VOICES – TESTING
Psalms 1:1 “Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners,…”
The ungodly has a voice which leads the sinner. This is their own spirit, the spirit of flesh or the spirit of the devil.
Romans 8:15 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;…”
Only the evil spirit causes fear (II Timothy 1:7).
I Corinthians 14:7 “And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?”
I Corinthians 14:10 “There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.”
Every voice has significance!
I Corinthians 14:11 Paul says, “I know not the meaning of the voice…”
Seek out agreement in His Word! When God guides you or gives you direction, He does not nullify the scriptures, neither will He change them to accommodate that voice!
Hebrews 8:10 “…I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts:…”
I John 2:20 “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.”
The inward witness of the Spirit is what leads you into all truth and Jesus is the Spirit of Truth!
I John 2:27 “But the anointing which ye have received of him abide in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, AND IS TRUTH, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him” (John 10:27).
John 10:3, 27 “…the sheep hear His voice: and He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out. My sheep hear my voice…”
VOICES – “Was that you, Lord?”
How to know the difference between the Lord’s voice and other voices.
John 10:3,5,27 “He calls His own sheep by name…the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice. My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me.”
John 18:37 “Everyone that is of the Truth knows My voice.”
I Corinthians 12:3 “No man can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Ghost.”
Revelations 19:10 “The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.”
WHEN THE LORD SPEAKS, the following is evident:
AN INWARD KNOWING. Sometimes He speaks words not familiar to you or not common to your vocabulary (I Corinthians 2:13).
PEACE comes into your soul and you are at rest (John 14:27).
TRUSTING with all your heart results (Proverbs 3:5-6)
CONFIDENCE AND ASSURANCE follow (Isaiah 30:15).
AGREEMENT WITH THE WORD OF GOD, the Bible. God will not violate His Word for anyone’s convenience; so the message must be checked with the Bible (II Peter 1:19).
CONFIRMATION. God always confirms His words to you, especially in guidance for action (II Corinthians 13:1).
THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST. Satan may use the word “god,” for he is the “god of this world” (II Corinthians 4:4), but he will not call Jesus Christ “Lord” (I Corinthians 12:3).
CLARITY. Jesus always speaks clearly and in line with His Word, so that you KNOW it is He (II Corinthians 1:20).
WHEN THE DEVIL OR ANOTHER EVIL SPIRIT SPEAKS, the following is evident:
DOUBT, FEAR, DISCOMFORT (II Timothy 1:7; Romans 8:15-16).
CONFLICT, RESTLESSNESS, NO PEACE (James 3:14-18; Isaiah 48:22).
QUESTIONING, WONDERING if it is the Lord (Romans 14:23).
LACK OF CLARITY, CONFUSION. If you have to “work it out” forget it! Satan is the “author of confusion” not God (James 3:16; I Corinthians 14:33).
NEGATION OF THE LORD’S COMMANDS to us personally or through Scripture. When God speaks, Satan soon says the exact opposite, trying to snatch away the Word (Matthew 13:4, 18, 24-30; Genesis 3:4).
LORDSHIP OF CHRIST DENIED, discounted (I John 4:1-6).
CONDEMNATION, GUILT, DISCOURAGEMENT. Satan brings up sins that have already been confessed, forgiven, and forgotten by God (Romans 8:1; John 3:20; Revelation 12:10).
WHEN THE FLESH-SELF SPEAKS, the following is evident:
HESITATION. Self has to think before it speaks. God’s Word to us flows easily without any preconceptions due to our carnal mind (Romans 8:5-7, 26-27).
DECEPTION. We can be led astray by our own hearts since we do not fully understand ourselves (Jeremiah 17:9-10). So we must feed on the Word until we become mature (Hebrews 5:12).
DOUBLE-MINDEDNESS. Wanting two opposite things at the same time results in instability (James 1:8). Jesus gives us the “single eye” (Matthew 6:22-23) that chooses the Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33) so that we can really want to do God’s will (Philippians 2:13). It is the indwelling Spirit that enables us to do this (John 14:16; 16:13).
UNREGENERATE DESIRES. The voice sounds like our own, with our own inflections and intonations, and speaks of the same old desires that you used to indulge in (James 1:13-16). Such desires arise from the flesh, and we must consider ourselves dead to those desires (Romans 6:1-4).
