This past week, I was asked the same question by two very different individuals. One… a young college student and the other…an older seasoned churchgoer. The question was: “How can you tell the difference between God’s voice and Satan’s voice?”
Maybe you have been in an overwhelming situation,
where you asked yourself the same question.
God’s Voice
Stills you
Leads you
Reassures you
Enlightens you
Encourages you
Comforts you
Calms you
Convicts you
Satan’s Voice
Rushes you
Pushes you
Frightens you
Confuses you
Discourages you
Worries you
Obsesses you
Condemns you
I don’t know if this helps you, but it certainly gives clarity and definition to my understanding and what we need to be alert to in our daily walk. Can you discern the difference between the two voices?
Do you talk to the devil?
Don’t be too quick to answer, “NO...no, not me!”
The Bible uses the term temptation. It’s that little voice that says, “you don’t have to finish that job” or “there’s no policeman…you don’t have to stop at that stop sign” or “you said you’re going to diet”. The little voice says, “Don’t start today…start tomorrow (that never comes!)”.
While living in the jungle I was often confused when listening to the two voices. Having a witchdoctor in the village didn’t help. Benito, the witchdoctor, was a man dedicated to his craft. Ralph, my husband, would bribe him repeatedly with promised food if he would come and sit and listen to what the true God wanted to say to him… and he would refuse. We prayed for Benito and months later he and his wife stood on our front porch! Why I was surprised at God answering our prayers, I will never know!
Benito would return regularly for months and listen to the words God spoke to him. We watched God convince him of his desperate need and of the true God and His power. He came in one day with his sorcery “dolls” and handed them to Ralph, saying he had a new, more powerful God living in him and he didn’t need the dolls anymore. His salvation was a powerful testimony to those living in the village. He knew he was going blind and he purposed to memorize as many of God’s words as he could before total loss of his sight.
He heard the voice of God and walked the rest of his days,
listening to His beloved Savior.
Whose voice do you hear?
Do you listen?
Let’s learn to use Satan for God’s glory…instead of the devil using us for his purpose!
~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America. Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California. My passion is discipling and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.
