Whose Voice?

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Whose Voice are you hearing???

How many times have you wondered about the difference between the influence of the Holy Spirit and the Devil on your life? It can get incredibly confusing - and cause needless anguish. Here are 10 ways to give you guidelines as to the difference between the voice of God and the voice of the Deceiver...

1 TONE OF VOICE. Gentle, loving voice of our Father, imploring, beseeching, and urging our return to Him, having the patient tone of an infinitely understanding God.

2 SPECIFIC. The Spirit says: 'Concentrate on this one thing, and you will be free.' He commands you to take one specific action! To make a choice of will. Conviction of the Spirit is specific to sin. The Spirit defends you against your over-sensitive conscience.

3 ENCOURAGEMENT is God's message. He encourages you to rely on God's power, not on your own imagined righteousness or strength of will.

4 'FORGET THE PAST' is the Spirit speaking! The Holy Spirit tells you your sin is forgotten, cleansed, removed, covered and put away, never to be held against you. (Jn 1:29; Ps 102:12; 1Jn 1:7,9; Ps 51:7; Mic 7:19.)

5 ATTRACTION TO GOD. There is a pull of attraction towards God. He generates in you an expectancy of kindness, love, forgiveness, a new beginning with God's help. The Holy Spirit speaks of your permanent relationship as the son or daughter of your Father. (Jn 20:17).

6 POSITIVE SCRIPTURES are brought to your remembrance (Jn 14:26). He speaks of the unchanging nature of God; of His steadfast love towards us. He confirms that God remains faithful to His covenant (1Jn 1:9), even when we prove faithless for a time (1Jn 3:20). The Spirit reassures you that there is no law that is effective against those who rely on Christ.

7 DRAWS YOU INTO FELLOWSHIP. The Spirit sends others to minister to you in love. Thus you learn to accept others' words of encouragement and to appreciate one another and their ministry to you.

8 FACTS OF THE WORD OF GOD. The Holy Spirit states facts, truths about you and God. Feelings must follow faith in these facts! The Holy Spirit gives you correct doctrine. He teaches you the truth of God's Word. Meditate on His Word day and night to avoid being fooled by Satan.

9 DISCIPLINE of the Holy Spirit.

10 REASSURES you of God's forgiveness and the fact that it is Christ who saved and continues to save you and will do so for the rest of eternity.

1 TONE OF VOICE. Accusing, nagging, mocking voice, generating fear, causing confusion, projecting a sense of rejection, ministering questions like, 'Has God said?'

2 VAGUE AND GENERAL. Satan generates a blanketing, choking sense of guilt, as though everything is wrong and there is no one action you can really take to overcome. Often a sense of complete hopelessness and weakness prevails.

3 DISCOURAGEMENT. Satan centers his attack on you as a person. Cuts your self-image to ribbons. Tells you you are weak, and do not really belong to God.

4 'REMEMBER ALL THE PAST' says Satan. Satan replays the video tapes of your past memories of sin and guilt and shame. He draws up accounts of your past sins, failures and offences that have been forgiven by God.

5 REJECTION AS THOUGH BY THE HOLINESS OF GOD. Satan disguises himself as an angel of holiness! He produces the feeling that God has rejected you as unworthy and unholy. Satan speaks of God as your judge, and you as a miserable sinner (Jn 3:17).

6 NEGATIVE SCRIPTURES are brought to your mind. Shakespeare said, 'The devil knows how to quote scripture to his purpose!' Satan threatens judgment by saying, 'Grace is denied because you didn't fulfill the conditions' (There are no conditions to the Grace of God). Satan uses the Law against you, to press you to justify yourself. (Rom 10:3; Gal 2:16).

7 ISOLATES YOU. Satan sows suggestions that cause you to withdraw from other Christians making you think they reject you. In your isolation, you then feel lonely, hurt, unworthy, rejected by others, angry.

8 FEELINGS. The Devil tells you that the way you feel is the way things really are! (ie feelings are truth!). Feelings of guilt, despair, hopelessness. Feelings of doubt of God's love for you. Feelings of frustration.

9 DESTRUCTIVE attack of the Devil.

10 ACCUSES you of having committed the unpardonable sin - that of 'sin against the Holy Spirit'. In fact it has been said that, if you think you may have committed this sin, you haven't.

If you have fallen victim to the accusing voice of satan, there are two ways of how God wants you to respond. First of, if there is unconfessed sin in your life, He requires you to confess that to Him, so Jesus Christ can cleanse you of the same, and leave no ground for satan to accuse you. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And secondly, remember what Jesus did when He was tempted of the devil in the wilderness? He responded with..."It is written..."and that is exactly how we as God's children must respond to the attacks of satan, using the Word of God as a sharp sword. See several examples of scripture use below...

It is written according to Galatians 3:26-28 that I am a child of God, and an heir of the kingdom of God, according to the promise given to Abraham's seed.

It is written according to Romans 8:35 that I cannot be seperated from the love of God.

It is written according to Colossians 1:14 that I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

It is written according to 1.Cor 3:16 that I am God's temple, His dwelling place.

It is written according to Hebrews 4:16 that I can find grace and mercy in time of need.

It is written according to 1.John 5:1 that I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

It is written according to Philip 4:13 that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

It is written according to 2.Tim 1:7 that I have not been given the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.

Just to give you a few examples to start you off with. You may search for other scriptures that confirm your inheritance in Christ and give you a good foundation on which to stand to resist the devil. James 4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.