I didn’t blog earlier this week partly because I needed to pack for a trip. But instead of completing the packing task and writing this post, I found myself selecting paint and traveling to The Home Depot. What in the world was I thinking? Anyway I painted, attended a bridal shower and am now I’m about to jump into the shower because the wedding is today. No worries Rachel you will finish only a few minor details remain.
While I painted the other day, I continued to hear this voice in my head accusing me over and over. “Why are you doing this? You realize you should be getting other things accomplished. You need to be writing a blog, why do you plan to do this project today? You are so random and you’re not very disciplined otherwise you’d be writing.
ENOUGH! I realized the source. The voice I had been listening to was the accuser who was trying to make me feel badly about myself. That’s what he does 24/7 he accuses.
I recognized it as his voice and spoke the truth, God made me and He knows how I’m wired. He knows I do random tasks even when it makes no sense. He is delighted to spend time with me! I asked God, “Do you want to take today to do this with me? He said. “Yes!” So we headed to Home Depot.
I asked God if he’d help me. He said, ‘Yes!” We listen to music and painted the living room. It was a beautiful time. Later I got to thinking about how we are human beings not human doings. I believe we need to have enough time in our schedules to just sit and soak and be in His presence.
I also know that we can’t fight against the way we were wired and sometimes we need to embrace it. God made us each the way He made us so we too can delight in ourselves the way he delights in us.
I was walking back to my house thinking through what I should try to accomplish when I finished my walk. I really should get a blog post written, but I still don’t have something I desire to write about. I then heard the sound of a car behind me. I was met by a friend who slowed down and said, ” Hey pretty lady!”
I removed my hood and turned my head toward her familiar face grinning at me. She had the window rolled down so we caught up about my upcoming trip and her recent time away in California.
She then asked, ” Hey, would you blog sometime about the four things that you need to do when it comes to listening to voices in your head? What were the four things again? I saw something on Facebook from one of your retreats about it. I still need to be reminded.”
I said. “Really? I was wondering, what I will blog about today? She stressed again, “Seriously, Rachel I so needed this, this past week. Please write about it!”
So here are some of my thoughts about the voices in our heads. We must realize there’s always an inner dialogue going on. You’ve heard it, right? Yes, there are voices in our head. We MUST learn to distinguish the source of the voices that we’re listening to.
Here are some things to keep in mind. If the voice is the voice of approval it is from God. If it’s a voice of accusation it is from the enemy. If it is a voice of comfort and confirmation it is from God, but if it is a voice of condemnation it’s from the enemy. If the voice is based on behavior and your past it is from the enemy but if the voice is based on your purpose and your destiny it is from God.
God; Comfort & Confirmation Enemy: Condemnation
God: Affirmation Enemy: Accusation
God: Your position in Him Enemy: Your Performance
God: Purpose & Destiny Enemy: Your Past & Mistakes
So with that in mind realize there could be four voice sources:
- An Angel
- Holy Spirit
- Your spirit
- An ungodly spirit – or the devil.
So recognize the voice or even straight up ask Holy Spirit, “Is this from you? God is this you?” Remember the voice is NOT from Father God:
- If it does not bring you encouragement…
- If it does not tell you, you are loved…
- If it does not show you your future, which is bright…
- If it does not have kindness and comfort… Remember, even in correction God is good and kind.
(Scripture tells us, it’s His kindness that leads us to repentance.)
So if the above list is the VOICE you hear- then it is NOT from God. When it comes to that kind of voice you must choose NOT to listen. I’ve told my audiences many times and I will repeat it again in this blog today at the request of my friend. We MUST:
1. Recognize
2. Reject
3. Repent
4. Replace
It’s pretty simple. When you recognize it’s from the enemy or voice you shouldn’t listen to then reject the thought. then reject the voice and don’t give it any more “head space” or” airtime.” Third you have to think again on a higher level. Think in a kingdom way, re-think on a higher level…in the heavenly places with Christ where we are seated. (Ephesians 2 you have to repent)
BUT REMEMBER you can’t leave the shelves in your brain empty because the thoughts from the negative voice will come flooding back in so you must replace those accusatory thoughts with the truth.
Let’s use my earlier example of when I was painting the room. I was hearing all the voices about why I shouldn’t be doing this or that. I needed to be writing a blog instead. Blah, blah, blah. I don’t even want to rewrite the garbage thoughts again. I had to silence the voice. Recognize, Reject, Repent, Replace!
I had to replace it with truth. I had to say aloud, “You know what? This is how I’m wired. Psalm 139 tells me I’m fearfully and wonderfully made. This is the way I roll. I may make my husband crazy, I may drive people around me nuts but I am keeping in step with the Spirit and today this is what we are going to do. We’re going to paint this room!”
I don’t know what you’re battling today. I don’t know whether you’re hearing the voice of condemnation or not. But I do know God is speaking to you and his words over you are words of LOVE. They are words conveying His pleasure with you because He made you. He wants you to know He is proud of you and He sees your circumstances and how you are pressing forward. He wants you to know you are an overcomer. He wants you to know greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. He wants you to know no weapon formed against you will prosper. It may be formed but it will not prosper.
He hopes like nobody’s business you know: you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. He wants you to know He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. He wants you to know the righteous have NO FEAR of bad news. He wants you to know He will provide for your every need. He wants you to know you don’t have to dwell on the past. (If you confess your sins He is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.) He doesn’t want you to dwell on things Jesus paid for on the cross. He wants you to leave the past behind and go forward in faith.
Okay, I guess I DID have something to say today and at the risk of ranting, I just want to leave you with the thought that you too can do the four “R’s”. Maybe it’ll help you to remember Rachel said them and they all start with the letter “R”
- Recognize
- Reject
- Repent
- Replace
(I wrote about this in my book Lily Pads – Stories of God on Display. Chapter Two- Identity and the Tooth Fairy. rachelinouye.org)
Let me lead you in a prayer:
Father, help all of us recognize the voices that are coming in and help us to know if it’s from you or not. Lord, if the voices that we listen to are from an ungodly spirit or the enemy I pray, in the name of Jesus that we would reject them. Lord, we repent of partnering with any thought that is not the way you think about us or our circumstances. We repent of thinking on an earthly level when we are kingdom people.
We repent of partnering with the lies and the negative voice of the accuser. We ask you for forgiveness. Give us the ability to think again on a higher level. Lord, I thank you for your word. Your word is the truth. We can replace any negative thoughts and lies we’ve believed with positive thoughts of what you think about us straight from your word.
Thank you for what you say about us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. You never make junk and you have started a good work and are faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. We thank you, we thank you, we thank you, we believe you are doing a good work in and through our lives. I pray this, in Jesus name, amen!
rachel inouye 