Season of Peace

Finding hope from fear, depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

Hearing

Freedom from Fear: Who is that speaking?

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Freedom from Fear - Hearing TruthIn the previous post, hearing God was introduced as a pivotal path to freedom from fear. When we discuss hearing the voice of God, a common question arises: Who said that?

I myself have struggled with the discernment of whether or not I was hearing God speak to me. I hear, “Son I love you!” Was that God? Was it just me? Or, was the accuser, Satan? As we talked about previously, the voice of God is not typically audible – heard through our natural sense of hearing. He speaks to us in our spirit, which comes to us more in our own inner voice – or thoughts.

One day, Jesus explained to a gathering of people why he would do the things he did, such as healing a man on the Sabbath. This was considered by the religious leaders of the day a violation of the Law of God and could not to be done.  But, Jesus replied to them, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me” (John 5:30).

According to that scripture, what would Jesus do? Nothing! By himself, he could do nothing! Jesus only did as he heard. He listened and then judged those thoughts he heard.

Judge, judged, judgment — it can be a loaded word. Here it simply means “Properly, to distinguish.” Jesus properly distinguished where the source of the thought originated. It was not himself. The voice was either from his Father or his accuser. He always judged righteously because he only wanted to please the one who sent him, his Father.

Sure, Jesus could hear the accuser in his thoughts, but he knew the voice of his Father, and he would not agree with any thoughts from the enemy. He only agreed with his Father. Jesus never agreed with the accuser. He never allowed the accuser into his heart; therefore, the accuser never had any hold over Jesus (John 14:30). Think about when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4). In this wilderness, he heard the tempting thoughts of the accuser, but countered with with Truth from scripture.

This should be exciting news for every believer! Jesus is the firstborn of many, the new creation in a fallen world. We are born again into this new creation as Jesus was. We are to live as he did here on earth. I am born again into the new creation that Jesus provided for us. I am to live as he did here on earth.

So, I am to judge the thoughts that present themselves in my mind. I need to judge the source or originator of every thought that comes in. We are told in scripture to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

God only speaks truth, because He is truth. Deuteronomy 32:4 states, “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.”

Satan the accuser only speaks lies. John 8:44b shows us, “[Satan] was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

I was created to judge (properly distinguish) the thoughts presented before me. The thoughts I agree with begin to fill the storehouse of my heart. If the agreements are good and truthful, then my heart is filled with goodness and truth. I will then speak and act similarly. If the agreements are evil and untruthful, then my heart is filled with lies and deception, and I will speak and act similarly.

The more I know my Father, the more I know Truth; I can begin to distinguish my Father’s thoughts which are truth. Let me give you an example. Take a few quiet moments to see if you can hear this thought in your mind: Child, I love you.

Now, who said that?

Satan, cannot speak this statement to me, because he is a liar and this statement is truth. I cannot speak or make up that statement because I only know I am loved by God because he revealed it. So it was God for he alone is truth and can speak that truth to me. Once I know I hear his voice – “I love you” – I can begin to tune into other things he is speaking to me, and tune out the things that don’t matter.

As I was learning to hear my Father’s voice, a minister once said to me, “The only thing that matters is what God, my Father, has to say about every second of my life”. It is vital that I know his voice, agree with him, and allow his truth rule and reign in my life.

Prayer: “Father, help me know you so I may know your truth. I choose to agree with your thoughts for me and about me. I want to have ears for you and you alone.”

Learning to Listen

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Each day, we are faced with a myriad of decisions and questions. It’s a part of life. For those battling fear and crippling anxiety, that decision process can easily get muddled. As the line between rational and irrational fear becomes blurred, decisions become difficult.

How can we know what to do when faced with a choice? For decisions regarding sin and obedience, the right choice is obvious. The Bible lays out what is right and what is wrong. There should be no confusion with issues clearly outlined in the Bible.

But, what about things that aren’t in the Bible–things like: “Should I take this job?” or “Is this the right medication for me?” or “Should I go to the grocery store, even though I’m afraid?” Answers to these questions are not so obvious.

Does that mean we are left to make our own choices? I don’t believe so. Looking at the life of Jesus as the example of how to live, I see a common pattern in how Jesus made decisions: he did nothing unless he heard or saw his Father do it. Jesus said, “I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19). Jesus did not have to make any decisions. He simply did what the Father instructed him to do.

Do you think all of Jesus’ prayers were answered, prayers of healing, deliverance, salvation, wisdom? Yes. Do you think God would answer our prayers if we prayed only what he wanted us to pray? Many times, we pray for things because it’s what we want, rather than what God wants. I believe when we pray according to what God wants, according to his will, our prayers will be answered. “We can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for” (1 John 5:14-15).

So, when you’re faced with a difficult decision, and you don’t know what to do, take a few moments to find out what God is doing in this situation. Find out what his will is. Listen carefully with your heart. Give him the opportunity to speak his will in the situation.

Can we really hear the voice of God? Jesus, after all, was the Son of God, so it must have been easy for him to “hear” his Father. Yes, Jesus was the Son of God, but he lived on this earth as a man. His life was an example of how we should live. And, he made a way for us to come to the Father. Through Jesus, we have direct access to the throne of God (Hebrews 4:16). Through Jesus, we can come to the Father. “My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

For more information on learning how to tune into God’s voice, check out My Journey with God.

Prayer: Father, this week, I will tune my spirit to your Spirit. I will listen for your voice to guide me and lead me along the best pathway for my life (Psalm 32:8).