Voices Part 2

John 10:4
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

Continuing on from yesterday's posting about the wrong voices that we listen to sometimes. 

5.) Family History- Things or attitudes that seem to have followed the genealogy of families. Maybe someone keeps saying, because of your foul ups and bad track record, "You're just like your father."  It may even be tied to generational curses that will speak to you and against you.

6.) Challenging Voices- Voices that will come to question everything you try to do that is right. Like the serpent talking with the woman in the garden of Eden, there is this challenge against God.  "Did God really say?" Automatically brings doubt into the mind. We have to be strong in God's Spirit to resist and not allow our minds to put down roots in those thoughts.

7.) Road Blocks- Such thoughts always question decisions we have made. "Be careful you're about to loose it all!" "Watch out, you're getting religious." And on and on the voices speak putting road blocks in our way as we navigate life.

8.) Voices of Perfectionism- Usually comes under the guise of "getting it right for God".  The voice will tell us, "You need to do better." Or "That's not good enough. Do you think God would accept this?" These voices take us out from under the Grace of God and forces us into a place where we feel like we have to perform for God. Not only perform, but get it all right and proper. While I'm not advocating messing up or totally botching it for Jesus, I am saying that God's heart is for us not what we do. What we do is a by-product of who I am in Him. No matter how perfect I want to be...I can't be any more
"Save-der" than I currently am.

9.) Accents my lack of talents and skills- Such thoughts come against me with, "Who do you think you are? There are others who are more talented than you. Better speakers. Deeper thinkers. They even love God more than you." Boy, when I allow these voices to talk to me, it is an uphill battle. The example Jon Sterns used was the shepherd boy, David.  Not exactly a military genius, David went out to face the giant, and after being taunted by the Giant, David delivered a prophetic word from God. I Samuel 17:45-46 - David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of The Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. Did you catch where the victory for David was coming from? The source of how this fight was going to turn out? David said, "This day the Lord will hand you over to me." It had nothing to do with David's ability, and everything to do with God's.

10.) Voices of the future- The create every terrible scenario that could be imagined about what might happen in the future. "Oh if you continue on this religious path, you're going to destroy your family." We seem to have a propensity to be fearful of the future anyway. After all, it is the future isn't it? No one knows (at least human wise) what lies ahead. No one knows what is going to happen. Such is all the more reason we should trust God. After all, we are called to follow Jesus, aren't we? Well, if we are following, that means that is going to always be in front. He arrives in the future before we do. 

I trust that these past two posting here at the Greene Street Letters have been helpful and that you will take them to heart. Don't let these voices side track you and bring you to a screeching halt in your journey with Jesus.

God on you.....
mb