Tag Archive | John 10:27

VOICES!

Jan18

Watching my country rushing headlong into chaos is disturbing. Maybe a bit scary? Add noticing how the church, individual Christians; not organizations, travels a path so compromising it can hardly be recognized as Christian, is even more disturbing. Something needs to change, right? But where do we start? We start by identifying our inner voices. (There’s more than one, you know. Thoughts are the threshold into our minds.

Examine this with me:

First, we entertain a thought. That thought will generate certain related feelings. Those feelings will then fashion and shape our behavior.   Psychologists say that if behavior is to be changed, then the flow must be interrupted, either at the initial thought or at the feeling point.

So, it’s all about the voice we listen to.

Let’s start with those in the world who follow a voice devoid of God’s input.

People following such a voice, embrace actions void of clear boundaries of right and wrong. Our culture tells these individuals, that to be true too oneself is the path to follow. Even if that means rejecting what use to be true, or if it means we must redefine truth, or reconstruct truth. 

Therefore, the thoughts swimming around in these individuals’ heads is their guiding voice. Initially, it probably is quite heady to throw off everything that has encumbered them (in their opinion) and do whatever they want whenever they want. If they desire to call wrong right then they give themselves the freedom to do so. They are their own boss (god?) now. Horribly, their freedom is a false freedom. They think they are liberated but when reality dawns they find themselves in a bondage defined by the enemy of their soul. And for some, it’s too late!

Now let’s consider those who would call themselves Christian-like. 

The voices swimming around in their heads are often contradictory. There’s the voice from today’s culture, the voice of self, and the voice of right and wrong. (The source of right and wrong thoughts may or may not be influenced by God’s truth). Therefore, which ever voice they give most attention to speaks the loudest, and is the one they follow. The problem here is that they would not be able to tell you for sure if they were true believers of God. They don’t know God’s truth well enough to say for sure.

For instance, say they are facing a choice about an action they desire to take. They run it by the world and the world says go for it. They run it by their self-centered desires and there seems to be some hesitancy. Why? Because the voice of right and wrong says, “This is wrong.” Then self gets on the microphone and says, “Look, maybe this use to be wrong, but times change. There are extenuating circumstances now. Besides, if I’m going to be true to myself, then I should do this.” So the voice of right and wrong grows undistinguishable and is no longer the guiding voice. However, though all but buried, the voice of right and wrong has not been silenced completely, if they are truly God’s child. My concern here is for those who are being deceived by the wrong voice!

So what about the voice of those who identify as Christians?

Guess what, we hear three voices as well. We call it, the voice of God, the voice of our flesh, and the voice of the world. The difference is that while God’s spirit is the prevailing voice in a believer’s mind, the voice of our flesh, and the world are in constant competition with God’s voice. Therefore, by connecting daily with God through prayer and His word, we keep the microphone of God’s voice turned up, drowning out the deceptive and destructive voices of the world and self-centered thinkings.

Light and light substitutes

Jul26

Our Past

Christians are struggling here in the United States. We knowingly choose lifestyles that run contrary to the Light of God’s word. We knowingly make choices the innocent are forced to pay for. As Christians, we possess the antidote for what ails our world. Yet, we suffer the same problems and grasp at the same solutions. So what happened?

We started out on a grand journey. Following the Light and listening to the Voice. These two forces were all we needed to live life successfully. However, after we had traveled on our grand journey for awhile, distractions invaded our peace. Without our noticing, the Light grew dim and the Voice faded.

Our Present Consequences

As the Light fades, our hearing is negatively affected. So much so, that we begin having trouble understanding who and where we are and how to move around. We know we need more light, but instead of seeking the original light, we chase after substitutes.

These are false lights. They seem like they will work. So we give them a try. But eventually they fade. These false lights lead us into all sorts of confusion. We aren’t able to see things as they really are. Things like love, hope, joy, wisdom slip out of our reach. Things like apathy, confusion, hopelessness, blindness, and doubt slowly replace them.

Eventually, we grow accustomed to the false light. Consequently, we loose sight of the true Light.

But deep within we can still hear the faint Voice calling to us from the original Light. We remember how strong that Voice use to be. In our despair, we yearn to hear that voice once more.

We desire to call out to the Voice within that Light. But the misguided quest for false light interferes with our reception. Nevertheless, the Light is still there. Now and then we are confident we hear that familiar Voice calling us back to the Light.

Finally, we grasp the key. If we desire more Light, then we must focus on the Voice. Consistent and deliberate focusing produces more Light and the Voice increases in volume.

What Could be Our Future!

Finally, our bondage designed by the false light and all that is ugly in our lives is exposed! As the Light sweeps away the darkness, we see stretching out before us, rich colors of hope, joy, love, and wisdom. In the real Light, we reconnect to the Voice.

Have we lost our way? Are the problems of life draining us? Perhaps we are following the wrong light and listening to the wrong voice.