Have you ever got a call and you didn’t recognize the voice? Maybe you got a text message and you didn’t recognize the number. It happens at times. Do you remember how it made you feel? You felt cautious, a little wary, apprehensive, or even afraid. Like who is this? How did they get my number, etc?
In the Gospel of John Jesus spoke about the good shepherd and the sheep. Look at John 10:4-5 (NKJV) -4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”. Jesus said the stranger is a thief and a robber. The sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd but not a stranger. In the song “You Say” by Laurin Daigle, she writes”I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough every single lie that tells me I will never measure up -Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low? Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know. It goes on to say,’ “The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me. In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity,”.
The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:10 tells us there are many voices in the world and they have a certain significance. The amplified Bible puts it this way. 1 Corinthians 14:10 (AMP) -10 There are, I suppose, all these many [to us unknown] tongues (voices) in the world [somewhere], and none is destitute of [its own power of] expression and meaning. Words have the power of expression and meaning. In ( Prov 18:21) tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. What you believe and say matters. Your words are not destitute of power. They can have an impact on your life. What has your voice been telling you lately? There are voices or languages you understand and those you don’t unless you have an interpreter. There is the language of the devil, there is the language of God, and there is the language of the flesh, the language of religion, and the language of the world. There are even voices of our physical bodies.
So, what voices are you listening to? Is it the voice of a stranger who is a thief and a robber? This is personified as the Devil himself. John 10:10. Do you recognize the voice of God? Can you tell the difference between your fleshly carnal self talking and your spirit talking? Can you tell when the Devil is talking to you or God is talking to you? Because of the relationship between the sheep and shepherd the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice. This good shepherd is personified as Jesus. The sheep recognize the loving voice of the shepherd. A stranger’s voice they will not follow. What voices do you follow? The good news is that you can be governed by the right voices. You can know and hear in your heart the voice of God. You can also discern the stranger’s voice. Songwriter and singer Ricky Skaggs’s song The Shepherd Voice–“Who could hope to ever hear the truth, And what I’m listening for, through all the noise, A whisper in my ear, the shepherd’s voice. When I am tired and I am weary, of this life and I am done I will close my eyes, and let my spirit still, till I hear the Son. And what I’m listening for, through all the noise, a whisper in my ear, the shepherd’s voice.”
There is a lot of noise in our lives. Many voices are beckoning our attention. Who or what are you listening to? When it comes to the right voice it is always truth speaking. The Devil is a liar and there is no truth in him- John 8:44. The voice of the stranger is deceptive, full of lies or even half-truths. Voices that tell me I will never measure up, voices that tell me I’m no good, voices that tell me that God doesn’t love me. Voices that tell me I’m not doing enough. You can fill in the blank with the lies you might tell yourself. As Christians, we can discern these voices that we face every day. The key is to know the Word of God. The Word of God is a filter that we run through every voice that we hear.
Does that language or that voice line up with the Word of God? Do those voices characterize the heart of God? Are those voices of a stranger? A language that wants to steal away your sense of peace, hope, and love. The voices of religion, the world, and the flesh are robbers. What do you do with a thief and a robber? You lock your doors, you resist, or you confront. You don’t say,” Come on in and take what you want.” I am talking in a spiritual sense. You stand your ground. You use your voice and say,” Stop right there and go no further.”You are not passive, avoiding the situation. You are boldly declaring your stance upon the truth of God’s Word. James 4:7 (NKJV)-7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Listen you are not going to recognize a lie without knowing the truth. God’s Word is truth. John 17:17. We know Jesus said, “He is the way, the truth, and the life.”- John 14:6. The stranger is the wrong way, the liar, and the destroyer.
Another help in this life of competing voices is the Spirit of Truth. The Holy Spirit lives in you if you are a Christian. Look at 1 John 5:6 (NKJV) –6 This is He who came by water and blood–Jesus Christ; not only by water but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness because the Spirit is truth. The Holy Spirit guides us in the truth. (John 16:13) Listen, God, the Holy Spirit will never lie to us! There are the voices of fear, doubt, and unbelief that undermine our faith in God. Let the truth of God’s Word be your foundation in life. I recognize the wrong voices because I know the truth. Look at 1 John 2:27 (NKJV) –27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. This anointing is the Holy Spirit and because He lives in you, you can discern the wrong voices even when they may sound good. You can also discern the truth. Revelation 13:11 (NKJV)–11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. Here we see what looked like a lamb but has the voice of a dragon, the Devil. This is why discernment is so important. It can look good, and sound good but is it the true voice of the shepherd or the voice of the dragon?
In Proverbs 1:20 (NKJV) –20 Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. Again in Proverbs 8:7-8 (NKJV) – 7 For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them. Proverbs 8:1 (NKJV) –1 Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice? Wisdom is personified as a person, a voice that speaks. This also speaks as a type of Christ. Jesus is the wisdom and the power of God- 1 Cor. 1:24. The voice of wisdom, God’s wisdom will always bless us and prosper us. Proverbs 8:18-21 (KJV) –18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. 20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: 21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures. Listening to the right voice will always pay off. We need to judge and discern the voices that we hear every day. Hebrews 5:14 (NKJV) -14 But solid food ( Word of God ) belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. The Shepherd is always full of wisdom for us. His goal is to lead the sheep, provide food, and protect them. We can discern both good and evil. The whole of Psalm 8 is the blessing of hearing the voice of wisdom.
The stranger is talked about in Proverbs 5:20 (KJV) -20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? It is another exhortation to avoid this person. These women are spoken of again in Proverbs 7:6-23. Proverbs 7:21-23 (KJV)–21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. Walking in wisdom and discernment will keep you from her dangers. Proverbs 7:5 (KJV) –5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
How does this young man falter? For starters, he shouldn’t have been where he was and also by listening to her seductive voice. You can only be tempted by what you listen to and think about continually. We need to do what Proverbs 4:23 (KJV) says.-23 Keep ( or guard) thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. We need to guard our hearts against what the Apostle John says in 1 John 2:15-17 (KJV) –15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. The voices of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are thieves and robbers. They want to catch you off guard. They want to lure and entice you in.
“Sin will always take you farther than you want to go! Sin will always keep you longer than you want to stay! Sin will always cost you more than you are able to pay!” They are strangers to the child of God. The voice of scriptures, the voice of God in our hearts, the voice of the Spirit of Truth is what we need to listen to today. Even the media today is filled with lies that we need to discern. We need to know that everything we hear and read is not the gospel truth. The truth will always trump the lies of the enemy in your life. Proverbs 7 instructs us what to Proverbs 7:2-5 (NKJV) –2 Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye.3 Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” And call understanding your nearest kin, 5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words. She is a stranger.
In closing: The wisdom and the voice of God is your friend. The voice of the Word of God upon your lips is your friend. In Revelation 13:9 (NKJV) Jesus said, “If anyone has an ear, let him hear. So who are you listening to? The voice of the stranger or the voice of the true Shepherd. What matters is what God says, and what the Word of God says!
In Christ’s love;
Brent and Linda Bushen
If this has blessed you in some way please let us know and share this with a friend.