“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…” (John 10:27)
“In the past
God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the
prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son…”
(Hebrews 1:1-2)
The Devil many times attempts to confuse us after we
pray. When you listen for God to speak, does it seem that you hear two voices?
How can you know if it is God or Satan? We know from Jesus’ temptation
experience that Satan will try many tricks to convince us to listen to him
instead of to God (Matt. 4:1-11). The apostle Peter warned us
that the devil is always waiting, seeking to instill fear and confusion (I
Pet. 5:8). We must be on the alert continually to make certain that the voice
we hear as we pray and listen for God’s answer is, indeed, God’s voice.
Jesus told His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and
suffer many things from the authorities there. Eventually, He would be killed,
but He would rise the third day (Matt. 16:21). Peter told
Jesus, “Far be it from you, Lord; this shall not happen to you!”
(16:22). As well-intentioned as Peter may have thought he was, his words
were not God’s words, they were words that lined up with Satan’s message. Jesus
rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me,
for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (16:23).
Peter was compared to Satan himself. We need to recognize
that sometimes Satan’s voice comes to us not in our thoughts and imaginations,
but through the words of other people, some of whom may seem to be well-intentioned
or say they love us. The Bible assures us that there is a way to tell God’s
voice from that of Satan. We will hear some distinct differences in the
messages.
SATAN
SAYS…
1. Do your own thing; do what you want to
do.
2. Live for the
moment.
3. Don’t concern yourself with what others
say.
4. You’re as mature as you ever need to
be.
GOD SAYS…
1. Consider the effects of your behavior on others.
2. Live with an eye to eternity.
3. Receive godly advice.
4. Continue to grow and mature to become more like Jesus.
When we follow Satan’s voice and message rather than
God’s, the outcome always leads to loss, destruction, and death. God’s way
always leads to abundant life and eternal life (Jn. 10:10). Part of
the difference is in the way we feel about our lives and actions. The result of
following Satan’s voice is frustration, disappointment, and worry. The result
of following God’s message is a great inner peace.
God sees all people and the full impact of what we say
and do on others, both those we know and who are close to us and those we don’t
know. He will never ask us to exhibit unkind or offensive behavior; He will
never lead us to do anything that might hurt another person; emotionally,
spiritually, or materially. Satan, on the other hand, tells us what we want to
hear. He tells us that we shouldn’t worry about the effects of our lives on
others. He tells us that every person is an island unto himself and that we
should do whatever we please.
Had Abraham weighed the possible consequence of his
dealings with Hagar, he would have resisted Sarah’s pleas to have a child with
her maid (Gen. 16-17; 21). Had David thought of the severity
of God’s discipline over the numbering of his subjects in Israel and Judah, he
probably would have listened to Joab’s advice (I Chro. 21).
If you feel God is leading you in a particular direction,
ask yourself: “How will this affect people around me? Will anybody be
hurt by what I am about to do or say? Will others be blessed? Is this blessing
just for me? Who may benefit from what I am about to undertake?” These
questions can help you weed out Satan’s influence and hear God’s message (Rom.
14:21, I Thes. 5:15, I Tim. 6:18-19).
Many Scriptures mention the “fullness of
time.” God isn’t in a hurry. He deals in eternal consequences and He
continually seeks the fulfillment of the full extent of His plan and purpose.
Satan always encourages us to act immediately because he knows if we back off
and think long enough about most things, we’ll reconsider. If we feel an
overwhelming urge to act spontaneously and immediately, we’re probably better
off waiting and praying about it. God is interested in having all the details
in their proper places.
King Saul lost his throne because he acted hastily. He
was instructed by the prophet Samuel to wait at Gilgal for seven days. When
Samuel hadn’t arrived on the seventh day, Saul decided to take matters into his
own hands. He prepared burnt offerings to call upon God. As soon as Saul had
made the offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul gave excuses, but his haste
disqualified him from a long and peaceful reign. Getting ahead of God is a
terrible mistake and the consequences are always distasteful (I Sam.
10:8; 13:8-14).
Nehemiah patiently waited for God’s timing. He sought the
Lord, with fasting and prayer, for four months until the king asked him why his
appearance was downcast. He explained his concern over the devastation of
Jerusalem and within days, the king sent him to Jerusalem with full authority
and all necessary supplies to rebuild the city (Neh. 1-2:9). It
isn’t easy to wait patiently before God until you are sure that you hear His
message. But how much more satisfying the results are when you know that you
have heard God’s message! (Ps. 62:5, Jas. 5:7-8, Lk. 14:28-30).
Rebellious teens often say to their elders, “Don’t
tell me what to do! I’m a grown-up, too!” That is the attitude of many
people toward the voice of God. It is an attitude of pride, based on an
assumption that we know as much about any given situation as God knows.
Ultimately, God speaks to us in terms of our surrender to His desires. His
messages to us aren’t about what we want, which is usually limited,
self-centered, narrow-minded, and shortsighted. Rather, His messages are about
what He wants for us, which is always eternal and loving and calls us to a
higher and better way. God’s messages are about our yielding to Him, our taking
up the cross and following Him, our giving up our lives for others, our bearing
one another’s burdens, our encouraging one another and building up one another,
our behaving in a way that causes others to walk in righteousness before the
Lord.
Satan comes to us and tells us that we are wise enough in
our own understanding to make decisions. This has been the temptation to man
since the Garden of Eden, just eat of the fruit and you will be wise as gods.
In our day, the lie may be, “Just follow your common sense.” This
may be good to do, but we err if we put our trust solely in our own efforts and
fail to get the wisdom of God. The result is just as disastrous for us as it
was for Adam and Eve. We find ourselves in trouble anytime we assume that we
can make decisions totally on our own. (I Pet. 2:2-3, Eph. 4:14-15, II
Pet. 3:17-18).
The clear result of hearing the voice of Satan is a
worry, and troublesome feeling of frustration in your spirit. If you believe
you have heard from God, and yet you continue to experience a feeling of
uneasiness and questioning as you attempt to obey the voice you have heard,
stop and take note. You have not heard from God! God’s voice brings about a
deep calmness in our spirit. Although we may be challenged by what God says for
us to do, we will not have a sense of inner conflict, worry, or a troubled
heart. The peace that God gives us is what the apostle Paul described as
peace “Which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). This is
the peace that comes with a settled heart. This inner peace is not shaken,
regardless of circumstances. When that sort of peace comes to us, we know we’ve
heard from God and we feel confident it is His voice: “Let the peace of
God rule in your hearts” (Col. 3:15).
Some people have calloused consciences and don’t seem to
feel anything in the wake of a bad decision. Not feeling anything is a bad
state to be in! After you have attempted to hear from God and have reached a
decision about something in your life, you will feel one way or the other about
it. Either you will have an abiding sense of calm, purpose, and peace or you
will feel uneasy, dissatisfied, out of sorts, frustrated, worried, or
uncomfortable. Pay attention to this feeling that flows from your innermost
being. It is a confirming sign to you that you have or have not heard from God.
Over time, you will grow in your ability to discern whether the voice you are
hearing is that of God. As you develop an ear to hear what God is saying to
you, you will come to know His voice unmistakably and immediately.
The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the value of
wise counsel (13:10, 20:5). We are to seek godly counsel and
to hear from people who truly love the Lord and who are firmly grounded in His
Word. When you seek counsel, look for someone who can also help you spiritually
and has no hidden motives (Isa. 45:20-21, I Pet. 5:5-6, Eph. 5:17-21).
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