The Four Voices
Have you ever heard someone say, "God told me," and wondered whether they can really hear God's voice? When you read through the Bible, you read about encounters between God and man and moments where scripture records God speaking to men and women. So we know that people have heard His voice. But does He still speak to us today? If so, what does God's voice sound like? Some people say God's voice is not audible. If that’s true, what does hearing God's voice mean? You've probably heard people say that Christianity isn't a religion but rather a relationship. A relationship requires communication, so can someone really communicate with God?
I want to start off by saying that I write this with some hesitation. While I fully believe that God interacts with us, this isn't a recipe to how that happens. Rather, I hope it will help you to identify and understand the different voices that influence your life. I use some of my own experiences as a testimony as to how that happened early in my walk with Him. I hope it testifies of His glory as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Because the enemy and the spiritual war is real, I hope you will glean some thoughts and principles from His Word to help you to avoid the enemy's pitfalls and stay the course. His course! One thing I can almost assure if you're new to this journey - your experience will be vastly different than mine. He is a wonderful God and knows you and will walk with you in a unique way that's best for you.
When I was listening to the teacher at the church service when I became a Christian, I heard him give the gospel of Jesus. When the teacher asked for people that were hearing the message of Christ's sacrifice and how they could be saved by asking forgiveness for their sinfulness and giving their lives to Him, something deep within me convinced me that the teacher was speaking the truth, and that I needed to respond to this invisible voice that was calling me. I did respond that evening and my life changed dramatically and has been continuously transformed for over four decades since that evening.
Following that evening, I knew there were two things that I needed to do in my life: I needed to break up with my girlfriend and I needed to quit playing football. As a 15 year old high school sophomore, those were the biggest and most important things in my life. And somehow, I was completely willing. I look back now as I am writing about His voice and can honestly say that I didn't hesitate. I don't recall wondering if He speaks to me and I don't recall questioning whether this was God's voice or not. I just knew that I needed to follow through.
In junior high school I remember wanting a girlfriend and not having one. The movies and television shows depicted boys and girls getting together. Popular music artists romanticized young love. Some of my friends had girlfriends. Plus my eyes and hormones were telling me I needed a girl! I had made a couple of attempts to try and convince a girl to become my girlfriend but it never worked. So now finally having a girlfriend, I was supposed to break up with her?
I met with my girlfriend a few days after I had given my life to the Lord. We lived on the same military base and this was the first time we got together following my salvation. I was excited to tell all about the amazing thing that was happening to me. I wanted her to hear the good news and for her to experience the Lord too. She politely listened but wasn't really interested. She just wanted to know what all of this meant for us and our relationship. So I told her that I needed to break up with her in obedience to what God was telling me to do. She couldn't understand why God would want me to do something like that. I didn't really have an answer other than to say it was what I knew I was supposed to do. With some push back and tears, I left her crying in front of her house. I felt awful but wonderful at the same time. Awful because I was concerned that I had hurt her but joyous from within. When you are obedient to follow His voice the Spirit bears true joy and this is what I was feeling. A week or two later I saw her with another guy but I had no regrets - I found the pearl of great cost.
What my salvation and the breakup did convince me was that I didn't want to have a girlfriend unless it was His choice. I determined at that moment that I wasn't going to have a romantic relationship until I met the woman I was to marry. What transpired from that point was somewhat comical - a number of girls began noticing me and started talking and flirting with me. Where was all of this when I wanted a girlfriend? However, I remained resolved to what I had determined. For now, knowing and walking with God was all I really wanted.
I went to let the head football coach know that I was going to leave the team. The irony is I had just finished going through fall tryouts where the players are reduced through cuts until they arrive at a final roster of players. Football was by far my favorite sport. I attended a large high school with over 1100 students in my sophomore class so making the team was difficult. When my name was listed on the final roster, I was thrilled. Now going to tell the coach that I was going to quit seemed crazy and was the last thing I imagined myself doing.
When I walked into the office, the room was abuzz with coaches and players talking about the roster and the upcoming season. The quiet, private meeting I was hoping to have never transpired. Instead the head coach greeted me with a hearty, "Congratulations! Are you ready to get started?" It was the first time I had seen him since seeing my name listed on the final roster after our tryouts. Not wanting to make a scene, I started speaking to him in a quiet voice.
"What? Speak up boy, I can't hear a word you're saying!" he stated as I now regretted speaking so softly. Great, now everyone in the whole office was aware of our conversation!
"Coach", I started. "I need to let you know that I'm no longer going to be on the team."
"What!?" he replied even louder. "What do you mean you're not going to be in the team? Why?!" he exclaimed in disbelief.
Oh, boy… if everyone wasn't paying attention before, they are now. "Well, coach. It's a bit hard to explain," I started. "Umm.. Let me ask, do you believe in God?"
"Well of course I believe in God!" He barked back. "Everyone believes in God! What the hell does God have to do with you playing football?"
"Well, I, uh, I gave my life to Him and know that I'm not supposed to play,'' I replied sheepishly.
"Well what am I supposed to say about that?" He retorted. "Am I supposed to compete with God?"
"Um.. No sir. I just know this is what I'm supposed to do" I replied as I quickly looked up and saw everyone in the room now watching and listening intently to our conversation. "I want to thank you for coaching me and I'm sorry to cause any trouble."
After checking to make sure that I was sure and letting me know that if I left the room without changing my mind that there wouldn't be a spot for me on the roster, the coach shook my hand and said he respected my decision. I left and started to walk down an empty hallway from the athletic offices back to the main campus. I was full of joy again knowing that I obeyed what I knew was His will.
What convinced me to walk to the front of a church, that I had never before attended, to surrender my life? Why did I decide to give up the two things that I loved? Was I responding to God and how did I know it was His voice? Why have multitudes of people responded to this same inner voice?
Even if you believe in God, you might question whether God speaks to individuals, or more importantly, you. Many people believe in Jesus but don't believe that He would have the capacity or the time to have a personal relationship with an individual. Let's see what the Bible says about the Lord talking to man.
In the Old Testament it is true that the interactions between God and man are limited to a small number of men and women. This is due to the separation that sin caused between God and man. Despite the separation, God revealed Himself to His people in many ways. He performed miracles and wonders. He parted the waters of the Red Sea and the Jordan River. He led His people with a pillar of cloud and fire. He provided water, manna and quail to drink and eat. He enabled His people to defeat large armies, and overtake kingdoms and cities. And He established His presence among them in the tabernacle and temple.
When God established His new covenant through Jesus, the relationship between God and man changed. The common man was given access to God through the body and blood of Jesus. The believers have become the new temple.
Now with the way opened, the Shepherd is calling His sheep to become one flock.
This passage makes it clear that the Jews who believed Him would know Him and hear His voice. The same is true for the Gentiles. He said, "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd."
For me personally, I have never seen the Lord nor heard an audible voice. The best way to describe His voice from my experience is that it is something that you know deep within you. It's a feeling of, "I know that I know that I know".
If you are naturally skeptical like me, this might make you nervous because we all have thoughts. Some are evil and wicked. Others sound good but are about things that you're not really sure about. Others come through ideas from friends, acquaintances and media. How do you sort these thoughts from God's? Let's turn to the beginning of the Bible to understand what we're facing.
This passage in Genesis is unique in that it identifies four influences over Adam and Eve.
As you read through the Bible, you will see these four influences, or four voices, at play in the lives of the men and women. These are the four voices that influence us as well.
The voice of Satan appears in scripture as coming directly from him, from his demons, or as actions from his demonic forces. First, let's look into who Satan is and then see how he affects us according to the Word.
In these three passages we get a glimpse as to who Satan is. Even though parts of these passages are difficult to understand, we can derive that Satan was created to be a beautiful angel with many gifts. Because of his beauty, he became proud and attempted to exalt himself above God. So he was cast from heaven down to earth for a period of time. Because he has a limited amount of time on earth, he has made war against people who "keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus."
Scripture teaches us that Satan is the ruler of the world. I don’t recall hearing that Satan was the ruler of the world from the churches that I had attended, but as I read through the Bible each year, I kept encountering passages that identified him in this way.
Until just recently, I believed the world was neutral - a battleground between good and evil. Once I renewed my thinking to align with scripture, the unrest, corruption, death and suffering that we see and experience here on earth makes more sense. Satan comes to steal and kill and destroy. Having this understanding magnifies the good news that we are given in Christ.
Prior to coming to faith, we walked to indulge the desires of our flesh and mind. This is the way of the world and the way of Satan. Before being born again, a person is under this rule. They are enslaved to Satan and they are under the wrath of God.
As amazing as life's wonderful experiences are in the midst of the majesty and beauty of the earth and creation, there are many things that are amiss and have been since the fall of Adam and Eve. These things have been increasing and will continue to increase as the time comes to an end. At that time, judgement will come and Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire forever.
Scripture helps us to understand the tactics Satan uses against us. For example, in the passage in Revelation he is referred to as the "accuser of the brethren" and that "he accuses them before our God day and night".
We should also assume that Satan will come before the throne of God accusing us and demanding justice when we sin. I've wondered about this passage in conjunction with passages such as where Jesus tells us not to swear an oath (Matthew 5:33-37). We should assume that Satan accuses us when we fail to follow through on things we've sworn but failed to do. We should consider the conflict this causes for God, the righteous Judge, when Satan accuses us of violating His truths and failing our oaths and promises.
Depictions of the devil and his demons show dark, horrific beings. But scripturally we get a different picture - one of a beautiful angel who walks in unrighteousness and masquerades as a righteous angel. It's easier to understand how Satan can deceive so many since we have this distorted picture. We should be cautious not to perpetuate this and other lies. Our flesh will be attracted to his beauty so we must be aware spiritually of who he is.
Jesus describes Satan to be the “father of lies.” Knowing that he is the father of lies should alone motivate us to not walk in Satan’s path! Walking in truthfulness should be something we strive to do at all times.
In Ephesians, Paul instructs us to stay firm, "having girded your loins with truth" - figuratively wearing truth around our loins. We should consider that it was no accident that Paul uses truth to surround our loins as a message about sexual purity. This suggests that all forms of sexual immorality are based upon lies that are created, encouraged and justified by Satan. Truth guards against them all. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and be willing to walk in truth with humility if you struggle with sexual immorality.
From Adam onward, scripture identifies Satan as the tempter of men. It is important to note that although Satan tempts man, it is only by the authority granted to him by God. In other words, he cannot act without approval. It is likewise important to note that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to handle. He always provides a way of escape so that we can endure the temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13).
After John the Baptist baptizes Jesus, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Some suggest that Jesus's resistance to Satan's temptations broke the bonds that Satan has held over man since he tempted Adam. In His victory over temptation, Jesus points the way for all of the children of the new covenant to overcome temptation as well.
One thing to note is the manner in which Satan was tempting Jesus. After the long fast, Satan tempts Jesus to turn rocks into bread. He then tempts Him to do a suicidal act saying that the angels will rescue Him. Lastly, he tempts Jesus by offering to give Him all the kingdoms of the world by bowing down to him. We can see him using these same temptations on us. Satan tempts us to take action to indulge our flesh when the Lord wants us to trust and depend upon Him alone. Satan tempts us to destroy ourselves, sometimes literally by suicide, and tries to convince us that God would want us to do so. Satan tempts us with worldly gain if we worship and follow him including the justification of pursuing worldly gain by saying that we will use it for good things when we know deep within that we are doing it for our own gain. The Spirit gives us the strength to overcome the temptations of Satan.
As in the garden of Eden, Satan is at work using his cunning deception to lead people astray. In this letter to the Corinthians, notice that Paul is speaking to believers. He implies that Satan has already introduced a different Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel and that the Corinthians readily accepted these false truths.
Satan blinds the minds of the unbelieving to not see the light of the gospel because their hearts are dull and they are caught up in the course of the world. Remember Jesus said that blessed were the eyes that see and ears that hear. After the resurrection, he appoints Paul to go to the gentiles “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 26:18
Satan no longer has rule over a believer. For the believer, he becomes an adversary. We are instructed to be sober of spirit, be on the alert and to resist the devil and his schemes.
If we belong to Jesus and are walking in His Spirit, we are walking with the One who is greater than Satan "for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
The voice of others comes from other people that speak into our lives. Spouses, parents, siblings, family members, friends, coworkers, neighbors, teachers, pastors, priests are some obvious examples. But the voice of others includes what we read, hear and see in books, music, videos, movies, television and electronic media. Even a single image without words can greatly influence us and move us to action.
The second voice that we see in the garden is the voice of others. God instructed Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Since Eve was created after this instruction was given to Adam, it is likely that Adam was the one to instruct Eve not to eat from the tree. Note that Eve repeats the instruction of not eating from the tree, but she adds that she is not to "touch it."
Adam either added to not “touch it” when he told Eve about the tree, or Eve added it herself. In either case, it makes you wonder if touching influenced her to eat the fruit. It should remind us to not add or take away from scripture.
Eve's next action exemplifies the voice of others as "she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." (Genesis 3:6). No further description is shown in scripture except that he received the fruit from her and ate. He listened to her "voice" and disobeyed the Lord's command. Death came to man.
We are cautioned to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God." (1 John 4:1) As in the case of Eve, scripture shows us that bad counsel can come from unsuspecting sources such as a spouse in Adam’s case. In Paul’s case, we see him on multiple occasions warning about leaders in the church. In that regard, Paul describes himself working diligently to watch over his churches out of concern that they would receive a tainted view of Jesus, of the Spirit, or of the gospel that they received from him.
Deception from spiritual leaders is a difficult truth for me to accept as I’m sure it is for many others. We want to think of the church as the one safe place where we can go and hear the truth spoken and taught. But we can look across the epistles to see the warnings that show that these first century churches were already infiltrated with workers of the enemy.
Looking back to the Israelites, corrupt and wicked leaders are not unique to the church. They persisted from the beginning of their exile and continued on through their existence as a nation.
This does not mean we neglect gathering with other believers. On the contrary, the writer of Hebrews tells us, "not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:25) We should make every effort to understand the message of who Jesus is, who the Spirit is, and the gospel itself. These truths are being distorted from the truth as a work of the enemy.
Even if corruption is prevalent we should seek to gather since we are the new temple. Jesus said He would be among us when two or three are gathered in His name. (Matthew 18:20) We see this in the time of Jesus' arrival at Herod's temple. Even though the leaders were corrupt and false teachers were prevalent, Anna and Simeon were in the temple and were able to see and recognize Jesus. Likewise the poor widow put her money into the treasury in the temple at a time when corruption ruled. Yet Jesus saw her and praised her heart and action.
Another area that we shouldn’t neglect is to seek counsel from godly men and women. We are encouraged to listen to them. This is why discernment is so important in choosing counsel.
One type of people that we are strongly urged to avoid receiving counsel from are wicked people. They may be people that we don’t know directly but we have access to their writings and recordings. Consider the myriad of media that we consume whether in books, magazines, movies, music, etc. What counsel are you receiving from them?
Perhaps the most known example of men giving bad counsel in the Bible was when the Israelites approached the promised land. The Lord instructs Moses to select one man from each of the tribes of Israel to spy out the land of Canaan. Moses sends the men into Canaan to report what the land was like - whether the land was fat or lean, if it had trees, what the people of the land were like and whether the cities were open or fortified, and whether the people were few or many. When the men return, ten of the twelve reported that the land was indeed a land of "milk and honey" but then reported the cities were fortified and there were giants in the land. They brought fear into the people.
Despite pleas from the two spies who brought back a positive report, Joshua and Caleb, the people rebelled and were set to stone them until the glory of the Lord appeared. Listening to the voice of the ten spies kept the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for another forty years and cost the lives of nearly every man over twenty years old.
One of the most challenging situations we face when receiving counsel is during difficult times. In Job we get a glimpse into what happens in the heavenly places as we see Satan petition God to allow him to have access to Job. Satan kills all of Job's children and their families, destroys his fortune, and attacks him with a skin disease to the point that he is unrecognizable.
You can see that these men must have been very committed friends as they took time to travel and then remain with Job in an effort to comfort and sympathize with him. But when they finally spoke, their well meaning counsel was misguided. It is clear when you read their words that they believed they followed and knew the same God as Job. They concluded that Job was suffering because God was punishing him for sins that he and his children had committed. They were convinced that God would not allow anyone to suffer if they were righteous. They became more insistent when Job defended his life and his integrity. They spoke as though they knew God and His righteousness.
They were arguing an age old question as to why bad things happen to good people. Some say things are random and it was just bad luck - that there is no God. Others say there is a general cause and effect and you get what you deserve - reaping what you sow. The book of Job gives us a different picture entirely to both arguments. It's a picture of an unseen adversary wreaking havoc in the life of a righteous man.
Was he "blameless and upright" because he was without sin? No - scripture is clear that there are none without sin. Job was righteous because his faith was counted to him as righteousness. His faith proved true in the midst of this great period of suffering. As for his friends?
A third voice that we see in the garden of Eden is the voice of the flesh. The voice of the flesh comes from our created nature which has been corrupted by sin. It traverses more than just our physical being to include our heart, mind, and soul. Our flesh is sold into bondage to sin. It is willing to do what is right but it is weak. Its passions and desires are in opposition to the Spirit. For those who are married or sexually involved, our flesh includes our partners as scripture shows that we become one flesh with them.
Following Satan's temptation, Eve's flesh 'spoke' to her. She "saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise." Many times we don't need any other reason besides something to be a "delight to the eyes," in order for us to follow that inner voice. As we often do when following our flesh, we justify our actions by claiming the sin is doing something good. Eve determined it was good for food and that is was desired to make one wise, which was Satan's message to her.
We are Adam's children. Before we are born again and have received the Holy Spirit, we are in slavery to sin and death. We have an understanding as to what is right but we choose wrong again and again.
There are many who suggest that when we come to a place of decision that we should follow our heart - our flesh. The Lord prophecies through Jeremiah to contrast a man who follows the voice of his flesh to one who follows the voice of the Lord.
Those who are born again are given the Holy Spirit to follow. Our flesh is no longer under the rule of Satan but its desires and passions are still active and in opposition to the Spirit. If we allow the flesh to take control, the word within us is choked and becomes unfruitful.
Although we often deny it, our leading is often rooted in jealousy and selfish ambition. James speaks very directly to the issue.
We know this isn't really easy. Our flesh is very determined and often tries to solve it's desires by going it's own way rather than going to Him.
What we actually do and how we live our lives reveals who we really are in Christ. For the believer, it comes down to choosing to walk by the Spirit. If we don't walk by the Spirit, we will carry out the desires of the flesh and our actions are evident.
Before Christ came into our lives, we were bound to sin as slaves. Many of the things that we did, we felt confident that we were making the right decision when we started. But after some time, we found ourselves doing these things repeatedly, and often became what we hated. We would try to stop doing them through many means but we would repeat then again and again. We found our flesh was leading us to death. But now that He has come, we are set free from bondage to sin and death. We can now offer the members of our body, that were once sold to sin, to Him to be used in righteousness.
We face the same decision as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We are given the choice to listen to Him and to choose life and to enjoy all of the fruit that He gives through His Spirit, or follow our flesh to death.
The final voice in the garden is the voice of God. It was God's voice that spoke life into existence. It was His voice that created man and woman. It is His voice that we should earnestly seek and follow.
The actions of man in listening to the voice of Satan, his flesh, and others rather than listening to His voice set in motion the separation between God and man that we face today without Christ.
As you read through the pages of the Bible, you find a God who, despite the fall of man in the garden and the many transgressions since, has sought to speak to His people. You will find His voice in scripture coming from the three parts of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You will also hear His voice spoken through angels of the Lord. Here are just a few examples of the people that the Lord spoke to.
Jeremiah prophesied about the new covenant that God would make with man. Interestingly, he gave his prophecy during the time when His presence was about to depart Israel after the first covenant was broken. From the day He delivered His people from the hand of Pharaoh, He had established His presence among them. Here, as His presence was about to depart, He promised a new covenant in which everyone would know Him.
Through the sacrifice of His blood and His body, Jesus created access to God through the coming of the Holy Spirit. Man has become the temple of the Holy Spirit.
How could a teenager like me who barely knew anything about God or Jesus and nothing about the Holy Spirit be led to walk forward in repentance and total surrender and then experience His indwelling presence? Because I was responding to the voice of the Shepherd. Somehow, in His Mercy, He opened the floodgates of His never ending love to me.
We are instructed to test all things. Here are some measures that you can use to help determine whether something is from the Lord:
Do you have a relationship with God? Spending time with God builds a strong relationship and a deep understanding of who He is. People often say they can't hear God when they seek Him with a decision after years of living for themselves and rarely seeking or spending time with Him. Like human relationships, you don't really know someone unless you spend quality time with them. The good news is that you can start today. Consider reading David's writing in the book of Psalms. He shares his joys, thoughts and concerns with God revealing a deep relationship that he walked in good times and bad times, and in moments of great victory and deep failure.
Does what you're hearing align with the Word of God? It is so important to know His Word. Not everything will align perfectly but it is a red flag when it doesn't. If you aren't doing so now, try to read through the entire Bible every year. Reading through the Bible will give you the background of our faith and help you to know God's character and will for His people. There are many reading plans available and the actual reading takes about 15-20 minutes each day. You'll learn what He loves and what He hates. You'll learn from those who walked this earth before you both in their victories and their failures and see how He related to them.
Does it agree with the law written on your heart? God said that He would write His laws on our hearts. This is why there is a common understanding of what is right and wrong throughout the world. Romans tells us of men who "suppress the truth in unrighteousness". In other words, there are places in our lives where we love sin so much that we suppress His truth so we can walk in unrighteousness. But when it comes down to it, we know whether things are right or wrong because of what is written on our hearts.
Does it align with God's character? God loves righteousness but despises wickedness. He gives grace to the humble but opposes the proud. He is near to the brokenhearted. He hates liars. He turns away the rich but gives to the hungry. He desires righteousness and justice more than sacrifice, and to obey is better than sacrifice. People often try to justify behaviors and actions as God's will that clearly fall outside of His character.
Does it align with the times? The Bible shows various seasons and times that man has walked with God. There have been periods of judgement, captivity, judges, kings, rest, exile, silence, redemption. We live in a time where the enemy has been given a time to rule and those who have been saved are in exile. James calls it a "day of slaughter" and rebukes the rich for fattening themselves during this time.
Does it pass Godly counsel? Having one or two fellow believers who walk with God to test what you are hearing is wise. Especially someone who isn't afraid to tell you if you are wrong. Ultimately the decision lies with you but it is good to test major decisions with a brother or sister who walks with the Lord.
Does it pass the test of patience? Paul tells us to "be anxious for nothing". Many failures are recorded in scripture because man grew impatient and determined to do something on their own. God often tests us by delaying and causing us to wait. Scripture shows us how God rewards those who wait for Him. Oftentimes it seems as though the Lord doesn't hear - that He is late and the time of opportunity has passed and you are left with nothing. It is in those moments that He often shows Himself strong and comes to the aid of His people.
So how do we hear God's voice? The obvious answer is to eliminate the other three voices and the one that remains will be His. Some simple things that you can do: resist Satan and he will flee from you; turn off external inputs (TV, internet, music, movies, books) to increase moments of quiet, meditation and prayer; seek the things He loves; deny your flesh of the things that you love but know are displeasing to Him; spend time with true brothers or sisters in the Lord and share your spiritual gifts; pray and ask Him to reveal things in your life that are not pleasing to Him and obey His direction.
I have found an awareness of these four voices to be so helpful in my walk with Him. As you read the Bible, you will see the interplay of these voices with the men and women on its pages. There are those that listened and followed the voice of Satan, the voice of other people, and the voice of their own flesh to their demise. But there are those who followed God and His voice. We should admire and strive to follow their faith.
It is thrilling to know that God communicates with us and desires that we seek Him and follow Him. But knowing that the enemy actively influences and speaks through other people has encouraged me to seek and understand His truth rather than just blindly accepting and following other people's words. Understanding how my flesh still makes its appeal to my old life and the desolation that dominated my life in comparison to the true fruit born from His Spirit has encouraged me to continue to pursue walking by His Spirit and to put to death the deeds of my flesh.
God chose the summer of 1973 to fall on Colorado Springs. I was one of the many people whom God saved that summer. We witnessed people giving their lives to Him and would hear stories of what was happening in different parts of the city including stories of healings, signs and wonders. Some began attending house churches that started up as the Spirit continued to fall. I remember Colorado Springs having so few church buildings when we lived there. Now I understand the city is home to many churches along with the headquarters of national and international Christian ministries. I wonder if that summer when the Spirit fell was the catalyst.
On the military base where I lived, kids that I grew up with that walked alone or in their cliques began surrendering their lives to God and joining us. Kids that once hated each other came together as His Spirit moved and convicted them. We would gather from house to house and would get together nightly as our parents permitted. It was common for some to stay up all night praying and calling out to God. Soon most of the high school students on the military base had been transformed and were actively involved. We weren't aware of Acts 2 but we were living out something very similar. I've heard churches describe themselves according to the Acts passage but I've never experienced anything close to what happened before or since.
As I walked down the empty hallway after quitting the football team I heard a door open and close and then footsteps running up the hallway towards me.
"Hey Murata," the voice shouted as I stopped to turn and see who was calling me. It was one of the assistant coaches from the football team.
"I just wanted to tell you that I admire you for what you did just now," he started. "That took a lot of guts!" he continued as I grappled with why he was telling me this. "Hey, listen," he said as he paused to weigh his words carefully. "Do you think God would allow you to do gymnastics?" He asked almost apologetically.
"Uh, I'm not sure," I replied as I was baffled by his question. It took everything in me to talk to my football coach so where is this coming from?
"I'm also the gymnastics coach and I would really like for you to be on my team," he explained.
"Coach, I'm not really sure… I don't know anything about gymnastics," I replied now understanding his reason.
A few days later, I was cracking open the door to a gym I had never seen before in our school. Young men were doing all kinds of tricks on bars, rings and the trampoline - things I had never seen before. In praying, I didn't sense the Lord saying 'no' and after talking and praying with fellow believers, I decided to give gymnastics a try.
Our high school was interesting in that it was set up to be more like a college. We would sign up for classes across a six day schedule that would have us taking lectures and labs on differing days. Like college, we would often have large gaps between courses that we signed up for. You were allowed to do anything during those times including going off campus. I generally spent those times in the library which was a large, sunken room surrounded by glass walls and hallways. At some point in a given day, students would walk by the library as they headed to class. A few former teammates from the football team would see me and stop in to talk to me about God.
Gymnastics proceeded to be challenging and rewarding. Having gone through the toughest part of training for football, I thought I was in great shape. A few days into gymnastics, I hurt in places I never knew I could hurt. One apparatus that the coach had me work on a lot was the trampoline. The feel of flipping, turning and controlling your body while you are up in the air isn't something that comes naturally. The trampoline gives you more time in the air to practice.
Carla was a young lady who was on the girls gymnastics team. She would come to the gym to take turns to train on the trampoline. I had successfully navigated through any interest from girls that had come to Christ over the summer. Now with school and activities in full swing, the fervor and move of the Spirit in our group died down. Our parents did everything they could to end what they saw as a cult and we were trying to understand how our new faith fit into our 'normal' lives of school, activities and work.
As we spent time together training, Carla began to talk to me about more things than gymnastics. For some reason, she felt safe with me. As we started to develop a close friendship, the military transferred my father to Texas effectively ending any opportunity for a relationship. I look back and see the hand of God protecting me because had she cracked open the door for a relationship, I would have likely walked through. Despite my commitment to not dating anyone until I met the girl that I was to marry, Carla revealed the weakness of my flesh. I knew she wasn't a believer but I didn't understand that it mattered to God at that time. The voice of my flesh was alive and well.
My sister and I thought we had arrived in the promised land when we moved to San Antonio. There were churches everywhere you looked. The radio had multiple Christian radio stations and there were Christian bookstores. People openly wore Christian t-shirts, jewelry and used Christian phraseology like, "God bless you" and "Praise God". We had heard about the Bible Belt and now we were living in it. We learned that there was a Bible study for young people on the military base where our father was stationed and decided to attend.
The Bible study was more of a social gathering but it was good to make new friends with people who at least on the surface were interested in talking about God. Liz and I shared stories of what happened to us in Colorado that garnered curious interest but my time experiencing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was becoming a distant memory. I met Woody there at the Bible study that first night.
Woody and some other girls showed interest in me from the first time we attended. Having any girl notice me after years of trying was still strange to me, but I tried to stay focused on getting to know God while holding to my commitment towards waiting for His choice. While she was very attractive, she wasn't my type - or at least the type that I had formulated in my head from years of television, movies and magazines.
Woody was persistent in letting me know of her interest so I started to think about what I was to do. Was I to politely tell her I wasn't interested in a relationship or could she really be the girl I was to marry? I was sixteen and she was a month away from turning fifteen so we were both very young. The only thing I knew to do was to ask God. But how was He supposed to answer. I didn't know very much about the Bible but I knew He was real from all that I had experienced. So I determined to ask for something to happen so I would know. I had never done this before so I'm uncertain as to what made me think to even do such a thing. But I truly wanted to know His will.
I decided to ask for something relatively simple but unlikely - a phone call. There were no cell phones in those days and phone numbers had to be memorized so it wasn't quite as trivial as it sounds. I hadn't received a single phone call since I arrived in San Antonio so it would be my first call at our new home. On top of it all, it was less common for a girl to call a boy, especially when there wasn't a relationship in place.
Later that day, after forgetting I had made that request, I received a phone call. Having forgotten my request, I answered and it was Woody! "Wow," I thought. It must be a coincidence. So I determined another thing to ask, something less likely to occur. When it occurred, I determined something even more unlikely. When it happened, I had a hard time believing what was going on. Was this truly Him? So I kept on praying and coming up with more difficult things until it seemed ridiculous that everything I concocted came true. I started to feel badly that I didn't believe from the beginning. So I apologetically asked for one more thing to occur, now my seventh request, but this time something I viewed as near impossible.
When the seventh and final request had come true, I was certain of God's direction and plan for Woody to be my wife. On her fifteenth birthday, I gave her a necklace with a cross and two interlocked rings and told her that she was to marry me someday. That someday didn't happen for almost seven years.
Along the way, I kept God in the picture but all of the experiences with Him faded into distant memories until I was no longer seeking His voice. The trappings of living in the Bible Belt meant more religion than relationship - the very thing that I never wanted. Subsequently, I struggled as I was being greatly influenced by other voices and my flesh.
In my third year in college I attended my first computer science course. My father had advised me to go into computer programming but it wasn't until I had taken a business programming course that I decided to pursue studying it. Although I still deeply believed in God, I no longer sought Him like before. Woody and I were in our fourth year of dating and intent on getting married when we graduated. However, I was walking according to my flesh so our relationship struggled accordingly and I found myself mentally entertaining the thought of seeing other women.
I saw Karen in one of the introductory courses to computer science. There were only a handful of females in computer science so she really stood out in the sea of geeky guys. She was very beautiful and someone I thought would never pay attention to someone like me or anyone else in our lecture hall. Through an odd set of circumstances, I attended a small study group in which she was a member. Karen was in a long term relationship and planned to marry her boyfriend following graduation. Because I was in a similar situation, I think she considered me safe and a friendship ensued. Deep inside I knew I shouldn't pursue any type of relationship but I continued to ignore what I knew to be best.
The study group dissolved but Karen and I scheduled courses together and consulted on projects and exams. Over time our relationship grew into a much deeper friendship. I subsequently graduated and started my career in San Antonio. Karen and her boyfriend became engaged and then Woody and I became engaged and I thought we might just remain friends. But the heart is incredibly wicked, who can trust it?
Woody returned to college for her final year and was busy student teaching at area schools while working part time jobs in Austin. Karen was finishing her final semester of school and was having doubts about getting married. She drove down to meet me a couple of times and we soon found ourselves sharing feelings that we had held for some time. What I once thought could never happen was happening. But unlike the amazing joy I had felt in the past when obeying the Lord, the thrill I felt from my flesh was laced with confusion.
I loved Woody dearly and I remembered what God had spoken to me but I was now listening to my flesh and running from God's voice. It suddenly seemed logical to throw away everything that I knew to be true to pursue Karen. Woody could sense something was wrong and assumed it was about Karen. I couldn't conceal it from her any longer, so I told her of my confusion and said I needed time to sort things out. She was devastated but unwilling to quit. She sought help from the Lord and for the first time in her life she came to a complete surrender and a full relationship with Christ through the help of a good friend.
Weeks before her wedding, Karen and I agreed to meet at her family's house. I woke up very early and made the half day drive to see her. I let Woody know where I was going and apologized for hurting her. After meeting some of Karen's family at her house, we left to find a quiet place to talk. She again shared her doubts about marriage and her feelings toward me but didn't see a way to stop her wedding. After talking through several ideas we turned the discussion towards what our life would be like together if we could overcome the immediate obstacles.
At some point in our discussion, I shared a plan that God placed in my heart when I first came to know Him - I was to work with young adults and disciple them. She had been more than agreeable to everything we had discussed until then but was oddly opposed to this one idea. I tried to explain it in different ways but she kept coming up with reasons why she couldn't support that idea. It was at that moment that my flesh started to die and I started to recall the One voice that I knew to be true. We awkwardly said a final goodbye and I began the half day drive back to my house. I have never seen or spoken with Karen since that day.
On the drive back and in the days and months afterwards, the confusion subsided and I took steps towards trying to heal my relationship with Woody. She was above gracious to forgive me even though I was so undeserving. We reconciled and were married that summer following her graduation. What He confirmed to me seven years earlier indeed came true.
Woody and I struggled through our first year of marriage as we continually tried to fix problems using our own wisdom and our own strength. This continued until we finally decided to turn our hearts and lives back to fully seeking the Lord and His voice. We joined a small group that met weekly and our faith rekindled. During our time in the small group, I shared with our leader about working with young adults. He told me that the church has just hired a new youth pastor and that he would arrange for me to meet with him.
The youth pastor was wonderful and so encouraging. I told him that I knew little about the Bible but he just encouraged me to walk out what I was called to do. He wanted me to join the high school ministry and that he would help me to find a way to serve. I talked to Woody about our meeting and she said that she wanted to also volunteer and serve where she could. I didn't know much about the book of Ruth when we were married but Woody's heart has been like Ruth's heart our entire marriage. It’s just one of the many reasons that I'm so grateful for her and why I feel so blessed.
We are now nearing our fourth decade of marriage and I realize more and more each year how blessed I am to have Woody as my wife. The Lord gave me a treasure worth far more than jewels. The voices that I listened to over the years that shaped my thinking into what my wife was supposed to look like and who my wife was supposed to be were so wrong. I now see her as God has always seen her - a woman of much worth, much grace, and much beauty. I continue to be amazed at how perfect Woody is as a wife for me. She has truly come along side of me and fills my many voids with her love, kindness, and encouragement. I am beyond grateful that He blessed my little faith in seeking His voice with such a wonderful gift. She is a blessing beyond words.
I'm so grateful that He helped me to overcome Satan, ignore the voice of others, put my flesh to death, and to seek and follow His voice.
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I want to start off by saying that I write this with some hesitation. While I fully believe that God interacts with us, this isn't a recipe to how that happens. Rather, I hope it will help you to identify and understand the different voices that influence your life. I use some of my own experiences as a testimony as to how that happened early in my walk with Him. I hope it testifies of His glory as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Because the enemy and the spiritual war is real, I hope you will glean some thoughts and principles from His Word to help you to avoid the enemy's pitfalls and stay the course. His course! One thing I can almost assure if you're new to this journey - your experience will be vastly different than mine. He is a wonderful God and knows you and will walk with you in a unique way that's best for you.
First steps
When I was listening to the teacher at the church service when I became a Christian, I heard him give the gospel of Jesus. When the teacher asked for people that were hearing the message of Christ's sacrifice and how they could be saved by asking forgiveness for their sinfulness and giving their lives to Him, something deep within me convinced me that the teacher was speaking the truth, and that I needed to respond to this invisible voice that was calling me. I did respond that evening and my life changed dramatically and has been continuously transformed for over four decades since that evening.
Following that evening, I knew there were two things that I needed to do in my life: I needed to break up with my girlfriend and I needed to quit playing football. As a 15 year old high school sophomore, those were the biggest and most important things in my life. And somehow, I was completely willing. I look back now as I am writing about His voice and can honestly say that I didn't hesitate. I don't recall wondering if He speaks to me and I don't recall questioning whether this was God's voice or not. I just knew that I needed to follow through.
In junior high school I remember wanting a girlfriend and not having one. The movies and television shows depicted boys and girls getting together. Popular music artists romanticized young love. Some of my friends had girlfriends. Plus my eyes and hormones were telling me I needed a girl! I had made a couple of attempts to try and convince a girl to become my girlfriend but it never worked. So now finally having a girlfriend, I was supposed to break up with her?
I met with my girlfriend a few days after I had given my life to the Lord. We lived on the same military base and this was the first time we got together following my salvation. I was excited to tell all about the amazing thing that was happening to me. I wanted her to hear the good news and for her to experience the Lord too. She politely listened but wasn't really interested. She just wanted to know what all of this meant for us and our relationship. So I told her that I needed to break up with her in obedience to what God was telling me to do. She couldn't understand why God would want me to do something like that. I didn't really have an answer other than to say it was what I knew I was supposed to do. With some push back and tears, I left her crying in front of her house. I felt awful but wonderful at the same time. Awful because I was concerned that I had hurt her but joyous from within. When you are obedient to follow His voice the Spirit bears true joy and this is what I was feeling. A week or two later I saw her with another guy but I had no regrets - I found the pearl of great cost.
What my salvation and the breakup did convince me was that I didn't want to have a girlfriend unless it was His choice. I determined at that moment that I wasn't going to have a romantic relationship until I met the woman I was to marry. What transpired from that point was somewhat comical - a number of girls began noticing me and started talking and flirting with me. Where was all of this when I wanted a girlfriend? However, I remained resolved to what I had determined. For now, knowing and walking with God was all I really wanted.
I went to let the head football coach know that I was going to leave the team. The irony is I had just finished going through fall tryouts where the players are reduced through cuts until they arrive at a final roster of players. Football was by far my favorite sport. I attended a large high school with over 1100 students in my sophomore class so making the team was difficult. When my name was listed on the final roster, I was thrilled. Now going to tell the coach that I was going to quit seemed crazy and was the last thing I imagined myself doing.
When I walked into the office, the room was abuzz with coaches and players talking about the roster and the upcoming season. The quiet, private meeting I was hoping to have never transpired. Instead the head coach greeted me with a hearty, "Congratulations! Are you ready to get started?" It was the first time I had seen him since seeing my name listed on the final roster after our tryouts. Not wanting to make a scene, I started speaking to him in a quiet voice.
"What? Speak up boy, I can't hear a word you're saying!" he stated as I now regretted speaking so softly. Great, now everyone in the whole office was aware of our conversation!
"Coach", I started. "I need to let you know that I'm no longer going to be on the team."
"What!?" he replied even louder. "What do you mean you're not going to be in the team? Why?!" he exclaimed in disbelief.
Oh, boy… if everyone wasn't paying attention before, they are now. "Well, coach. It's a bit hard to explain," I started. "Umm.. Let me ask, do you believe in God?"
"Well of course I believe in God!" He barked back. "Everyone believes in God! What the hell does God have to do with you playing football?"
"Well, I, uh, I gave my life to Him and know that I'm not supposed to play,'' I replied sheepishly.
"Well what am I supposed to say about that?" He retorted. "Am I supposed to compete with God?"
"Um.. No sir. I just know this is what I'm supposed to do" I replied as I quickly looked up and saw everyone in the room now watching and listening intently to our conversation. "I want to thank you for coaching me and I'm sorry to cause any trouble."
After checking to make sure that I was sure and letting me know that if I left the room without changing my mind that there wouldn't be a spot for me on the roster, the coach shook my hand and said he respected my decision. I left and started to walk down an empty hallway from the athletic offices back to the main campus. I was full of joy again knowing that I obeyed what I knew was His will.
Does God speak to us?
What convinced me to walk to the front of a church, that I had never before attended, to surrender my life? Why did I decide to give up the two things that I loved? Was I responding to God and how did I know it was His voice? Why have multitudes of people responded to this same inner voice?
Even if you believe in God, you might question whether God speaks to individuals, or more importantly, you. Many people believe in Jesus but don't believe that He would have the capacity or the time to have a personal relationship with an individual. Let's see what the Bible says about the Lord talking to man.
In the Old Testament it is true that the interactions between God and man are limited to a small number of men and women. This is due to the separation that sin caused between God and man. Despite the separation, God revealed Himself to His people in many ways. He performed miracles and wonders. He parted the waters of the Red Sea and the Jordan River. He led His people with a pillar of cloud and fire. He provided water, manna and quail to drink and eat. He enabled His people to defeat large armies, and overtake kingdoms and cities. And He established His presence among them in the tabernacle and temple.
When God established His new covenant through Jesus, the relationship between God and man changed. The common man was given access to God through the body and blood of Jesus. The believers have become the new temple.
"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."Hebrews 10:19-22
Now with the way opened, the Shepherd is calling His sheep to become one flock.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”John 10:1-18
This passage makes it clear that the Jews who believed Him would know Him and hear His voice. The same is true for the Gentiles. He said, "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd."
The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”John 10:24-30
Voices in the garden
For me personally, I have never seen the Lord nor heard an audible voice. The best way to describe His voice from my experience is that it is something that you know deep within you. It's a feeling of, "I know that I know that I know".
If you are naturally skeptical like me, this might make you nervous because we all have thoughts. Some are evil and wicked. Others sound good but are about things that you're not really sure about. Others come through ideas from friends, acquaintances and media. How do you sort these thoughts from God's? Let's turn to the beginning of the Bible to understand what we're facing.
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”Genesis 3:1-12
This passage in Genesis is unique in that it identifies four influences over Adam and Eve.
- Satan (devil): The passage opens with the description of a crafty serpent who lies and tempts Eve to eat the fruit from the one tree that she and Adam were instructed to not eat from. This is the voice of the enemy, of Satan.
- Others (man): The passage says, "she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate". This is the voice of others, of man. Or in this case, woman, from Adam's perspective.
- Self (flesh): The passage says that Eve saw "that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise". This is the voice of the flesh, of self.
- God: The passage ends with God looking for Adam and then confronting him about whether he ate from the tree. This is the voice of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
As you read through the Bible, you will see these four influences, or four voices, at play in the lives of the men and women. These are the four voices that influence us as well.
The voice of Satan
The voice of Satan appears in scripture as coming directly from him, from his demons, or as actions from his demonic forces. First, let's look into who Satan is and then see how he affects us according to the Word.
And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time." And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.Revelation 12:7-17
"How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit. "Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?' "All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own tomb. "But you have been cast out of your tomb Like a rejected branch, Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit Like a trampled corpse. "You will not be united with them in burial, Because you have ruined your country, You have slain your people. May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever. "Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter Because of the iniquity of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of the earth And fill the face of the world with cities." "I will rise up against them," declares the Lord of hosts, "and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and posterity," declares the Lord. "I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," declares the Lord of hosts.Isaiah 14:12-23
"Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God, "You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. "You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. "You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. "You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. "By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you. "By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you. "All who know you among the peoples Are appalled at you; You have become terrified And you will cease to be forever."'"Ezekiel 28:12-19
In these three passages we get a glimpse as to who Satan is. Even though parts of these passages are difficult to understand, we can derive that Satan was created to be a beautiful angel with many gifts. Because of his beauty, he became proud and attempted to exalt himself above God. So he was cast from heaven down to earth for a period of time. Because he has a limited amount of time on earth, he has made war against people who "keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus."
Satan - the ruler of this world
Scripture teaches us that Satan is the ruler of the world. I don’t recall hearing that Satan was the ruler of the world from the churches that I had attended, but as I read through the Bible each year, I kept encountering passages that identified him in this way.
I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.John 14:30-31
Prior to coming to faith, we walked to indulge the desires of our flesh and mind. This is the way of the world and the way of Satan. Before being born again, a person is under this rule. They are enslaved to Satan and they are under the wrath of God.
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.Ephesians 2:1-3
When a person is born again, he escapes the rule of Satan so that Satan no longer has any hold over him. Now as a new creature, he is free. Jesus gives us understanding so that we know him as the true God. This is good news!
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.1 John 5:18-21
As amazing as life's wonderful experiences are in the midst of the majesty and beauty of the earth and creation, there are many things that are amiss and have been since the fall of Adam and Eve. These things have been increasing and will continue to increase as the time comes to an end. At that time, judgement will come and Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire forever.
Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."John 12:31-32
Satan - tactics
Scripture helps us to understand the tactics Satan uses against us. For example, in the passage in Revelation he is referred to as the "accuser of the brethren" and that "he accuses them before our God day and night".
We should also assume that Satan will come before the throne of God accusing us and demanding justice when we sin. I've wondered about this passage in conjunction with passages such as where Jesus tells us not to swear an oath (Matthew 5:33-37). We should assume that Satan accuses us when we fail to follow through on things we've sworn but failed to do. We should consider the conflict this causes for God, the righteous Judge, when Satan accuses us of violating His truths and failing our oaths and promises.
Satan - angel of light
Depictions of the devil and his demons show dark, horrific beings. But scripturally we get a different picture - one of a beautiful angel who walks in unrighteousness and masquerades as a righteous angel. It's easier to understand how Satan can deceive so many since we have this distorted picture. We should be cautious not to perpetuate this and other lies. Our flesh will be attracted to his beauty so we must be aware spiritually of who he is.
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.2 Corinthians 11:14
Satan - father of lies
Jesus describes Satan to be the “father of lies.” Knowing that he is the father of lies should alone motivate us to not walk in Satan’s path! Walking in truthfulness should be something we strive to do at all times.
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.John 8:44
In Ephesians, Paul instructs us to stay firm, "having girded your loins with truth" - figuratively wearing truth around our loins. We should consider that it was no accident that Paul uses truth to surround our loins as a message about sexual purity. This suggests that all forms of sexual immorality are based upon lies that are created, encouraged and justified by Satan. Truth guards against them all. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and be willing to walk in truth with humility if you struggle with sexual immorality.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousnessEphesians 6:11-14
Satan - tempter
From Adam onward, scripture identifies Satan as the tempter of men. It is important to note that although Satan tempts man, it is only by the authority granted to him by God. In other words, he cannot act without approval. It is likewise important to note that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to handle. He always provides a way of escape so that we can endure the temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13).
After John the Baptist baptizes Jesus, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Some suggest that Jesus's resistance to Satan's temptations broke the bonds that Satan has held over man since he tempted Adam. In His victory over temptation, Jesus points the way for all of the children of the new covenant to overcome temptation as well.
One thing to note is the manner in which Satan was tempting Jesus. After the long fast, Satan tempts Jesus to turn rocks into bread. He then tempts Him to do a suicidal act saying that the angels will rescue Him. Lastly, he tempts Jesus by offering to give Him all the kingdoms of the world by bowing down to him. We can see him using these same temptations on us. Satan tempts us to take action to indulge our flesh when the Lord wants us to trust and depend upon Him alone. Satan tempts us to destroy ourselves, sometimes literally by suicide, and tries to convince us that God would want us to do so. Satan tempts us with worldly gain if we worship and follow him including the justification of pursuing worldly gain by saying that we will use it for good things when we know deep within that we are doing it for our own gain. The Spirit gives us the strength to overcome the temptations of Satan.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'he will command his angels concerning you'; and 'on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, ' you shall not put the Lord your God to the test .'" Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, ' you shall worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.Matthew 4:1-11
Satan - deceiver
As in the garden of Eden, Satan is at work using his cunning deception to lead people astray. In this letter to the Corinthians, notice that Paul is speaking to believers. He implies that Satan has already introduced a different Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel and that the Corinthians readily accepted these false truths.
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.2 Corinthians 11:3-4
Satan - blinds unbelievers
Satan blinds the minds of the unbelieving to not see the light of the gospel because their hearts are dull and they are caught up in the course of the world. Remember Jesus said that blessed were the eyes that see and ears that hear. After the resurrection, he appoints Paul to go to the gentiles “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 26:18
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.2 Corinthians 4:3-4
I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.John 10:9-10
Satan - adversary to the believer
Satan no longer has rule over a believer. For the believer, he becomes an adversary. We are instructed to be sober of spirit, be on the alert and to resist the devil and his schemes.
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.1 Peter 5:8-11
Consider how we're told that we don't struggle against flesh and blood but against the rulers, powers, world forces of this darkness, spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Having been baptized into death, we are raised and have become united with Him. We are no longer slaves to sin and death. He instructs us about his full armor that requires us to walk in truth and righteousness in faith. Faith will defeat all of the attacks of Satan. We are to be prepared to share the gospel of peace and to take salvation and the word of God.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.Ephesians 6:10-20
If we belong to Jesus and are walking in His Spirit, we are walking with the One who is greater than Satan "for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."Luke 10:17-20
Voice of Others (man)
The voice of others comes from other people that speak into our lives. Spouses, parents, siblings, family members, friends, coworkers, neighbors, teachers, pastors, priests are some obvious examples. But the voice of others includes what we read, hear and see in books, music, videos, movies, television and electronic media. Even a single image without words can greatly influence us and move us to action.
The second voice that we see in the garden is the voice of others. God instructed Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”Genesis 2:16-17
Since Eve was created after this instruction was given to Adam, it is likely that Adam was the one to instruct Eve not to eat from the tree. Note that Eve repeats the instruction of not eating from the tree, but she adds that she is not to "touch it."
The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”Genesis 3:2-3
Adam either added to not “touch it” when he told Eve about the tree, or Eve added it herself. In either case, it makes you wonder if touching influenced her to eat the fruit. It should remind us to not add or take away from scripture.
Eve's next action exemplifies the voice of others as "she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." (Genesis 3:6). No further description is shown in scripture except that he received the fruit from her and ate. He listened to her "voice" and disobeyed the Lord's command. Death came to man.
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”Genesis 3:17-19
Other voices - false spiritual leaders
We are cautioned to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God." (1 John 4:1) As in the case of Eve, scripture shows us that bad counsel can come from unsuspecting sources such as a spouse in Adam’s case. In Paul’s case, we see him on multiple occasions warning about leaders in the church. In that regard, Paul describes himself working diligently to watch over his churches out of concern that they would receive a tainted view of Jesus, of the Spirit, or of the gospel that they received from him.
Deception from spiritual leaders is a difficult truth for me to accept as I’m sure it is for many others. We want to think of the church as the one safe place where we can go and hear the truth spoken and taught. But we can look across the epistles to see the warnings that show that these first century churches were already infiltrated with workers of the enemy.
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. ... And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 12-15
Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray.Mark 13:6
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.1 John 4:1
And then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.Mark 13:21-23
Looking back to the Israelites, corrupt and wicked leaders are not unique to the church. They persisted from the beginning of their exile and continued on through their existence as a nation.
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.Jeremiah 29:8-9
Other voices - not forsaking assembling together
This does not mean we neglect gathering with other believers. On the contrary, the writer of Hebrews tells us, "not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:25) We should make every effort to understand the message of who Jesus is, who the Spirit is, and the gospel itself. These truths are being distorted from the truth as a work of the enemy.
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!Galatians 1:6-8
Even if corruption is prevalent we should seek to gather since we are the new temple. Jesus said He would be among us when two or three are gathered in His name. (Matthew 18:20) We see this in the time of Jesus' arrival at Herod's temple. Even though the leaders were corrupt and false teachers were prevalent, Anna and Simeon were in the temple and were able to see and recognize Jesus. Likewise the poor widow put her money into the treasury in the temple at a time when corruption ruled. Yet Jesus saw her and praised her heart and action.
Other voices - godly counsel
Another area that we shouldn’t neglect is to seek counsel from godly men and women. We are encouraged to listen to them. This is why discernment is so important in choosing counsel.
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.Proverbs 19:20-21
Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.Proverbs 15:22
Other voices - wicked counsel
One type of people that we are strongly urged to avoid receiving counsel from are wicked people. They may be people that we don’t know directly but we have access to their writings and recordings. Consider the myriad of media that we consume whether in books, magazines, movies, music, etc. What counsel are you receiving from them?
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;Psalms 1:1-2
Other voices - counsel against God's will
Perhaps the most known example of men giving bad counsel in the Bible was when the Israelites approached the promised land. The Lord instructs Moses to select one man from each of the tribes of Israel to spy out the land of Canaan. Moses sends the men into Canaan to report what the land was like - whether the land was fat or lean, if it had trees, what the people of the land were like and whether the cities were open or fortified, and whether the people were few or many. When the men return, ten of the twelve reported that the land was indeed a land of "milk and honey" but then reported the cities were fortified and there were giants in the land. They brought fear into the people.
Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”Numbers 14:1-4
Despite pleas from the two spies who brought back a positive report, Joshua and Caleb, the people rebelled and were set to stone them until the glory of the Lord appeared. Listening to the voice of the ten spies kept the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for another forty years and cost the lives of nearly every man over twenty years old.
Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.Numbers 14:22-23
Other voices - friends
One of the most challenging situations we face when receiving counsel is during difficult times. In Job we get a glimpse into what happens in the heavenly places as we see Satan petition God to allow him to have access to Job. Satan kills all of Job's children and their families, destroys his fortune, and attacks him with a skin disease to the point that he is unrecognizable.
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him. When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.Job 2:11-13
You can see that these men must have been very committed friends as they took time to travel and then remain with Job in an effort to comfort and sympathize with him. But when they finally spoke, their well meaning counsel was misguided. It is clear when you read their words that they believed they followed and knew the same God as Job. They concluded that Job was suffering because God was punishing him for sins that he and his children had committed. They were convinced that God would not allow anyone to suffer if they were righteous. They became more insistent when Job defended his life and his integrity. They spoke as though they knew God and His righteousness.
They were arguing an age old question as to why bad things happen to good people. Some say things are random and it was just bad luck - that there is no God. Others say there is a general cause and effect and you get what you deserve - reaping what you sow. The book of Job gives us a different picture entirely to both arguments. It's a picture of an unseen adversary wreaking havoc in the life of a righteous man.
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.Job 1:1
Was he "blameless and upright" because he was without sin? No - scripture is clear that there are none without sin. Job was righteous because his faith was counted to him as righteousness. His faith proved true in the midst of this great period of suffering. As for his friends?
“Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?Job 38:2
It came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job.Job 42:7-9
Voice of the Flesh (self)
A third voice that we see in the garden of Eden is the voice of the flesh. The voice of the flesh comes from our created nature which has been corrupted by sin. It traverses more than just our physical being to include our heart, mind, and soul. Our flesh is sold into bondage to sin. It is willing to do what is right but it is weak. Its passions and desires are in opposition to the Spirit. For those who are married or sexually involved, our flesh includes our partners as scripture shows that we become one flesh with them.
And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.Genesis 3:2-3, 6
Following Satan's temptation, Eve's flesh 'spoke' to her. She "saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise." Many times we don't need any other reason besides something to be a "delight to the eyes," in order for us to follow that inner voice. As we often do when following our flesh, we justify our actions by claiming the sin is doing something good. Eve determined it was good for food and that is was desired to make one wise, which was Satan's message to her.
Flesh - in slavery to sin
We are Adam's children. Before we are born again and have received the Holy Spirit, we are in slavery to sin and death. We have an understanding as to what is right but we choose wrong again and again.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.Proverbs 14:12
The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.Psalms 14:1
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.James 4:13-17
Flesh - heart's desire
There are many who suggest that when we come to a place of decision that we should follow our heart - our flesh. The Lord prophecies through Jeremiah to contrast a man who follows the voice of his flesh to one who follows the voice of the Lord.
Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."Jeremiah 17:5-10
Flesh - unfruitful believer
Those who are born again are given the Holy Spirit to follow. Our flesh is no longer under the rule of Satan but its desires and passions are still active and in opposition to the Spirit. If we allow the flesh to take control, the word within us is choked and becomes unfruitful.
And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.Mark 4:18-19
Flesh - selfish ambition
Although we often deny it, our leading is often rooted in jealousy and selfish ambition. James speaks very directly to the issue.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.James 3:14-16
We know this isn't really easy. Our flesh is very determined and often tries to solve it's desires by going it's own way rather than going to Him.
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.James 4:1-2
Flesh - deeds are evident
What we actually do and how we live our lives reveals who we really are in Christ. For the believer, it comes down to choosing to walk by the Spirit. If we don't walk by the Spirit, we will carry out the desires of the flesh and our actions are evident.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.Galatians 5:16-21
Before Christ came into our lives, we were bound to sin as slaves. Many of the things that we did, we felt confident that we were making the right decision when we started. But after some time, we found ourselves doing these things repeatedly, and often became what we hated. We would try to stop doing them through many means but we would repeat then again and again. We found our flesh was leading us to death. But now that He has come, we are set free from bondage to sin and death. We can now offer the members of our body, that were once sold to sin, to Him to be used in righteousness.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.Romans 6:12-14
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.Romans 6:17-19
Flesh - choose life
We face the same decision as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We are given the choice to listen to Him and to choose life and to enjoy all of the fruit that He gives through His Spirit, or follow our flesh to death.
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. … So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.Romans 8:5-8, 12-13
Voice of God
The final voice in the garden is the voice of God. It was God's voice that spoke life into existence. It was His voice that created man and woman. It is His voice that we should earnestly seek and follow.
The actions of man in listening to the voice of Satan, his flesh, and others rather than listening to His voice set in motion the separation between God and man that we face today without Christ.
The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.” Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”Genesis 3:14-19
As you read through the pages of the Bible, you find a God who, despite the fall of man in the garden and the many transgressions since, has sought to speak to His people. You will find His voice in scripture coming from the three parts of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You will also hear His voice spoken through angels of the Lord. Here are just a few examples of the people that the Lord spoke to.
God - Abraham
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”Genesis 12:1-3
God - Moses
When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.Exodus 3:4-6
God - Samuel
And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”1 Samuel 3:9-10
God - Elijah
So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord .” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”1 Kings 19:11-13
God - Job
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me! Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,"Job 38:1-4
God - David
“The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me, ‘He who rules over men righteously, Who rules in the fear of God, Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, When the tender grass springs out of the earth, Through sunshine after rain.’2 Samuel 23:2-4
God - Isaiah
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”Isaiah 6:8
God - Jeremiah
Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”Jeremiah 1:4-5
God - Ezekiel
“Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me."Ezekiel 3:17
God - Zacharias
Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”Luke 1:12-17
God - Mary
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”Luke 1:26-33
God - Joseph
And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”Matthew 1:19-21
God - Peter, Andrew, James, John
Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.Matthew 4:18-22
God - Paul
As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”Acts 9:3-6
God - a new covenant
Jeremiah prophesied about the new covenant that God would make with man. Interestingly, he gave his prophecy during the time when His presence was about to depart Israel after the first covenant was broken. From the day He delivered His people from the hand of Pharaoh, He had established His presence among them. Here, as His presence was about to depart, He promised a new covenant in which everyone would know Him.
"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."Jeremiah 31:31-34
God - the Helper
Through the sacrifice of His blood and His body, Jesus created access to God through the coming of the Holy Spirit. Man has become the temple of the Holy Spirit.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.John 14:16-17
"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.John 15:26
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.John 16:13-15
God - the sheep hear His voice
How could a teenager like me who barely knew anything about God or Jesus and nothing about the Holy Spirit be led to walk forward in repentance and total surrender and then experience His indwelling presence? Because I was responding to the voice of the Shepherd. Somehow, in His Mercy, He opened the floodgates of His never ending love to me.
To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.John 10:3-5, 14-16
God - testing all things
We are instructed to test all things. Here are some measures that you can use to help determine whether something is from the Lord:
Do you have a relationship with God? Spending time with God builds a strong relationship and a deep understanding of who He is. People often say they can't hear God when they seek Him with a decision after years of living for themselves and rarely seeking or spending time with Him. Like human relationships, you don't really know someone unless you spend quality time with them. The good news is that you can start today. Consider reading David's writing in the book of Psalms. He shares his joys, thoughts and concerns with God revealing a deep relationship that he walked in good times and bad times, and in moments of great victory and deep failure.
Does what you're hearing align with the Word of God? It is so important to know His Word. Not everything will align perfectly but it is a red flag when it doesn't. If you aren't doing so now, try to read through the entire Bible every year. Reading through the Bible will give you the background of our faith and help you to know God's character and will for His people. There are many reading plans available and the actual reading takes about 15-20 minutes each day. You'll learn what He loves and what He hates. You'll learn from those who walked this earth before you both in their victories and their failures and see how He related to them.
Does it agree with the law written on your heart? God said that He would write His laws on our hearts. This is why there is a common understanding of what is right and wrong throughout the world. Romans tells us of men who "suppress the truth in unrighteousness". In other words, there are places in our lives where we love sin so much that we suppress His truth so we can walk in unrighteousness. But when it comes down to it, we know whether things are right or wrong because of what is written on our hearts.
Does it align with God's character? God loves righteousness but despises wickedness. He gives grace to the humble but opposes the proud. He is near to the brokenhearted. He hates liars. He turns away the rich but gives to the hungry. He desires righteousness and justice more than sacrifice, and to obey is better than sacrifice. People often try to justify behaviors and actions as God's will that clearly fall outside of His character.
Does it align with the times? The Bible shows various seasons and times that man has walked with God. There have been periods of judgement, captivity, judges, kings, rest, exile, silence, redemption. We live in a time where the enemy has been given a time to rule and those who have been saved are in exile. James calls it a "day of slaughter" and rebukes the rich for fattening themselves during this time.
Does it pass Godly counsel? Having one or two fellow believers who walk with God to test what you are hearing is wise. Especially someone who isn't afraid to tell you if you are wrong. Ultimately the decision lies with you but it is good to test major decisions with a brother or sister who walks with the Lord.
Does it pass the test of patience? Paul tells us to "be anxious for nothing". Many failures are recorded in scripture because man grew impatient and determined to do something on their own. God often tests us by delaying and causing us to wait. Scripture shows us how God rewards those who wait for Him. Oftentimes it seems as though the Lord doesn't hear - that He is late and the time of opportunity has passed and you are left with nothing. It is in those moments that He often shows Himself strong and comes to the aid of His people.
God - hearing His voice
So how do we hear God's voice? The obvious answer is to eliminate the other three voices and the one that remains will be His. Some simple things that you can do: resist Satan and he will flee from you; turn off external inputs (TV, internet, music, movies, books) to increase moments of quiet, meditation and prayer; seek the things He loves; deny your flesh of the things that you love but know are displeasing to Him; spend time with true brothers or sisters in the Lord and share your spiritual gifts; pray and ask Him to reveal things in your life that are not pleasing to Him and obey His direction.
The journey ahead
I have found an awareness of these four voices to be so helpful in my walk with Him. As you read the Bible, you will see the interplay of these voices with the men and women on its pages. There are those that listened and followed the voice of Satan, the voice of other people, and the voice of their own flesh to their demise. But there are those who followed God and His voice. We should admire and strive to follow their faith.
It is thrilling to know that God communicates with us and desires that we seek Him and follow Him. But knowing that the enemy actively influences and speaks through other people has encouraged me to seek and understand His truth rather than just blindly accepting and following other people's words. Understanding how my flesh still makes its appeal to my old life and the desolation that dominated my life in comparison to the true fruit born from His Spirit has encouraged me to continue to pursue walking by His Spirit and to put to death the deeds of my flesh.
Before I gave my life to Him, I made a bold and, now in hindsight, incredibly arrogant prayer. I said, "If knowing you is about following a bunch of rules, I don't want to have anything to do with this. But if doing this is about having a relationship with You, I want all there is to have." By His grace, He accepted me and has revealed Himself and His direction to me in many ways.
Below, I chronicle what resulted from my first steps of faith that I described earlier. In part, you'll see that I seek His 'voice' by asking for certain things to occur so I would know that this was His direction. I want to say here that I don't suggest you follow this pattern but ask that you receive it as a testimony to how amazing our God is to answer the request of a young man in this way.
Below, I chronicle what resulted from my first steps of faith that I described earlier. In part, you'll see that I seek His 'voice' by asking for certain things to occur so I would know that this was His direction. I want to say here that I don't suggest you follow this pattern but ask that you receive it as a testimony to how amazing our God is to answer the request of a young man in this way.
Shower of His Spirit
God chose the summer of 1973 to fall on Colorado Springs. I was one of the many people whom God saved that summer. We witnessed people giving their lives to Him and would hear stories of what was happening in different parts of the city including stories of healings, signs and wonders. Some began attending house churches that started up as the Spirit continued to fall. I remember Colorado Springs having so few church buildings when we lived there. Now I understand the city is home to many churches along with the headquarters of national and international Christian ministries. I wonder if that summer when the Spirit fell was the catalyst.
On the military base where I lived, kids that I grew up with that walked alone or in their cliques began surrendering their lives to God and joining us. Kids that once hated each other came together as His Spirit moved and convicted them. We would gather from house to house and would get together nightly as our parents permitted. It was common for some to stay up all night praying and calling out to God. Soon most of the high school students on the military base had been transformed and were actively involved. We weren't aware of Acts 2 but we were living out something very similar. I've heard churches describe themselves according to the Acts passage but I've never experienced anything close to what happened before or since.
Life after football
As I walked down the empty hallway after quitting the football team I heard a door open and close and then footsteps running up the hallway towards me.
"Hey Murata," the voice shouted as I stopped to turn and see who was calling me. It was one of the assistant coaches from the football team.
"I just wanted to tell you that I admire you for what you did just now," he started. "That took a lot of guts!" he continued as I grappled with why he was telling me this. "Hey, listen," he said as he paused to weigh his words carefully. "Do you think God would allow you to do gymnastics?" He asked almost apologetically.
"Uh, I'm not sure," I replied as I was baffled by his question. It took everything in me to talk to my football coach so where is this coming from?
"I'm also the gymnastics coach and I would really like for you to be on my team," he explained.
"Coach, I'm not really sure… I don't know anything about gymnastics," I replied now understanding his reason.
A few days later, I was cracking open the door to a gym I had never seen before in our school. Young men were doing all kinds of tricks on bars, rings and the trampoline - things I had never seen before. In praying, I didn't sense the Lord saying 'no' and after talking and praying with fellow believers, I decided to give gymnastics a try.
Our high school was interesting in that it was set up to be more like a college. We would sign up for classes across a six day schedule that would have us taking lectures and labs on differing days. Like college, we would often have large gaps between courses that we signed up for. You were allowed to do anything during those times including going off campus. I generally spent those times in the library which was a large, sunken room surrounded by glass walls and hallways. At some point in a given day, students would walk by the library as they headed to class. A few former teammates from the football team would see me and stop in to talk to me about God.
Gymnastics proceeded to be challenging and rewarding. Having gone through the toughest part of training for football, I thought I was in great shape. A few days into gymnastics, I hurt in places I never knew I could hurt. One apparatus that the coach had me work on a lot was the trampoline. The feel of flipping, turning and controlling your body while you are up in the air isn't something that comes naturally. The trampoline gives you more time in the air to practice.
Test of my commitment
Carla was a young lady who was on the girls gymnastics team. She would come to the gym to take turns to train on the trampoline. I had successfully navigated through any interest from girls that had come to Christ over the summer. Now with school and activities in full swing, the fervor and move of the Spirit in our group died down. Our parents did everything they could to end what they saw as a cult and we were trying to understand how our new faith fit into our 'normal' lives of school, activities and work.
As we spent time together training, Carla began to talk to me about more things than gymnastics. For some reason, she felt safe with me. As we started to develop a close friendship, the military transferred my father to Texas effectively ending any opportunity for a relationship. I look back and see the hand of God protecting me because had she cracked open the door for a relationship, I would have likely walked through. Despite my commitment to not dating anyone until I met the girl that I was to marry, Carla revealed the weakness of my flesh. I knew she wasn't a believer but I didn't understand that it mattered to God at that time. The voice of my flesh was alive and well.
Discovering God's choice
My sister and I thought we had arrived in the promised land when we moved to San Antonio. There were churches everywhere you looked. The radio had multiple Christian radio stations and there were Christian bookstores. People openly wore Christian t-shirts, jewelry and used Christian phraseology like, "God bless you" and "Praise God". We had heard about the Bible Belt and now we were living in it. We learned that there was a Bible study for young people on the military base where our father was stationed and decided to attend.
The Bible study was more of a social gathering but it was good to make new friends with people who at least on the surface were interested in talking about God. Liz and I shared stories of what happened to us in Colorado that garnered curious interest but my time experiencing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was becoming a distant memory. I met Woody there at the Bible study that first night.
Woody and some other girls showed interest in me from the first time we attended. Having any girl notice me after years of trying was still strange to me, but I tried to stay focused on getting to know God while holding to my commitment towards waiting for His choice. While she was very attractive, she wasn't my type - or at least the type that I had formulated in my head from years of television, movies and magazines.
Woody was persistent in letting me know of her interest so I started to think about what I was to do. Was I to politely tell her I wasn't interested in a relationship or could she really be the girl I was to marry? I was sixteen and she was a month away from turning fifteen so we were both very young. The only thing I knew to do was to ask God. But how was He supposed to answer. I didn't know very much about the Bible but I knew He was real from all that I had experienced. So I determined to ask for something to happen so I would know. I had never done this before so I'm uncertain as to what made me think to even do such a thing. But I truly wanted to know His will.
I decided to ask for something relatively simple but unlikely - a phone call. There were no cell phones in those days and phone numbers had to be memorized so it wasn't quite as trivial as it sounds. I hadn't received a single phone call since I arrived in San Antonio so it would be my first call at our new home. On top of it all, it was less common for a girl to call a boy, especially when there wasn't a relationship in place.
Later that day, after forgetting I had made that request, I received a phone call. Having forgotten my request, I answered and it was Woody! "Wow," I thought. It must be a coincidence. So I determined another thing to ask, something less likely to occur. When it occurred, I determined something even more unlikely. When it happened, I had a hard time believing what was going on. Was this truly Him? So I kept on praying and coming up with more difficult things until it seemed ridiculous that everything I concocted came true. I started to feel badly that I didn't believe from the beginning. So I apologetically asked for one more thing to occur, now my seventh request, but this time something I viewed as near impossible.
When the seventh and final request had come true, I was certain of God's direction and plan for Woody to be my wife. On her fifteenth birthday, I gave her a necklace with a cross and two interlocked rings and told her that she was to marry me someday. That someday didn't happen for almost seven years.
Along the way, I kept God in the picture but all of the experiences with Him faded into distant memories until I was no longer seeking His voice. The trappings of living in the Bible Belt meant more religion than relationship - the very thing that I never wanted. Subsequently, I struggled as I was being greatly influenced by other voices and my flesh.
Listening to the wrong voice
In my third year in college I attended my first computer science course. My father had advised me to go into computer programming but it wasn't until I had taken a business programming course that I decided to pursue studying it. Although I still deeply believed in God, I no longer sought Him like before. Woody and I were in our fourth year of dating and intent on getting married when we graduated. However, I was walking according to my flesh so our relationship struggled accordingly and I found myself mentally entertaining the thought of seeing other women.
I saw Karen in one of the introductory courses to computer science. There were only a handful of females in computer science so she really stood out in the sea of geeky guys. She was very beautiful and someone I thought would never pay attention to someone like me or anyone else in our lecture hall. Through an odd set of circumstances, I attended a small study group in which she was a member. Karen was in a long term relationship and planned to marry her boyfriend following graduation. Because I was in a similar situation, I think she considered me safe and a friendship ensued. Deep inside I knew I shouldn't pursue any type of relationship but I continued to ignore what I knew to be best.
The study group dissolved but Karen and I scheduled courses together and consulted on projects and exams. Over time our relationship grew into a much deeper friendship. I subsequently graduated and started my career in San Antonio. Karen and her boyfriend became engaged and then Woody and I became engaged and I thought we might just remain friends. But the heart is incredibly wicked, who can trust it?
Woody returned to college for her final year and was busy student teaching at area schools while working part time jobs in Austin. Karen was finishing her final semester of school and was having doubts about getting married. She drove down to meet me a couple of times and we soon found ourselves sharing feelings that we had held for some time. What I once thought could never happen was happening. But unlike the amazing joy I had felt in the past when obeying the Lord, the thrill I felt from my flesh was laced with confusion.
I loved Woody dearly and I remembered what God had spoken to me but I was now listening to my flesh and running from God's voice. It suddenly seemed logical to throw away everything that I knew to be true to pursue Karen. Woody could sense something was wrong and assumed it was about Karen. I couldn't conceal it from her any longer, so I told her of my confusion and said I needed time to sort things out. She was devastated but unwilling to quit. She sought help from the Lord and for the first time in her life she came to a complete surrender and a full relationship with Christ through the help of a good friend.
Weeks before her wedding, Karen and I agreed to meet at her family's house. I woke up very early and made the half day drive to see her. I let Woody know where I was going and apologized for hurting her. After meeting some of Karen's family at her house, we left to find a quiet place to talk. She again shared her doubts about marriage and her feelings toward me but didn't see a way to stop her wedding. After talking through several ideas we turned the discussion towards what our life would be like together if we could overcome the immediate obstacles.
At some point in our discussion, I shared a plan that God placed in my heart when I first came to know Him - I was to work with young adults and disciple them. She had been more than agreeable to everything we had discussed until then but was oddly opposed to this one idea. I tried to explain it in different ways but she kept coming up with reasons why she couldn't support that idea. It was at that moment that my flesh started to die and I started to recall the One voice that I knew to be true. We awkwardly said a final goodbye and I began the half day drive back to my house. I have never seen or spoken with Karen since that day.
Worth far above jewels
On the drive back and in the days and months afterwards, the confusion subsided and I took steps towards trying to heal my relationship with Woody. She was above gracious to forgive me even though I was so undeserving. We reconciled and were married that summer following her graduation. What He confirmed to me seven years earlier indeed came true.
Woody and I struggled through our first year of marriage as we continually tried to fix problems using our own wisdom and our own strength. This continued until we finally decided to turn our hearts and lives back to fully seeking the Lord and His voice. We joined a small group that met weekly and our faith rekindled. During our time in the small group, I shared with our leader about working with young adults. He told me that the church has just hired a new youth pastor and that he would arrange for me to meet with him.
The youth pastor was wonderful and so encouraging. I told him that I knew little about the Bible but he just encouraged me to walk out what I was called to do. He wanted me to join the high school ministry and that he would help me to find a way to serve. I talked to Woody about our meeting and she said that she wanted to also volunteer and serve where she could. I didn't know much about the book of Ruth when we were married but Woody's heart has been like Ruth's heart our entire marriage. It’s just one of the many reasons that I'm so grateful for her and why I feel so blessed.
"... for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God."Ruth 1:16
We are now nearing our fourth decade of marriage and I realize more and more each year how blessed I am to have Woody as my wife. The Lord gave me a treasure worth far more than jewels. The voices that I listened to over the years that shaped my thinking into what my wife was supposed to look like and who my wife was supposed to be were so wrong. I now see her as God has always seen her - a woman of much worth, much grace, and much beauty. I continue to be amazed at how perfect Woody is as a wife for me. She has truly come along side of me and fills my many voids with her love, kindness, and encouragement. I am beyond grateful that He blessed my little faith in seeking His voice with such a wonderful gift. She is a blessing beyond words.
I'm so grateful that He helped me to overcome Satan, ignore the voice of others, put my flesh to death, and to seek and follow His voice.
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