Which Voices Do You Hear?

Why is it  that we so easily give in to the enemy?  We decide to make a stand to do what's right and true according to God's ways and immediately the enemy is there whispering in our ears telling us it can't be done, most of the time through the voices of our friends and family.  And if we are not careful, we will buy into his lies and answer back, "Yes, this can not be done."

In the story of David and Goliath (found in 1 Samuel 17) every thing was set against David.  The giant was much bigger and way more prepared as a warrior than this ruddy complected young man, his brothers were against him, and even King Saul told him that defeating the giant couldn't be done. Even Goliath talked to him telling him that he was going to kill him.  If ever there was someone who had no one on his side, it was David.

I really love the heart of David throughout this story.  He is not dismayed when his brother calls him out in front of the other soldiers, he just says, "All I did was ask a question!"  Then turns from his brother to ask another man what would be done for the man who killed Goliath.

When the king hears that David will face Goliath, he tries to talk him out of it, and David ends up encouraging Saul by telling him of his past victories over lions and bears when he was taking care of his father's sheep in the wilderness. Taking it all back to the covenant that he had with God (something which Saul and every other Israelite actually had access too as well).  David knew where the true strength of his abilities came from.  Finally, David ignored the voice of the giant as he taunted him, turning Goliath's own words back on him and saying that this battle belonged to the Lord.

There comes a time in every man's life when you are going to have to stand up and ignore the voices that try to keep you from fulfilling what God wants you to accomplish.  It will not be up to anyone else to see that it happens, but you. This is where the rubber meets the road so to speak, and you will be tested to see if you truly have what it takes to come through.

This happened in my life a few years ago, and I had to ignore the voices of some of my closest loved ones in order to see God come through.  I was taking some men on a men's weekend boot camp based on the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.  I knew that this would be a powerful time for the men, and was looking forward to attending it myself.  The man who was going to drive the van for me was in a car wreck the morning we were supposed to leave and had been taken to the hospital.

I received the news about this while I was in the shower.  While shampooing my hair my wife asked, "Will they (the event people) refund his money if he ends up not being able to go?"  I didn't respond, I just continued getting ready for work.  As I drove to work, I received another phone call with the news that I should make other arragnements concerning the van and who would drive it as the man probably wouldn't be going with us on the weekend.  As I hung up the phone, something on the inside of me rose up and I had to say, "No!"

I began talking with the Lord, telling Him that I knew this man wanted to go, he had actually been the first to sign up and pay his money for the trip months in advance   I knew that it was going to be an important weekend for him, and really wanted to see him make it.  The Scripture Matthew 18:19 came to my mind, which says, "I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you."  So I made a decision right then to believe God, and not listen to the other voices I'd been hearing that morning.

When I talked with the man later, I asked if he still wanted to go, and he said that he did.  So we agreed together according to Matthew 18:19, and believed God.  He left the hospital, and made it to the church in time for us to leave.  He didn't drive the van, but he did attend the weekend and only took two pain pills the entire time he was there.  He told me later that it was such a good weekend for him, and that God had done some things in his life that wouldn't have happened otherwise.

It was amazing to watch God work, and the only reason that it happened was because I decided to believe what the Word of God said instead of listening to the words of others that I had been hearing that day.  I'm not saying that the other voices were evil or of the devil, because they weren't.  You see even when Saul was talking to David about not fighting Goliath, it was out of concern for his welfare.  His motives were good, even if they weren't helpful to God's cause.

Sometimes we are forced with a decisions of whether or not we are going to believe what is true, even in the face of concern from our friends and family. Jesus said that the things He did we would do, and even greater things also, (John 14:12) but we have to believe that we can do them first and then act on what the Word of God says in order to see it come to pass in our lives, regardless of what any other voices might be saying.

So I guess my question is, which voices are you listening to today?  The ones that say it can't be done, or God's voice which says, "Dare to believe Me, and see it done."  If we're not listening to the words of God, then maybe it's time we got into His Word and started listening.  Just a thought.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!