Three Voices We Need To Know - 1

There are 3 voices we need to be aware of. We need to learn the sound of these voices and particularly run after God’s voice. Here are the three voices:

—   The devil

—   The flesh

—   The Lord

A) The voice of the devil

Satan is the robber, destroyer, discourager, and liar. His main method of snaring us is deception. Sometimes Satan can make something rotten appear good for a time. Pray and examine the issue deeply and ask God to reveal any deception. Proceed slowly. A feeling of pressure to do something NOW should be a red flag. Ask yourself if you would mind people knowing about this. Do you feel okay to tell your children? Is it something you will later be proud of or ashamed? If you feel like hiding what you are doing, Satan is no doubt somehow involved.

The Voice of The Devil - (Psalm 55:1-3)
This is how the voice of the devil sounds. When he speaks, his voice comes to:

•     Deceive (Revelation 20:7-8)

•     Cause oppression (Acts 10:38) 

•     Discourage (Numbers 32:6-10)       

•     Cause you to be bitter (Colossians 3:19)   

•     Cause confusion (Acts 19:32) 

•     Cause you to rationalize sin (Isaiah 5:20)  

•     Blind your mind (2 Corinthians 4:4)    

•     Cause you to lie (1John 2:4)

•     Cause you to doubt God's Word (Hebrews 3:12)

•     Cause division in your family, church, business (Mark 3:25)

•     Cause you to disobey the Word of God,(Joshua 5:6)

•   Inspire rage, anger and malice (Ephesians 4:31)

How to eliminate the voice of the devil

—   Don’t focus on his voice – fill your life with worship

—   The devil cannot stand in the midst of praise (The Lord is enthroned in praise - Ps. 22:3)

—   Study the voice, sound, touch, person of the Lord – the counterfeit will be easily revealed

Don't be fearful that the enemy has a greater power to deceive you than God has to speak to you.

B) The voice of flesh

Often we mistake the voice of the Lord for our own thoughts.

Your own voice will bring you a mixed bag. Some of it will be positive and worthwhile and some negative and worthless. You are partially the product of your past experiences and how you see yourself will often determine how your own voice comes up inside you. Each of us has a streak of selfishness and pride. We need to be suspicious when we want things to turn out a certain way more than we want God's way in our life. Make sure God is sitting on the throne of your life instead of yourself or you will fall for your own voice time after time.

(Gal. 5:16-21)
Your flesh has a voice! It speaks to you in a commanding and authoritative sound pitch. It doesn't matter if you are an apostle, prophet, pastor, CEO, Governor, Police Chief or an average citizen. Your flesh speaks to you constantly. Your flesh may simply be telling you that you are hungry or cold, or that you have an opinion about an issue etc. but sometimes there may be negative or sinful desires that come from your flesh. Galatians 5 reveals the sound of our flesh. You know you are listening to and being led by the voice of your flesh when you engage in:

• Adultery - sexual relations involving (a) married person(s), sexual immorality


• Fornication - pornography, harlotry, incest, impurity, cheap sexual encounters


• Uncleanness – ungodly sexual activity, unlawful sexual perversions such as pedophilia

• Lasciviousness - undisciplined, lewd, overeater, lazy

• Idolatry - worship of sports stars, movie/music icons, preachers, money, etc.


• Witchcraft - includes drug use, sorcery, spells, lucky charms, horoscopes, zodiac signs


• Hatred - holding grudges, malice or anger for someone, hostility

• Quarreling (contentions) - to quarrel with words, stir up strife and incite debates


• Jealousies - the spirit of jealousy, rivalry spirit, desires that are never satisfied

• Wrath - creating domestic and civic turmoil, outbursts of anger, fits of rage, temper

• Strife – seeking revenge, angry contentions, selfish ambition


• Seditions - dissensions, stirring up strife in the church, government, home, etc.


• Heresies - causing discord, unrighteous indignation, incorrect interpretation of the Word


• Envying – small-minded and lopsided pursuits, fixating on what others have

• Murder - to spoil or mar the happiness of others, unjust killing


• Drunkenness - public or private intoxication, alcoholism, uncontrolled addictions

• Reveling - clubs, house parties, obscene music, wild parties, orgies

The voice of your flesh will never inspire you to do the will of God. It will only talk you into engaging in the sins above. What you do to the voice of your flesh is bring it into subjection to the Written Word of God - I Cor. 9:27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

The Voice of Your Reasoning - (Acts 28:1-6 and Mark 2:6-8)
The Lord has given us the ability to reason. We have that ability so that we may rationally consider all options, blessings and curses, obstacles, situations, consequences, advantages versus disadvantages and profits versus losses. You can always tell when you are listening to the voice of your reasoning because you will weigh the things you see and hear in the natural. You will deliberate and think things through, and afterwards, make your decision. If the answer of your mind contradicts the Written Word, or contradicts what God has said to you, then you must abandon the voice of your reasoning, (See Numbers 13:26-33).

The Voice of Your Conscience  - (Acts 24:16 and Hebrews 10:22)
Your conscience is the place where you recognize the difference between what is right versus what is wrong. It is the place where you establish morals and values, or where you reject good morals and values and become reprobate in your mind. Your conscience is going to fall into one of the four categories:

•     A good conscience, (I Timothy 1:5 and Acts 24:16)


•     A weak conscience, (I Corinthians 8:7)


•     A seared conscience, (I Timothy 4:2)


•     An evil conscience, (Hebrews 10:22)

The voice of your conscience is good to listen to as long as you have a good conscience, but when a person has a weak, seared or evil conscience, it would be unadvisable for them to follow the voice of their conscience.

How to eliminate the voice of flesh

—   Walk as a servant in the Body of Christ – true servanthood is the quickest way to subdue the flesh. It is so important to militate against all levels of false humility and pride.

—   Seek to promote others and prefer them instead of yourself (Rom. 12:10)

—   Understand the principles of death to self

—   There is safety in belonging to a loving community. If we have a heart that is humble and willing for correction we can be assured that our own voice will be subdued and the voice of God will be clear.

C) The Voice of God

How to recognize the voice of the Lord

Every Believer can hear God’s voice – we need to give greater spiritual attention to His voice because He primarily speaks through our spiritual senses rather than our natural senses.

—   Learn the sound of His voice through the Word - life - fruitfulness

—   Practice obedience

—   Walk in the fear of the Lord

If we know God's character - His character carries words - live in the river of who God is. In 1 Sam. 3:1-10, Samuel had to learn how to hear God's voice. This can be a difficult task for us. We have to know that the Father is on our side - He wants us to hear His voice. He is not trying to trick us.

We do not need to wonder if God's voice is speaking to us. Jesus made it very clear that we would be able to know his voice and also know the voice of a stranger. He had great confidence that we could tell the difference. Stick close to the Shepherd. If you are off in the far side of the pen or hanging out by the door of the sheepfold running in and out, turn around and hot foot it over to his side. Nudge your way in and keep your eyes on him; listen to every word he says until you know his voice better than your own.

He gives us so many clues to hearing His voice:

John 10:1 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

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."

6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Part 2: HERE