistaking the voice of our Enemy for that of our Savior. You might not [and probably won't] get a complete step-by-step solution to any of those weighty questions. So what are the eyes of your heart focused on?
May I suggest that to hear Jesus's voice we must separate ourselves from the voices of the world, which can cause us to fixate on the very things we are seeking answers for. Ask yourself these questions ... Am I fixated on my fears of a certain vaccine, or am I focused on what Jesus is telling me about them? Are my thoughts constantly weighing the pros and cons of public school vs home-schooling, or am I focused on His thoughts about what He thinks is best for my child? Am I fixated on how the problems of my aging parent are going to affect my life, or am I waiting for Jesus to reveal the way that's best for their remaining time on earth? And, finally, are the drumbeats of war so loud in our minds that nothing else occupies our thoughts and time, or are we watching to see what Jesus is saying and doing? If the answer is yes to the first part of any of these questions, then it's time to repent for having the eyes and ears of our hearts fixed on the very things we're praying about, rather than the One we're coming to in prayer. Doesn't that make each of those issues an idol?!?
I confess that I struggle at times, too! Our Enemy knows his time is short to carry out his plans to dominate this world, and he is unleashing every strategy and tactic he can to keep the people of this earth from entering God's Kingdom. So, we need to follow Jesus's example. Whenever He was overwhelmed by the attacks of the devil, He removed Himself to a quiet place and sought the presence of His Father. He re-quieted His soul and focused on seeing and hearing what His Father was doing and saying. He stayed focused on His Father's heart for His creation, and then acted on that; shutting out the voices that constantly tried to get him to change course from Heaven's direction.
If our hearts are in alignment with Jesus's heart, then we will correctly hear His voice. Our soul and spirit will be at peace that we have received His will. And if our thoughts tend towards the negative and line up with the characteristics of the devil -- a desire to lie, accuse, steal, or cause conflict -- then our thoughts are being formed by demonic influence, and we will be confused, anxious, and unsettled. If we are hearing God and Jesus correctly, our thoughts will be positive and spontaneous; corresponding to the characteristics of the Holy Spirit as our Counselor, our Comforter, and the Spirit of Truth and Wisdom.
In summary, when I am praying and seeking the voice of the Lord, I try to stay fixated and focused on His heart! That's when the spontaneous flow from His heart to my heart, mind, and spirit occurs and I hear Him! And there isn't a sweeter, more soothing voice in all the universe than the voice of the One who loves me and desires to answer my call. And it shouldn't be that hard to hear Him. It just takes practice to re-quiet and re-focus your mind, and a willingness to spend the time in learning to recognize His voice. As Jesus so often taught those who loved and followed Him, He who has an ear, let him hear ...
John 16:13 When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the Truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.
