Have you heard negative thoughts whispered in your ear?
I have.
They come from Satan, aka the “Voice Villain,” who spews negative and destructive messages in my head that wreak havoc with my ability to live out God’s purpose for my life.
BUT HERE’S THE TRUTH: Despite our best planning, tests and trials are inevitable in the life of all believers. They crash into our life and leave a path of pain that produces gut-wrenching fear. If that fear is not surrendered to God, it will disrupt our walk with Christ. I acknowledge that God’s promise to protect us when we toss aside fear is not easy to accept. But we must remember that he tells us NOT to fear 365 times in the Bible!
Instead of not fearing, we are more likely to start believing the Voice Villain’s whispered lies. When we do that, a war breaks out in our mind that has two forces vying for control of the way we think. This is when God says:
“My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.” Haggai 2:5.
The Voice Villain is a slippery and tough opponent. He wants us to pay attention to him and believe that failure is the only option and to keep us from connecting with the knowledge of God and his truth.
We are all subject to these opposing voices that, on the one hand, tell us to do something, but, on the other hand, defeat us in our attempts. Persevering through these setbacks depends on our ability to ignore the voice villain and turn our attention back to God and the promises stored in his Word.
The Voice Villain wants us to wallow in shame and defeat, but God implores us to claim his promises that move us forward with confidence. The spirit of darkness jumps on any opportunity to drop us—a job loss, a romantic failure, the death of a loved one, a financial crisis, whatever. You’ve been there, right?
But he cannot win if we choose to ignore those negative whispers in favor of God’s life-giving affirmations. When we hear accusations like, “You aren’t a real Christian,” or “If you were good, you wouldn’t have done that,” or “You’ll never make it to spiritual maturity,” we can be very sure this confusion comes from the Voice Villain.
The voice villain does not stop talking to us just because we have accepted Christ into our lives as our personal Savior. Even Christians can respond to Satan’s voice, and as hard as it is for Christians to accept, Satan can gain a foothold in our lives.
The good news is that God gives us the power to turn down the volume. Satan cannot prevail unless we choose to believe him instead of God.
“Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
