Sadie Robertson (yes, from Duck Dynasty!) posted this list on twitter a few weeks ago:
Why is it so important to develop the skill of discerning God's voice? Because we know things go awry when we listen to Satan's voice instead of God. In Jeremiah 7:23-24, the Lord commanded his people, saying "'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.' Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward."
Sometimes I have so many thoughts running through my head that it's tough to just STOP and determine what is real, aka GOD, and what is a lie. Unfortunately, no one is exempt from Satan's distracting voice - even Jesus, who heard Satan in the desert. (Matthew 4:1-11) Still, we are commanded to "resist the devil," and in return promised that "he will flee from" us. (James 4:7) For me, this means closely examining the voices in my head:
The voice giving me anxiety about the future...
That isn't God.
The voice telling me I'm not good enough...
That isn't God.
The voice making judgments about the people around me...
That isn't God.
The voice in my heart reminding me that "all things work together for good" if I fix my eyes on HIM...
THAT, my friends, is God.
By the way... not only is this list a reminder to listen to God's voice, it is also a reminder to emulate his voice. "Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children." (Ephesians 5:1); "He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction." (Proverbs 13:3) As Christians, we should filter our words through the list above - regardless of who we are speaking to. We need to start asking ourselves:
* What is the purpose of my words?
* What will be the consequence of my words?
Who is speaking to you now? Whose voice are you emulating now?
